How to stay on top of household mess, according to organisation expert Steph Pase

By Steph Pase

Modern life is busy, there’s no getting around it. Children, work, partners, family, friends, life admin, appointments, commitments, our own health and wellbeing … we have a lot of balls in the air.

One of the most common questions I get asked is how I stay on top of the home through all that.

The reality is, homes are not showrooms. They are meant to be lived in. Messiness is a part of that, especially with kids — and it’s a good thing.

Mess means we are using what we have, enjoying our space, spending time with family, and feeling comfortable and safe.

But, mess is also … messy. Left unchecked, it can easily descend into mayhem. And for me, a cluttered home = a cluttered mind. I find it hard to focus or relax if there’s stuff everywhere!

Over the years I have worked out some little routines that help us as a family to keep on top of the chaos (most of the time, anyway).

I love to share what works for me so we can all, as a community of busy women, make our lives as easy as possible.

Declutter

Mess = clutter = more cleaning. If you really want to do yourself a favour, then you need to declutter.

I know the thought of decluttering can seem overwhelming, but this is where I DON’T want you to think of the big picture — aka the whole house.

Break it down into small, manageable tasks. Tackle one surface or small space every day – one drawer, one shelf – it should only take a few minutes.

The process will eventually become a habit as, just like fitness, you can’t organise once and expect the house to stay that way! Rather, this will become as ingrained as daily exercise is to maintain your fitness levels.

Less mess = less stuff to clean.

Clean

This is not about deep-cleaning the whole house, this is about doing little things every day to stay on top of the chaos and keep our sanity intact.

My daily non-negotiables:

• An AM and PM whip-around so the mess doesn’t accumulate to unmanageable proportions over the day. This means picking up toys, decluttering tables and other surfaces where stuff accumulates, putting away clothes, shoes and bags, etc.
• Make beds (it really helps set the tone for the day, and it’s so nice getting into a fresh bed at night)
• Unpack/reload the dishwasher and wipe down benches (after breakfast and after dinner)
• A load of washing (if I’m really on the ball, I load the machine and set a timer the night before so it’s ready to be hung out/put in the dryer in the morning)
• Spot vacuum and/or mop.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: This should not fall squarely on your shoulders! Get all household members to help. Ensure everyone knows the daily must-dos, and visually allocate jobs to partners and kids with a list on the fridge if they need a nudge to remember.

SCHEDULE

I highly recommend having a weekly cleaning schedule for the rest of the house too. Use a schedule that works for you (this is one I used religiously when the kids were little and it helped me immensely). I like to tackle a zone each day (e.g. bedrooms on Mondays, floors on Tuesdays, etc.). My planners have a super handy cleaning schedule section that you can use to organise your AM/PM tidy and zone cleaning.

If you are in the position to afford a cleaner for completing the deeper cleaning of your home (e.g. bathrooms), this is invaluable.

HOT TIP: Don’t know what to buy a friend as a gift? Pay for a house clean from a local cleaning company — an amazing gift for new mums!

At the end of the day, what’s important is creating a life that works FOR us, not against us. If we can reduce the number of balls in the air at any one time, life gets that little bit easier, and the better off we’ll all be.