Get organised: 5 simple habits that will keep clutter to a minimum

Struggling to keep on top of the mess, clutter and laundry?

You are not alone.

Our busy lives leave little time for keeping a spotless home – and let's be honest; who wants to spend their weekend cleaning and scrubbing when you have just spent your entire week navigating a packed schedule? Not us.

The good news? A clean home and a hectic life need not be mutually exclusive. The trick is to not let clutter take over by bumping little jobs onto your mental "I'll deal with this later" list. Look, we all have one.

But here are five clever habits that'll help keep the mess at home to a minimum during the week, leaving you free to actually relax come the weekend:

Put everything back in its rightful place when you are finished with it

Make sure everything in your home has a place – and when you are done using it (iron, hairdryer, scissors, bathroom wipes) put it back – straight away.

You'll soon notice far fewer piles of "stuff" everywhere and hence will find yourself not having to deal with a big "put everything back" operation.

Ask yourself "How long will this take to tidy?"

If the answer is less than two minutes, tackle it immediately – you have two minutes to do it, and you'll thank yourself later.

By tackling the little jobs as you go means that when you do have time for some proper cleaning, you’ll be able to do the big stuff, like the floors and windows.

Empty the dishwasher every morning

If you’ve ever timed yourself doing this, then you know emptying even a packed dishwasher takes only about five minutes.

An empty dishwasher lets you put breakfast dishes in so they don’t sit around inviting more mess. And by doing this, you will also fit the dinner dished in later, so that you can start the dishwasher again after dinner. Get into this habit and watch your kitchen counter clutter vanish.

Make the bed as soon as you get up

This little habit has multiple benefits. One – you won't be tempted to get back in for an extra snooze.

Two – by keeping your bed nice and tidy you are less likely to use it as a dumping ground for clothes and other bits throughout the day, and then are left having to tackle it all at night before bedtime.

And three – studies have proven that if we start our days feeling tidy and organised and clutter-free, we are more likely to carry this through for the entire day. So, win-win

Give the counters a once-over every evening

Before you head to bed, give the kitchen a quick glance and put away any clutter. In the bathroom, put away your toiletries and jewellery. The same goes for your dining table — don’t let it turn into a catch-all.

And lastly, tidy away any stuff left on shelves and units in the hallway and bedrooms – you will soon notice the difference.

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