Queen of KAOS - KAOS Free

Clean House - A Minimalist Approach to Mess, Housework and Overwhelm

  • Home
  • Motherhood is Not For Wimps
  • Site Map
  • Time Management For Moms
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 1
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 2
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 3
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 4
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 5
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 6
    • Here’s How to Manage Your Time – Day 7
  • Spring Cleaning Tips for Mom
  • Home and Family Article Library
    • What’s Cooking?
      • Meal Planning
        • Meal Planning for Thanksgiving
      • Everyday Food Recipes
        • Pumpkin Recipes
        • Pumpkin Articles
        • Apple Articles
        • Apple Recipes
      • Turkey Recipes
        • Flipped Butter Turkey
        • Citrus Butter Turkey
        • Lemon Rubbed Roasted Turkey
        • Glazed Turkey Southern Style
        • Citrus and Wine Roasted Turkey
        • Marmalade Basted Turkey
        • Roast Turkey with Chestnut Watercress Stuffing
        • Rolled Turkey Cornbread Stuffed
        • Vegetable Roasted Turkey Breast
        • Turkey Breast with Cranberry Sauce
        • Garlic Barbecue Turkey Breast
        • Grapefruit Glazed Turkey Breast
        • Drunken Turkey – Spice It Up
        • Easy Grilled Turkey – Foil Wrapped
        • Charcoal Grilled Barbecue Turkey
        • Citrus Rotisserie Turkey Breast
      • Quick and Easy Holiday Recipes
        • Thanksgiving Recipes
      • Home Baking For Health
        • QK Healthy Flour Mix
        • Yummy Homemade Desserts
        • Healthy Cookie Recipes
        • Healthy Homemade Muffin Recipes
    • Productivity Rules
      • Productivity Rule #1 – Self Discipline
    • Clutter Free
      • Making Time for the D Word – Declutter
    • Holidays
      • Thanksgiving How To
        • There’s More than One Way to Prepare a Thanksgiving Turkey
        • Thanksgiving Dinner – No Cooking Required
        • Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas
        • How to Do Thanksgiving With Less Stress and More Fun For Mom
        • Keep Your Dog Safe This Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
        • Magical Handmade Christmas Decor
        • Keeping Christmas Simple
      • Valentine’s Day
        • Homemade Valentine Card Ideas for Kids
        • Valentine’s Cookie and Cupcake Ideas
        • Homemade Valentine’s Decorations
        • Healthy Valentine Meal Ideas
        • Homemade Chocolate Desserts for Valentine’s Day
        • Valentine’s Day Desserts That Kids Love To Make
        • Need Some Help Choosing Wine for Valentine’s Day Dinner?
  • Need an Easy Daily Housework Schedule to Keep You On Track?
  • Freebies for MOM
  • Saucy Cinnamon Apple Cocktail
  • Homemade Christmas Gift Giving Guide
  • Thanksgiving Smoothie Recipe
  • The Big Christmas List Link
  • Your Christmas Recipe Collection
  • Archive
  • Making Change – Stash the Cash
    • 3 Ways to Eat Healthier on a Budget
  • Spring Cleaning Challenge – Follow My Progress
  • A Simple Household Planner
  • Donations
  • How Many Ways Can You Say All The Best This Holiday Season!
  • Feel the Love… the rest will follow…
  • Did I Die and Wake Up Martha Stewart?
  • My Simple Goal Setting Plan
  • Make Mine a Dyson Animal Cyclone – Best Vacuum Cleaner Category
  • At Home
  • Work at Home Mom Blog
  • Booty Camp – Get Sizzlin’!
  • Freebies for MOM
    • Saturday is D Day
  • Members
  • Did I Do That?
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

I Brake For Happiness

Written by Jan Ferrante

Stop the Insanity - Yes -You Can!

Digging out… getting clear… finding happiness at home always seem to come back to the same three things.

Number one on the list being…

LESS IS MORE

It's such a cliche but so true.

It would be good for everyone suffering from the problem of overwhelm to write it down and post it somewhere that you will see it at all times to remind and motivate you when the temptation to bring one 'just one more thing' into your household comes calling.

BOUNDARIES – GET SOME

This action is related to 'less is more'. Those of us who are habitually overwhelmed very often have weak boundaries, and it shows in most areas of our lives.

It could be a weakness is determining or enforcing boundaries – with other people or with ourselves. 

BE CONSISTENT

Once you start doing less and then set and enforce boundaries – both with other people and yourself – it is of utmost importance to be consistent.

That means you need to keep doing it. Over and over again.

That sounds exhausting. The thing is that it gets easier over time as you get better at it. On a practical level there will be less stuff of any shape or form to manage OR the things you will find yourself working with will change.

The ratio of drudgery to things that make you happy will tip dramatically to the happiness side as the things that are currently weighing you down are cleared out of your life.

3 THINGS TO DO TODAY

  • Stop. Stop taking on more of anything. Think hard first about the impact it is going to have. Is it going to weigh you down or free you.
  • Think about your boundaries. Choose one to work on today. If it's a boundary with another person be kind but firm. Explain what and why the change is happening. Make it work for them too if you possibly can. Give a reward. Be firm. And…
  • Be consistent. Do it again tomorrow. And the next day.

If you find yourself slipping, just remember these words -

Less More Often

One thing that will really help you to keep on track with all of these things is setting up a household routine.

As it becomes a habit, these principals will start to become a habit too because you will see how much easier they make everything to manage and look after.

I found this article called Household Routines Improve Your Happiness on the Stacks and Stacks blog (some excellent reading and practical tips there. Just be sure to go when you are on coffee break or as a treat AFTER you've gone and decluttered something. It's one of those easy to lose the time on type sites because there is so much good stuff :0)

One point, in the article they say that

"In a study of families, regularity in household routines improved daily personal satisfaction by about 5%."

I'd be willing to bet that it's more like 50% plus!

What do you think? How much do having household routines and systems improve your happiness?

Share This
Subscribedel.icio.usFacebookStumbleUpon
Related Posts with Thumbnails

What Do You Think?

Next Page »

  • How To Be – KAOS Free

  • Get your daily 5 KAOS Control Target.

    It's free and it only takes 5 minutes!

    More Information about Take 5.

  • RSS

    Get the blog in your reader.


  • cleanhouse

Recent Posts

  • I Brake For Happiness
  • How to Soften Hard Brown Sugar
  • What’s Up With Procrastination?
  • It’s Do It Now Week Did You Know?
  • Do You Need to Get Organized?
your personalized housework schedule

Baby Love

Copyright © 2010 Queen of KAOS - KAOS Free • Powered by frugal