Organize your home this summer

Summer is here (hurray!). If you can learn to stay on top of cleaning and organizing your home, you’ll give yourself more time to enjoy the weather and your family and friends. Change the setting If you can’t seem to get started when it comes to sorting through your piles of paper, gather them up in a box and take them outside. Choose a beautiful day and sit in your yard or on your balcony, and go through them. Or take them to a friend’s house and keep each other company over a glass of iced tea as you each go over your paperwork. Changing the environment where you do your organizing may make it less of a chore. Quick clean-up routine for the whole family Provide a personalized bin for each member of the family for things that don’t belong in the common rooms. Determine a regular time to do a quick tidy-up daily (perhaps just after dinner or before bed). Each person is responsible for picking up their own things and placing them in their bin. Once a week (or when the bin is full), each person empties his or her bin by returning things to their rightful home. When the job of keeping the home tidy is shared by all and spread throughout the week, it frees up family time on the weekend and everyone benefits. Listen to some tunes Listening to music makes tasks feel like less of a chore, relieving stress and increasing enjoyment. Put on your favourite high-energy tunes while you clean and organize. Some people even pay their bills while listening to music – they report it takes their mind off financial stress and makes the job less daunting. Challenge yourself to finish the task after a certain amount of songs to increase your efficiency and make it more fun. Take a walk Getting outside in nature can be extremely relaxing. Going for a walk with a friend makes it even more beneficial to both our emotional and physical health and well-being. Rather than going out for lunch, consider going for a walk together instead. You’ll be nurturing your friendship and relieving stress at the same time. Freshen your wardrobe Now is a great time to evaluate last season’s wardrobe. Were there any clothing items you didn’t wear? Why didn’t you wear them? If it was because they needed dry cleaning or repair, put them in your car right now and deliver them to the cleaners. If it was because they didn’t fit, didn’t work with your lifestyle or felt uncomfortable, take them to charity today. If you didn’t wear them last year, chances are you won’t wear them this year either. Weeding out your wardrobe now will make you feel lighter and create some breathing space for your summer clothes.