I want to start off by saying that I'm not perfect. My home isn't perfect. I don't' shop at West Elm, it probably won't ever be featured in a magazine or even on Instagram, and I'm cool with it. Because this home makes me happy, it makes my boyfriend happy, and we are living a cozy and happy life together, and there's nothing better than that.

Our 720 square foot one bedroom apartment is the right size, and the layout is phenomenal. BUT because our apartment is on the smaller end, it has a tendency to look like the apocalypse in a matter of minutes. 

To be honest, messy and I don't really jive. When things are dirty, I notice that I lose all energy, like a fly that has fallen trap to a bug zapper. At the sight of the mess, ZAP, I melt into the couch with the inability to focus on anything except rewatching Orange Is The New Black for the third time. 

To top it off, I fidget. One minute I'm laughing at Tasty on the OITNB next thing you know I'm re-organizing my closet drawers. Mid-way between that, I've decided to clean out the fridge, and before I finish, I think this is a perfect time to go for a swim. It's a smorgasbord of unfinished tasks. 

I'll admit, even with my routine, our home turns into a shit show because.... LIFE! There are just days and weeks that are overwhelmingly busy and never-ending. Leaving early and coming home late, it's impossible to do it all, so my priorities shift from keeping things tidy to getting five hours of sleep. But it's okay, I can't kick myself in the ass for living. Right?

Anyways, here are some morning habits that keep my home tidy!! I hope they help you or inspire you to create morning habits that suit your lifestyle!!

What to Clean in the Morning

95% of the time I wake up with the sun so around 530am every morning. I take the time to get readjusted to this new day, stretch, think some good thoughts, kiss my boyfriend and talk about our day ahead. While he makes coffee, I oil-pull. 

During this time of swishing coconut oil in my mouth, I like to be productive so I tidy. This makes the 20 minutes of oil-pulling go by quicker. 

1. MAKE THE BED.

We usually do this together, but it's nothing fancy, it's legit shaking the sheets off a few times, pulling the flat sheet and comforter to top of the bed, folding the top 1/5, so the flat sheet is over the bedding. We fluff our pillows and display them to MY liking. 

Chris doesn't do this part, I do it because I like the way it looks. He would rather keep them in the same spot so he doesn't have to waste his time readjusting his pillows at night so he could fall asleep in five seconds instead of 10 seconds. I'm so jelly of his sleeping abilities! 

Time:  2 minutes

I'm being super generous with this estimate. I am not looking for perfection, I'm looking for done.

2.  PICK UP

I go into each room and pick up anything that doesn't belong. Again because we live in a small place, this task can be done in a jiffy. Shoes from the living room to the closet about 20 seconds. Cups from the bedroom to the kitchen about 30 seconds. Clothes from the bathroom to the closet another 30 seconds. 

Time: 2 minutes

I can feel you rolling your eyes! It would never take you two minutes your house is too big or has too many people or there's just too much stuff, but it can work!

I've seen it work for larger homes with more people too. The key is that everyone participates, there's clear communication among family members, and it's easy to tidy. The most useful model is called Agile Programming. It's astonishing what can be accomplished when everyone is on the same page. It all starts with a 20-minute meeting, they discuss what needs to be done, they also go over what worked and didn't work the week before and then everyone decides together who is going to do what! 

Say they are trying to haul-over their mornings, each family member has their task, they get  five-10 minutes to complete, and after they are done, the to-dos get crossed off. 

3. CLEANING OFF THE KITCHEN COUNTERS. 

Keep your home clean and tidy by cleaning the counters with Norwex Envirocloth every morning. #cleanroutine #tidyhome #cleaningchecklist

After dinner, we like to relax. Although we pick up after we eat, we're not super precise about it. After busy days we just want to spend QT (quality time) together which means being in each other's presence and relaxing. We make QT our priority every night so we may leave empty cans of seltzer out, spices, and vitamin bottles. Dirty pots or pans may still be on the stove. Sometimes I just don't have the energy, yanno??

First thing I tackle is returning stuff to where they belong,  dirty pots in the sink, dirty plates, cups and etc. are stacked ready to be placed into the dishwasher, cans in the recycling and spices are put back into the cupboard. Once that's done, I quickly clean the counters.

Time: 5 minutes

4. COMPOST

We have this excellent service in the city of Phoenix called Recycled City. They deliver a bucket and bokashi flakes that make composting in your own urban dwelling easy. We keep a bowl on the counter for the compost we accumulate each day like, coffee grounds, vegetable cuttings, and etc. 

It's so freaking cool, and it really makes me feel like I'm leaving a smaller footprint!!

We like to start off each day with an empty bowl, I empty the bowl into the bucket, add a layer of flakes, rinse out the bowl and set it back on the counter. Easy Peasy!!!

Time: 2 minutes.

5. PUT THE CLEAN DISHES AWAY

Most of our dishes are dishwasher safe, which makes cleaning dishes a snap. Combine that with a minimal amount of plates making this a simple task. Plates and bowls first. Glass Tupperware second. Silverware and utensils third and the cups and mugs are last. 

After that, I put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

Time: 7 minutes including any additional drying that needs to happen. 

BREAK

I know you are probably wondering what about the Oil-pulling?? This is around this time I complete my oil-pulling session.

6. WASH ANYTHING THAT ISN'T DISHWASHER SAFE.

To be honest, this doesn't take much time. It's just a few pots of pans that are pretty easy to get through.

Time: Five minutes

7. THE FLOORS

Keep your home clean and tidy by cleaning the floors with Superior Mop Collection every morning. #cleanroutine #tidyhome #cleaningchecklist

I sweep of the floors quickly just to get any big chunks
Time: 2 minutes

I then go around with our Dry Mop
Time: 4 minutes

Every other day, I use our wet mop
TIme: 6 minutes. 

And That's How You Tidy A Home

Total Time: 30 - 36 Minutes. I don't even think it takes this long. 

Done by 630am and our home goes from messy to tidy. It allows me to sit and focus on my day, get some exercise, talk to you on Facebook and so much more.

If you are new to routines and habits, I highly suggest starting out with ONE EASY NEW Habit. Prioritize whatever is going to make you feel the most relief and the happiest! 

My favorite is the one minute rule. It will change your life! 

If you want to tailor simple habits into your lifestyle, here's a little booklet I made for you. It's a step by step guide to figure out a cleaning routine that is perfect for you. Because as much as I share my methods or tips for keeping my home tidy, these are the things that have worked out for me and my humble abode. 

Your home may be entirely different, you may have kids, or you may live alone. You may also be a night owl and mornings may never be your thing!! It's all good. Don't tire yourself out trying to be something you're not or killing yourself to keep a schedule that is just never going to work for you. 

What are quick and easy tips that keep your home tidy? tell me below!

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