trying to get organized, What is the first thing you do when you get home?

[9Lives]

I m trying to better my life. Sometimes I have so much going on that I just dont know what to do next. I wanted to hear from you all. What do you do when you get home to prepare for the next day? I LOVE TIPS.

 

Today for the first time when I go home, I picked out my clothes for the next day and put them out so I can see them which made me feel a litte better. After that I guess I will clean up and cook something maybe.

 

What is your routine?

[SpiralOut]

My routine is still coming together, as I'm a bit disorganized myself. What has been helping is that I have a magnetic whiteboard on my fridge. When I get home from work I take my lunch containers out of my bag and put them in the kitchen to be washed later. Then I'll go outside and water the plants. Usually I'm hungry so I'll start cooking/cleaning dishes and feed the cat. While dinner is cooking I'll go to the whiteboard on the fridge and write down a few things that I want to remember to get done that night (make work lunch for tomorrow, put away the laundry, etc).

 

Then I'll relax with either reading or watching TV before attacking the list on the fridge, erasing each thing as it is completed. When I'm all done I'll finally take a shower and maybe do some yoga stretches. The stretching helps me to relax enough to fall asleep quickly and wake up feeling better. I'll sometimes set up the coffee maker the night before so that in the morning all I need to do is push a button to get it going.

 

The only thing wrong with my routine is I haven't scheduled my biking and writing into it, but I'll figure that out later I guess.

[D-Lish]

I am crazy disorganized in my home life. I let dishes pile up, my clothes are always all over the place, I get clean laundy intertwined with dirty laundry because I can't be bothered to fold. I hate this about me!

 

I am clean despite being messy. My toilets and sinks sparkle.

 

I have to tell you, being messy stresses me out. There is something really great about having order when you come home. On Sunday I put everything in its rightful place, took me most of the day- and I slept well Sunday night! There is something about living in chaos that takes a toll on you.

 

I've started laying my clothes out at night as well. It's an extra 20min to sleep in if I do that- otherwise I am running around trying to put an outfit together in the morning.

 

My goal is to stay organized- keep putting everything back in its rightful place...

[Ruby Slippers]

I have no real routine, but I try to do little cleaning bursts throughout the day/week. Even 15 minutes can take the kitchen from messy to tidy. And whenever I spot a mess, think of cleaning it up, and actually have time to clean, I just do it, instead of putting it off.

 

I have also been making a point to have company over more often -- this way, I HAVE to clean. It really helps.

[Els]

I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I get home is to do something relaxing and rejuvenating. A cup of hot tea, a chat with friends, time with the bf, a game I enjoy. Does wonders for my mental wellbeing and gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. I find that a helluva lot more important than having a neat house - but I guess I'm used to ignoring clutter. The only places I religiously keep clean and tidy are my bed and desk, because I/we spend 90% of the time there.

[carhill]

What do you do when you get home to prepare for the next day? What is your routine?

 

Dump my keys, wallet and phone in the drawer and feed the cat. Other than that, I left routines behind when I got divorced. Life is 'whatever' now. As long as I can find my keys, wallet and phone the next day and the cat isn't starving, it's going to be a good day.

[9Lives]

wow, thank you all for responding. I guess Im not the only one trying to figure this out.

 

Im home now, the house is not in the worst shape but I much like it better when it is just clean when I get home. I makes me feel really good.

 

Its one of those nights where I am just sitting here trying to figure out what to do next. THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY.

 

Coming home and having to straight clean up...I dont like that

Coming home and having to straight start cooking...I dont like that

But Im hungry

 

Okay, Maybe I need to be able to sit and unwind for a minute. It like I been out in the world doing my thing. I dont want to feel like as soon as I get home, I got to work again. It wears me out or makes me unhappy in some kind of way. So maybe I figured it out. I need to chill when I get home first, then get to doing what I need to do. Maybe that is it.

[Els]

Eh, bf and I usually do takeaway when we're at work / in the university from 9-5. I don't get how people can come back from a full day of work and cook either. Working as soon as I get home from a long day would definitely make me miserable, too.

[denise_xo]

I tend to get up late and work quite late, so one of my routines when I get home is to brush my teeth quite quickly, so that it's done in case I fall asleep on the sofa reading I usually put the radio on and try to do a bit of (work) reading before I sleep, or sometimes I'll read a newspaper and have a cup of tea. Then I try to meditate a bit before I sleep. I leave proper cleaning and cooking for the weekends, dishes are usually done in the morning. The other evening routine is to check my schedule for the next day so I know if/what to prepare and when to be where. I agree with the unwinding, it's really important.

[oldguy]

Good post!

I could use some suggestions myself. I tend to write things down a lot but don't always read the notes or reminders later,

 

Like carhill I do have to put things in a certain place; keys, wallet, cell phone, sunglasses all go in a basket on a table near the door or I will either loose or forget one of them when I leave the house.

[Ross MwcFan]

Hmmm, I've never done anything when I get home to prepare for the next day, unless what I needed to do the next day was something quite important.

[make me believe]

If you're hungry when you get home but don't feel like cooking right away, why don't you sit & unwind with a small snack? Get a little something into your stomach and relax a bit, then you can cook a proper meal & clean up or whatever you need to do. If your house is messy to the point where it stresses you out at night, you need to pick a weekend to do a deep clean and get things organized. Then it's just a matter of maintenance cleaning on the weekends (scrub the toilet, laundry, vacuum, etc) and keeping things picked up & in their proper places during the week (doing the dishes everyday, not dropping your clothes on the floor..)

 

I recently read a great book called The Power of Less by Leo Babauta. It might help you out. There are ideas for morning & evening routines in there, decluttering, & keeping your house organized. It's about simplifying your entire life, I highly recommend it!

[LeadingEdgeLea]

I try to just relax a little bit before preparing for the next day.

[josie54]

I work at home, so "getting home at the end of the day" doesn't necessarily apply to me! But I'll share what I do when I first get up in the morning. I straighten the kitchen--I put away the dishes from the dishwasher, load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, clean the sink, put away/throw away/recycle any thing on the counter, and go through any stack of mail from the previous day.

 

Then I make myself a cup of tea and read the paper before getting ready to do my work.

 

Getting the kitchen in order takes about 15-20 minutes, but it saves me from stressing out for the rest of the day when I go into the kitchen to grab a snack, get some lunch, etc. Sometimes I do it at night before I go to bed, but most of the time I'm too tired at that point.

[9Lives]

If you're hungry when you get home but don't feel like cooking right away, why don't you sit & unwind with a small snack? Get a little something into your stomach and relax a bit, then you can cook a proper meal & clean up or whatever you need to do. If your house is messy to the point where it stresses you out at night, you need to pick a weekend to do a deep clean and get things organized. Then it's just a matter of maintenance cleaning on the weekends (scrub the toilet, laundry, vacuum, etc) and keeping things picked up & in their proper places during the week (doing the dishes everyday, not dropping your clothes on the floor..)

 

I recently read a great book called The Power of Less by Leo Babauta. It might help you out. There are ideas for morning & evening routines in there, decluttering, & keeping your house organized. It's about simplifying your entire life, I highly recommend it!

 

Wow! this was fantastic. I actually did this today and I had a much better evening. Thank you for the ideas.

[9Lives]

I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I get home is to do something relaxing and rejuvenating. A cup of hot tea, a chat with friends, time with the bf, a game I enjoy. Does wonders for my mental wellbeing and gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. I find that a helluva lot more important than having a neat house - but I guess I'm used to ignoring clutter. The only places I religiously keep clean and tidy are my bed and desk, because I/we spend 90% of the time there.

 

yeah, Im doing this now and my day is much better. It makes the even feel great now. Thanks

[lino]

First thing I do when I get home is go to the toilet usually

 

I then eat a snack that I've either bought or cooked for myself.

 

If the surf is good then I spend a couple of hours out there otherwise I head to the gym or go to soccer training, depending on what night it is.

[Gold Pile]

I put my keys, wallet, and pocket change into a container close to the door. I kick off my shoes, change into comfy clothes. I set a timer for 5 minutes and then tidy up the place until the timer sounds. More often than not, I'll keep on tidying. (but not always)

 

B4 bed I shave and often (not always) have a quick shower. I have every intention of shower/shaving in the morning, but it's good to know I'm almost good to go if I have to.

 

Not that wardrobe selection is a big Item, but I do lay out the next day's clothing.

 

If I'm not rushed, I take 5 minutes to tidy up b4 I leave. These 5 minute bursts of cleaning usually keep the place looking good. Today everything was pretty clean, so I did a 5 minute cleaning of the toilet. Often if I WANT to do something (surf the web, varnish the pipe, make a call) I treat it as a reward that I can have ....after 5 minutes of cleaning.

 

The only prolonged cleaning I do is on luandry day.

 

I had a weakness for leaving dirty dishes in the sink, now I use paper plates as much as possible.

 

I'm still pretty bad about letting bills pile up.