{"id":517,"date":"2011-07-13T19:03:52","date_gmt":"2011-07-14T00:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/?p=517"},"modified":"2011-07-13T19:20:02","modified_gmt":"2011-07-14T00:20:02","slug":"guidelines-for-a-happy-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/2011\/07\/guidelines-for-a-happy-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Guidelines for a Happy Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you seen the \u201crules\u201d of a happy household \u2013 where it starts with \u201cIf you take it out, put it away\u201d? Many of them are useful rules for limiting the degree of chaos, while others are to make Mom happy! If we could all put things back where they belong when we\u2019re done with them, we\u2019d have greater organization. Sometimes this is easier said than done.<\/p>\n

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Mom’s 10 Commandments For A Happy Household<\/a><\/p>\n

1. If you take it out, put it away.
\n2. If you eat on it, wash it.
\n3. If you turn it on, turn it off.
\n4. If you mess it up, clean it up.
\n5. If you drop it, pick it up.
\n6. If it rings, answer it.
\n7. If it barks, walk it.
\n8. If you open it, close it.
\n9. If I cook it, eat it.
\n10. If I say do it, don’t ask why.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I know from my own behavior that there are times when I\u2019ve taken something out, and after I\u2019ve finished using it, I think to myself \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m going to use this again tomorrow\u2026\u201d Then, there are times that I say to myself \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ll put it away later\u2026\u201d To some extent, I think this applies to all of us \u2013 even the most organized \u2013 we don\u2019t always put things away right after we\u2019re finished using it. Nor do I think we have to.<\/p>\n

What we do need to work on is getting it put away regularly and before too much time has passed. If I toss my tissues toward the wastebasket, when I walk by it, I then bend down, quickly pick them up, and put them in the trash. If I make a pile for another room, when I next get up and move around, I grab the pile and move it into the right room.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve talked about this before in \u201cGetting Things to Their Home,\u201d<\/a> and focused on finding ways to \u201cMake It Fun.\u201d<\/a> There are other ways to work on these applicable rules for organization \u2013 use a timer. You might be rolling your eyes at me \u2013 here she goes again with that timer. Yet seriously, if you have a stack of CD\u2019s that haven\u2019t been put away, time yourself on putting them away \u2013 or time yourself with whatever it is that isn\u2019t getting put away.<\/p>\n

Another way to approach working on putting things back where they belong is to set the timer for a set amount of time and work on it until the timer buzzes. Use the timer to help you \u2013 whether to time yourself or you designate a specific amount of time with it.<\/p>\n

It is easy to say to yourself, \u201cI\u2019ll just do it later\u201d and that \u201clater\u201d doesn\u2019t arrive (or it arrives in a week or a month). If you make it part of your routine, just those few seconds of picking up the trash that missed the trashcan or whatever it might be \u2013 your home can be that much more presentable and more importantly, pleasing to you. There\u2019s not many of us who don\u2019t automatically close the drawers and cabinets in our kitchens \u2013 and might even dismiss that as easy \u2013 yet it\u2019s the same idea \u2013 \u201cIf you open it, close it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putting something away after we\u2019ve taken it out can be just as easy, we just need to work on making it as automatic as closing the drawers after we\u2019ve gotten something out of it. The timer can help with the idea that it\u2019s more time consuming than we realize. In working to keep things organized:<\/p>\n