KonMari: The Easiest Way to Clean

In this article, you’ll learn how to sort through all of your clutter with this famous Japanese method of organization.

Have you looked around your home and suddenly had the urge to clean? Do you feel as though there is a force that demands you drop everything and tidy up your surroundings only to put it aside for later? What if you were told that there was a way that you could clear away your clutter and clean your home only once and never have to do it ever again? Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, can help you achieve just that

Marie Kondo, a Japanese native, has been interested in organizing things since she was young and actually used to run to her classroom to clean and tidy up while everyone else was in PE. She once had a nervous breakdown of sorts and was unconscious for a period of two hours. Once she had awoken she’s apparently had a sort of revelation that told her to keep what made her happy and get rid of everything else.

By applying the principals of fung shui and leaving behind her old method of organizing, she created the KonMari Method of cleaning. Kondo admits that the method isn’t easy, but it is worth the end results.

What is KonMari?

For those not in the know, The KonMari method is a way of cleaning and organization that has been borrowed from the Japanese and is a relatively new and progressive to categorize your belongings that leads to long-lasting results. The resulting change is so incredible that Kondo typically winds up with months-long waiting lists!

How Does it Work?

Envision yourself in a clutter-free environment

Before you begin to get rid of all of the things in your home, the first thing that you need do is to imagine that you are already in a clutter-free space. Think very hard about what that actually means to you personally. No two people are the same, so the things that work out for you may not be for someone else.

Ask yourself this:
• What does being clutter-free mean to me personally?
• What am I looking to accomplish in this space?
• How can I combine creativity and minimalism in this space?

Begin Sorting Through Your Possessions

This step is where you begin to comb through everything that you own and let go of whatever you deem unnecessary. Even though the KonMari method does center around getting rid of items instead of merely putting them away, it is also an emotional process. Keep in mind that what you get rid of doesn’t have to be materialistic, but can be whatever you feel serves you no purpose.

Make Room For What Really Matters To You

Once you’ve done the task of sorting through all of your things, you can now begin to make room for the belongings that really matter. It really is a simple process, by discarding the things that have no deeper meaning to you, you can make room for the things that do. Being able to distinguish between the two is an important part of the entire KonMari process. Things that you keep around only add clutter and weigh you down with unnecessary attachments that can actually prevent you from moving forward in your life.

Keep Only What Brings You Joy

As you sort through your things, it is very important that you feel a sense of joy from having it. Ask yourself, “Does this coat make me happy?” or “Do I cherish the memories attached to these shoes?” In order to be sure it the object in question really does invoke feelings of joy, either hold or touch it to see if any positive feelings come about from you grasping it. If not so, then keep it. If not, then throw it away or donate it.

In Kondo’s own words, “If you can say, ‘I really like this!’ and like having it for yourself then ignore what others say. If you can’t say that, let it go.”

There Is A Specific Order To It

When you’re discarding your things, Kondo says that first, you have to start with clothes, then books, papers, miscellaneous things, then finally your mementos. And even then there are ways that you must discard things within each of those categories. If you’ve just started, you would begin with clothing first and in that category, you would start from tops to bottoms then jackets and proceed from there. The entire process has an order by which you must abide by.

Overview

This cleaning and organizational method will grant you the ability to let you gather and think back on your life while allowing you to remain in the present and remind you of the important things around you. The KonMari system isn’t just a way to organize, it’s an important life lesson.

Have you tried to use the KonMari Method? Did it work out for you? If you have any thoughts you’d like to share, you are more than welcome to do so

Motherhood is both a blessing and a responsibility. This is because there are children for you to love and take care of, which will make you worried every quite often especially if you so happen to be away from them.

At the same time, you also have thousands of household chores to mind. These include the sinks which may be full of dirty utensils and cutlery, the full laundry basket, and the various wardrobes which may need to be kept orderly. This is over and above the food that is to be cooked.

Other than these, you may also have your own business to manage or may, in fact, be employed. A combination of these tasks may push you to the wall especially if you lack a planned schedule of activities to guide you through.

Even if you choose to take the multi-tasking path, you still have to put in place an appropriate schedule to guide you through. To be able to do a good job, you, by all means, have to have a strategy.

Some of the things you require to simplify your workload are:

A To-do List

By coming up with a comprehensive to-do list, you will be able to prioritize tasks well. This list will spell out those activities that are more urgent and hence are in need of greater attention. It will also identify those activities that are not so important. The list will further determine those activities which can wait a little longer, and how much time you ought to allocate for each activity. If you have others in your home, the list will also factor them. It will determine the specific tasks these people can help in. Lastly, the list also states when exactly you might need a break.

You should incorporate all the above factors while drafting a to-do list. Such a move will greatly expedite your multi-tasking capability. You should also be flexible as you draft such a list. While at it, do not allow the list to fully control you. Instead, you should make it flexible enough to make room for some added workload, additional companions, fatigue issues, and other forms of emergencies.

Road Map Your Day 

Do put in place a clear road-map as to how you will accomplish the various tasks. You should communicate the same with every member of your household for the sake of warding off unnecessary conflicts and disturbances as you play your roles. For instance, everyone should know the exact time you intend to clean so that they can make prior arrangements to leave the house at such a time. This will give you room to clean your house thoroughly.

The same case should apply to when the laundry ought to be performed. This prevents left-over laundry. In case you have delegated a task to anyone like assigning the washing of utensils to your daughter, let her know exactly when, why, and how she ought to perform the chore.

Avoid Procrastination

In some instances, you might be too lazy to complete your tasks on time. At such times, you will be tempted to push the left-over tasks to the following day. You ought to do what you are capable of doing at the moment. Resist the temptation of wasting time. If you postpone your activities, you will only increase your workload and before you know it, you will find yourself completely overwhelmed. This will put in you in a big mess because you will find yourself with less time at your disposal.

Multitask Simple and Easy Tasks

You are advised to multi-task i.e. handle more than one chore at a time as much as you can. This step reduces your workload considerably. For instance, you may apply your makeup as you feed the kids, washing, drying, and folding your laundry simultaneously, preparing meals as you wash utensils, or brushing your teeth while listening to your favorite music, among others.

Other than this, you may wish to incorporate some fun in the process. You may decide for instance to play around with kids as you clean the house, or teach the kids gardening as you work on it yourself.

Be Disciplined

At times, you will have to compel yourself to perform those chores you ordinarily would not want to. The same case applies to when you feel lazy given that your family depends on it. Perform all chores to the best of your capability. Try also to minimize any repetitions of tasks.

A No Distractions Policy

As you perform your chores, you will receive distractions from all quarters. These could be from your children, pets, guests, or spouses. These distractions slow you down and prevent you from beating deadlines. To go about the issue, avoid speaking on the phone as you do your duties. Just in case you require some extra space while performing these duties, communicate the same to the other occupants of the house. By limiting distractions to the absolute minimum, you will more likely get to complete your chores within the stipulated time-frame more so while multi-tasking.

Work in Small Increments

Avoid the temptation of wanting to complete everything within the shortest time possible. The opposite approach would be too disastrous for you in the long run. Adopt an incremental approach. This means to start out small and then progress slowly but steadily. Adopt just the right pace and you will be pleasantly surprised at just how much you can do in a day.

Find Motivation

Performing the same roles day in day out may become monotonous with time. No matter how much you love your job, you are bound to get bored sooner rather than later. You can, however, counter this boredom by adopting the following approaches:

• Look out for the light work – Anticipate such interesting times as birthdays, vacations, public holidays when you more likely to rest fully, and night times when you will sleep well with your spouse, and so on.
• Motivational quotes – The internet is awash with innumerable motivational quotes and allied services. You may seek to leverage them to receive daily motivational quotes to give you inspiration which carries you through the day.
• Get Moving – Just in case you feel tired, the last thing you can probably think of is getting up quickly and starting to work all over again. However, this approach has been proved to be great at reviving your motivation. As you start to work, your heart will start beating yet again and this will result in more energy on your part, thus reviving you a great deal.
• Obtain the necessary support – Take the proactive step to inform your mates of how exhausted you are. They will most likely grant you the necessary support you require and in so doing, reduce your workload considerably.
• Tick the list – As soon as you are done with a particular activity, tick as completed or done. This will confer to you some degree of motivation as you will feel a sense of relief after having accomplished one task for the day.

Set Clear Boundaries

Be certain of how long you should work and how much time you need to set aside for your rest. As soon as you feel worn out, do take some time off your duties. You also have to incorporate lots of multi-tasking to relieve your stress and make your experiences lighter.

Make Time for You

Lastly, you have to set aside some time for yourself. This stems from the fact that you have a life to live, notwithstanding your role as a housewife.

Take a shower, have some time off, watch a movie, take a walk in the neighborhood, all because you truly deserve the very best. Doing these will boost your moods, as overworking leaves you dull and ill-equipped to handle your family chores.

Conclusion

As a mother, you will need to plan for time that requires careful planning and multi-tasking. The decisions you make will also have an impact on your entire household. If you put in practice the aforementioned measures, you may be sure to accrue some fun-filled experiences in your life and the whole family.

Taking the right measures to prepare your home and you vehicles for winter can be quick, easy and rewarding. What is more rewarding is also making sure your family is safe and sound for a great winter season. Winter brings heavy snow falls, rain, power outages and a host of other unforeseen circumstances. This can be a difficult season for just about anyone. So let’s look at some preps for the winter month’s prep and how to survive until the spring season.

Change the Filter in Your Furnace

You may have guessed that this is one of the most important things to keep you family safe and warm. Changing your air filter will keep the air flow efficient and capture harmful dust particles that might cause repertory issues. You family will surely thank you for the extra effort.

While changing the filter can help you also should make sure that you are cleaning the unit thoroughly. You can get dirt and build up on the unit which can hamper its function.  They unit also suffers some wear and tear from heavy use during the winter months. Having it inspected could save you a ton in the long run and prevent outages when you need the system the most.

An annual inspection by a reputable company will make sure the unit works on the very first try. Also remember the company can check both your air heating and cooling units at the same time. So you can get two birds with one stone. Usually this can cost you in between $75 to $200 to winterize your unit.

Keeping the Family Hydrated

Lots of bacteria and viruses can be harmful in a dry state and your immune system can be lowered if you are dehydrated. You will also be more likely to experience a host of other issues if you are not drinking enough water.  When its cold outside your body expends more energy to keep you warm and uses more water which can lead to dehydration.

This can cause you to feel sleepy, hungry, irritated and cause brain fog. So it should be at the very top of your list not just in the winter months. But many would argue that the issue can arise in a less obvious way in winters because the cold can hide your body releasing water.

You don’t want to feel dizzy and have false hunger so always carry enough water with you and sip on it all day. A good trick to help boost your immune system and help burn some fat is to throw a couple lemon wedges in your water bottle.  Also try and not get thirsty to stay in front of staying hydrated in the long winter months.

Boots, Hats, Scarves, Gloves, Coats and Ear Muffs Oh Dear!

With the cold comes the need for the proper winter gear. If your family is not warm it can be uncomfortable and can bring on sickness such as cold or flu. When our body temperature drops our bodies work harder to keep us warm. This can lower your immunity to bacteria and viruses.

So have fun with the cold weather gear. Think of it as suiting up for the winter with your parka and wind resistant gloves. Just be sure to check and makes sure they are all the same sizes so things are not too tight. We must also advocate for one essential piece of winter clothing. A scarf! This can cover your head, neck and chest when needed and really does a great job of insulating your warmth.

Remember that your family can always layer their clothing items which are best if you live in all four seasons. In fall you need light weight clothing like hoodies and scarfs and some warm pants. But in winter is likely you will need a coat and gloves over those items. So you can always dress in layers to make sure you are ready for a slight warm up or chill down in those months.

Keep Moving and Keep Eating Fruits and Vegetables

Keeping your exercise going on a regular basis will help you to maintain a healthy immune system and well, keep you fit through all those turkey day stuffing and potatoes. In the cold you may find your muscles getting a little stiff or tight. When you keep moving it will keep them in a warmed up state as to reduce the chances of injury.

You can go for winter walks, treadmill or elliptical trainer or do body weight exercises. Oh and don’t forget the gym is always an option although many don’t like to venture out in the cold. But staying active and move are just as important as eating healthy.

Fruits and vegetables will help fortify your immune system to fight off the flu and cold seasons. You don’t want to just eat a little bit but at least five servings of fruits and veggies per day. You will not just stave off getting sick but you will also have more energy and feel better overall with a balanced diet.

Conclusion

Have fun with your family. The winter is great for outdoors activities that are great for the soul and can bring the family together. Enjoy the holidays and create those wonderful winters’ moments that everyone will enjoy over and over again.

You come home exhausted from work, the kids soccer, grocery shopping and decide that you are not doing any home cleaning. If this sounds familiar to you then you are not alone.

Hey, let’s face it, even if you have all the time in the world you would not want to spend your time cleaning the toilet in your house.

Yet, I bet you are wondering of a better way to tackle cleaning up the mess in your home? You bet there is. Hire a home cleaning service in Katy, Houston, or surrounding areas to help you out.

Is it that simple you might ask?

Yes, it is. Before you decide to stop reading let me explain. When you hire a service to clean the house you are saving about five hours per week. A little more or a little less depending on eh size of the home.

Experience the benefit of having your home cleaned. Enjoy less stress and more free time to focus on things like personal health. You’ll be inspired to make a nice home cooked meal.

When you hire a service you can have a lot of the cleaning already completed for you. You can specify what details you want to cover. This may include a deep cleaning that gives you more time and attention to your home. Most need this add-on on their first cleaning.

You might want to add a move out cleaning service that covers inside the cabinets, baseboards, ceiling fans, and windows. All this will save you a great amount of time and energy to focus elsewhere.

But before you make a move you need to consider a few things so let’s jump right into it.

The House Cleaning Service Does Not Use Consistent Practices

This is the number one mistake a home cleaning service will make and not just those in Houston.

When you think of it, there are many processes to go into operating a trusted, and highly ranked service business. This involves hiring the teams, training the teams, operating the sales cycle, managing the cleaning processes and so on.

There are many practices to manage and lead and many make the mistake of being inconsistent. One is how they hire their teams.

At least when you are sending someone to customers home that person should be background checked. This is not always the case with cleaning services or services in general.

Why?

Because the background checks and credit checks cost money and take’s time. There are many “over night” operations that will skip on this process that has much to do with safety and security. It is not just the background checks that are important to maintain. It is also the entire hiring process.

The best cleaners will have a phone pre-screen interview then an in person interview. They should have their references checked and then complete a cleaning test. This rarely happens in the industry. The reason for this is high turnover which can be avoided.

You Can’t Afford To Pay House Cleaners Poorly

Another inconsistent practice is compensation of the people cleaning the homes. Many if not, most services want to pay as little as possible. This results in high turnover in the industry.

Who wants to clean homes for $7.25 per hour? Not most people.

So the hiring practices in a company take’s a hit. They will talk to the person, hire them and send them out to a home the same day or the next day. Surpassing any safety and security checks for the person they are sending into your home.

This is another reason you should not go with the cheapest service either. Many customers have learned a difficult lesson in having their expensive items stolen and even robbed. This is not to say the most expensive service does things right either.

But you should gauge from their website if they are legitimate or not.

You can see if they have testimonials on platforms like Yelp or Amazon and read those testimonials. You can also check their FAQ’s for how they hire and make a well-informed decision. You may want to call and ask about the tenure of how long their average maid has been with them.

The Cleaning of the Home is Not Good All the Time

This is perhaps an obvious point. Home Cleaning Services in Houston should focus on a consistent cleaning. There are two important reasons why this does not happen. The first they pay their employees hourly and the second, there is not a good process in place.

When the cleaners are paid hourly the company will meter the time per home depending on the price. In turn, they want to cleaners to speed thru the cleaning to say on payroll costs. Many do with without using checklists for cleaning and some do not complete the work.

No matter how good the service is there will come a time where the cleaning was not as great as it should have been. Yet, this should not happen over and over again. If it does you should replace them quickly if they do not address the problem.

This can be avoided in many ways with proper checks and balances for the home cleaning service. Using a checklist will help the cleaner move thru the home in a more efficient way. This will also install a balance between payroll and meeting the service delivery standards home cleaning services in Houston.

Conclusion

You will love changing your life when deciding to get a home cleaning service in Houston to help you. You are going to come home ready to enjoy your time there. The largest benefit is experiencing the lower stress in your life. You’ll live a little easier and breath (literally) a little better.

Before you make the decision however just be sure you get a sense of how well the best practices are managed by the cleaning company.