Get Your Sh*t Together: Do These Things EVERY DAY

Do these 7 things every day

These seven household and personal chores may seem pretty insignificant when looked at individually, but I promise that the pay off is exponential. Take the laundry for instance; a load washed and dried per day means 5 less loads on the weekend. That's a lot of time back in the "fun" or at least "not total bullshit" column.

A few minutes on each item every day will have you happier, tidier, and more in control by the end of just a week.

Here we go - and remember - no excuses! We're getting our shit together!

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Load and empty the dishwasher

Start running your dishwasher every night. If you don't have one, make sure all the dishes are done before you go to bed. It may be a bit of a chore the first few days but you'll find yourself using less as you realize you'll just need to wash them later.

Take advantage of your machine's energy saver option and run it at night when hydro and water cost less and while everyone is sleeping. Back in ye olden days, children were lulled to sleep by braying of the cattle. These days, let them sink into slumber by the gentle chug chug tune of baked on scrambled eggs being obliterated from Corning Ware.

When you wake up in the morning, empty it. Do this immediately after you pee, but before you make coffee. Emptying is key - this will give you a spot for all the dirty dishes you accumulate throughout the day and your kitchen will stay 122% cleaner because of it.

Total time spent per day: 5 minutes loading, 5 minutes unloading = 10 minutes

Don't overlook things you can wash in your dishwasher: 21 Things You'd Never Think of Putting in Your Dishwasher.

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Wash, dry, and - this is key - PUT AWAY a load of laundry

Wash, dry, and - this is key - PUT AWAY a load of laundry. Either do a load per person, or all the darks, then all the colours, or all the towels. It doesn't matter so long as you just wash something. I toss a load in the washer before I go to bed at night (cheap water) and then it hits the dryer before peak times start in the morning. I fold it when I add the next load that evening and everyone goes to bed with at least something clean for the next day.

I may have lost my shit last night at homework time, but no one went to bed worried about having clean underwear in the morning. Now that's a parenting win, I'd say.

Total time spent per day: 20 minutes (not counting wash/dry time - you're multitasking!)

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Set a timer & Clean something for 10 minutes

Set your phone timer or something central (I use the microwave timer because when it dings my brain thinks popcorn will be ready). Start chipping away at something you've been thinking about. Maybe it's vacuuming your furry bathroom ceiling fan, or wiping down the interior of your microwave after Chili Fiesta Fiasco '15, or maybe it's going through the fridge to purge anything older than your youngest child who now sleeps through the night and also just got accepted to University.

Whatever it is - take 10 minutes. At the end of the week, that's almost an hour's worth of cleaning accomplished, practically painlessly!

Total time spent per day: 10 minutes

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Decide what's for dinner by noon

I don't care if dinner plans mean "defrost hamburger for homemade meatloaf" or "text partner image of tear-stained Swiss Chalet coupon " just so long as you have something for dinner figured out by noon. Later on we'll get into actual meal planning, but let's start slow so we don't burn out.

Total time spent per day: Literally 2 minutes

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Empty the garbage cans

Empty your bins into the main recycling bin or food waste and garbage system you use. An empty garbage can is like the Jedi mind-trick of housekeeping. It's like having an empty sink in the kitchen - it makes the whole house seem cleaner.

This is a great job for your kids. Getting your shit together can totally translate to "getting your kids to do stuff." It just needs to get done - it doesn't matter so much how you get there.

Total time spent per day: 5 minutes.

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Wipe down the bathroom

Give the sink, toilet, counter, and mirrors a quick wipe with your preferred cleanser. Give the toilet a swirl with the brush before things reach crisis stage in there. You can use super-fast disinfectant wipes or spray and a cloth that you keep handy and nearby. Make your own if you're crunchy - I am - plus, this stuff smells great so give the shower curtain a squirt for fragrance as well.

Into a reusable squirt bottle add:

2 cups water

10 drop lavender oil

10 drops orange oil

6 drops tea tree oil

2 drops natural soap

Swirl, don't shake! Use for a quick clean on hard surfaces.

Total time spent per day: 5 minutes

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Talk to someone who isn't family

Use words. Via a drive thru window doesn't count. Maybe even make a phone call you've been dreading.

I use the disclaimer "not family" because that's too easy. Try to make eye contact and smile at someone who's butt you don;t have to wipe, wash, or cover. I've had many days where talking to another adult was the singular thing that separated me from the animals.

Total time spent per day: 5 minutes

That's it! It's like, 7 things, and 57 minutes. You can do that! I BELIEVE IN YOU.

I'll bring you weekly and monthly lists soon, but I promise that if you implement these small things into your daily routine, pretty soon you'll find yourself sitting around on a Friday night and of sobbing into a box of fabric softener sheets, you'll be watching a Downton Abbey marathon because you've got that much time back on your hands.