Aren’t they nice those picture-perfect homes from the interior design magazine covers where everything looks so pristine clean and tidy? You wish you owned one and that it could stay that way forever. Or that it cleans itself in some magical way. Unfortunately, this is possible only in the land of dreams. Those are the housekeeper’s dreams. The reality is a never-ending nightmare. We know the pain and that’s what we’re here for. To show you the light at the end of the tunnel. It is in fact possible to manage your home and stay sane at the same time! Here’s how to do it:

Declutter

You know the drill, you probably do that every season unless you’re a hoarder… living in a garage…with street cats...that you’ve adopted…because you’re a hoarder... The Russians actually have an eponym for that. Plyushkin! Sounds familiar?! Don’t worry, you’re not alone. And at least you’ll have a cool code name. Plyuishkin! How do sanitary people call themselves?! Sanitary?! It’s ridiculous. Sorry for the digression... Be brave my heart, we’re throwing things away. Yikes! Let’s make it less stinging. Set a garage sale or organize a donation campaign. But what for the real compulsive hoarders who actually live in garages, you ask? Well, things are looking up for them, aren’t they?! With all that stuff they could probably buy a house later! Don’t get too excited, however. Hold your horses! Phew! There’s the compulsive hoarder but there’s the compulsive … discharger?! That doesn’t sound right. See, it’s so much cooler to be a Plyuishkin! Our point was that you might get rid of stuff that could be potentially useful in the future. Come to think of it probably that’s how you become a hoarder in the first place… you assume everything could be put to use… But seriously! There are things with sentimental value you ought to keep and things that may serve you for multiple purposes. There’s a method to this decluttering madness. Sort it out!

Organize

Your home will never be spruced up if it looks like a shop on a black Friday. You know what we’re talking about. We mean things all over the place. This would take some time so you may want to give it a few days unless you have the nerves and attention span to to reorder your whole house. Think about cartoons when a princess starts to sing and it all goes to their rightful places. Abra cadabra will not work in your case. Everything should have a resting place. Your work clothes in one drawer, your sports wear in another, etc. T-shirts one shelve, pants another and so one with everything. In fact, make a system for each storage place. That includes your fridge too. You’ll thank us later.

Time management

Make a routine and stick to it. It will make your life so much easier. It doesn’t have to be a strict one. You can just devote as much as 20 minutes a day before you go to work to tidy up your house. That way you will become faster and more efficient. Separate your housecleaning tasks across time so you don’t wear yourself out at one instance. Why spend a whole day cleaning the whole house when you can spend every day doing something one thing or another. Monday do the kitchen, Tuesday handle the bathroom and so on. Take one step at a time.

Multitask

In this day and age, we probably all know one too much about multitasking. You already do it at your working place so why not at home, as well?! Keep step. How to apply this life skill to your place? For example, bubble up the sink with the dirty dishes while you’re preparing your kids to bed. Let that meal to be cooked in the oven while you’re spreading the laundry or start a wash cycle while preparing breakfast. That sort of things. Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate, you don’t want things to pile up. Then you will have a double job to do.

All hands on deck

You are as responsible for the neat state of your home as much as the rest of the family. Therefore, engage them without hesitation. Make a list of chore and deal out. Make a weekly schedule and stick to it. One for all and all for one.

The home of your dreams is not the one from a magazine shoot. Those things are just for show. The home of your dreams is one you can manage. We hope we’ve put you on the right direction. Carry on!