Here we are, a few days into the new year, or as I like to jokingly call it, “the future”!

I’m not regretful of having broken or cheated on any resolutions, when I hadn’t really planned on making any. I believe in healthy guidelines, without the rigidity of any hardcore, set-in-stone lists.

One thing I did insist on, coming into this new year, was to keep our modest East-End townhouse, was to keep things tidy.

Tidiness may seem very different to some, compared to others, but here, it looks a little bit like this, and make a whole world of difference, to my undiagnosed ADHD mind:

1. Wash dishes as I go, leave nothing in the sinks if at all possible;
2. Any clean laundry get folded and put away within minutes of leaving the dryer.
3. The kitchen table is for food prepping or reading, not for lazy storage, once we walk in the front door.
4. The bedroom is for rest, not for TV or other electronics. Everything in its place.
5. No flat surfaces are to be cluttered.

In other words, DECLUTTERING is the key!

As in the many years past, my wife Naomi and I made it a semi-weekly ritual of bringing unused or discarded items to our local Value Village thrift store. We also spend a few moments each month sorting through our many bookshelves (we have one or several in every room in the house, save for the washroom), to weed out what isn’t necessary anymore, to make room for new ones, or to clear up the space a little.

The end result is better peace of mind, and a happy living space.

How do you keep your household in order? Any tricks? Let me know in the comments!