too much laundry

As an ongoing task of daily living, staying on top of the laundry can be daunting.

Some solutions:
1.  Do one load everyday.
Start the washer as part of the morning routine.
Dry, fold and put the clothes away every evening.

2.  Have fewer clothes.
The more clothes you have the more tempting it is to
just keep wearing things until you run out.
Flaw in the theory is then you are faced with loads and loads of laundry.
And a somewhat easy task becomes a huge all day chore.

In addition, having fewer clothes also means you need less room to store them.
Getting dressed is faster and easier because your choices are limited.

3.  Use one, three section hamper in the laundry room.Eliminate the hamper in each bedroom.
Have everyone sort their clothes into the one hamper
as they finish wearing them.

By doing a little every day, you don't have to set aside 

one whole day as laundry day.
It is easier to do something if you do it everyday.
Routines don't necessarily make life dull, 

they often make it easier.

If, by chance you do have several loads of laundry that need to get done; sort it into lights, mediums and darks, put it into bags or hampers, take them to the
laundromat and do multiple loads at the same time.
(You don't need to worry about having enough quarters; laundromats now use prepaid debit type cards!)

When you get all the clothes clean, folded and back home,
before you put them all away; sort them.
Set aside the things that are too big, too small, 

too worn, out dated, etc.
Consider how many of any one type of garment is enough.
Remember how much storage you actually have.
The keepers then need to be divided into what gets hung and what gets folded.
Then store like with like, and have the clothes you wear most often, most accessible.

Make the habits of daily living as easy and routine as possible.
Spend less time taking care of things so you have more time to do what you love and be with the people you care about.

Start with the visual

Most rooms have  visible clutter and hidden clutter:
The pile on the chair and the mess in the drawer.
The stacks on the desk and the chaos in the file cabinet.
The accumulation on the counter and the disarray in pantry.
The collection of random on the bookshelf and the mysteries in the cabinet.

First sort, prioritize and organize what you can see. 
Then deal with the items in the unseen spaces.
By starting with what's out and visible;
with the clutter you see on a daily basis,
you can see change immediately.

The situation then feels less overwhelming,
the distraction level has been greatly reduced
and you can start to concentrate on the next level of clutter.

Some of what you declutter in the visual spaces
will need to find homes in the hidden spaces, so
the opportunity to decide how best to use your storage spaces becomes more obvious.

Plus, by starting with what you can see
when you get inside of the other places you will
be practiced at decision making!

Start with one area of visual clutter.
One shelf, one area of counter top, one table top.
Feel and see (literally) what a difference that can make.

It's time to admit it.

You’re never going to wear that sweater your mom gave you for your birthday-five years ago.
You’ll never need plates and flatware for 20 people at once.
Your downhill skiing days are far behind you.
You don’t even still have the laptop/toaster oven/printer that go with the boxes you’ve been saving, just in case.
You won't be do anymore hikes that involve a pack 

and three man tent.
You don’t need five pairs of old jeans, baggy tee shirts or holey pull overs for paint clothes.
You no longer decorate every room in the house 

for Christmas.
All those free, sample, or give aways might be small, but they’re still cluttering up the drawer.

Be honest with yourself.
Let some of it go.

That was then. This is now.

Open up some room and 

some space in your home and life.

It’s time.

Simple and easy.

Keep it simple.
Make it easy.

The easier you make the system the more likely you are to comply.
The fewer the steps, 

the more likely you are to complete the task.
Limiting the options makes choosing easier.

As examples:
Use hooks instead of hangers.
File in broad general categories.
Always have a donation bag in the laundry room.
Sort the mail over the recycle bin.
Put your keys in the same place, everyday.
Pay your bills on line.
Don’t put something down, put it away.
Say no; without guilt or explanations.
Move on.

Make the mechanics of daily living as simple and 

effortless as possible.

Put your energy into the relationships and 

activities that matter most to you.
Make choices that support the life you really want to be living.

Three no cost things you can give to improve your relationships

Improving your relationship with your partner,
your family, your friends, your coworkers
and people you interact with on a daily basis
gets rid of mental and emotional clutter.

Three things you can start giving today:
1.  Give someone the benefit of the doubt.
      Assume that everyone is just trying to 

        do the best they can.

      No one and nothing is against you.
2.  Give someone your full attention.
      Listen without considering your next comment.
      Turn off your phone during the meal.
      Don't offer advice, a solution or 

         one up with a story of your own.
3.  Give up the need to be right.
      Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?
      A day, a week, a year from now; how important will  it be to have been 'right'?       

And if those three aren't enough,
Give someone a compliment.
Give someone else the close parking spot.
Give a little more than someone is expecting.
Give someone five minutes of your assistance to make their job easier.
Give thanks.  (You really do have a pretty amazing life)

Consider what you would most like to receive from others:  Try giving that.........

Interested in learning more about the power of giving?
Check out, Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton business college and his book, Give and Take

Endless time.

"You don't need endless time and perfect conditions.
Do it now. Do it today.
Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating."

―Barbara Sher

There will never be endless time.  

(There may never even be an extra half an hour)
The conditions will never be perfect.  

(Not sure we'd recognize them even if they were)

Stop waiting.
Quit overthinking.
Give up needing permission or approval.

Decide to start.
Make an effort.
Focus on the process and not the results.

Organize one shelf.
Attend one yoga class.
Sort a single box of photos.
Meditate for five minutes.

You know exactly what it is you've been wanting to do.
Stop waiting.
Take one step forward.

A little now, or a lot more later.

Two Minute Rule:
If you can do something in two minutes or less,
do it now.

Or,
You can quickly do a little now, 
or a lot more later.

You can deal with today's four pieces of mail now
or you can pile them on the desk 

and deal with a lot more later in the week.

You can hang up your coat now,
or you can fling it over the chair,
add a sweater tomorrow,
another jacket the next day,
and have a huge pile to deal with at the end of the week.

You could put your dirty cup into the dishwasher now,
or set it on the counter,
next to a bowl from breakfast
maybe the plate from a snack,
and slowly fill the counter.

Clutter has magnetic properties.
Stuff attracts stuff.
Piles grow.

By dealing with items in a timely manner,
habitually returning things to their homes,
and making habits of the mechanics of daily living;
clutter and disorganization don't have a chance
to establish themselves.

Do a little now,
and have a lot more time later
to do what you love
and spend time with people who matter to you.