New Year’s resolutions are notorious for being broken and they can literally be about any area of your life, so you might want to discover some realistic New Year’s resolutions for 2016, which will make your home a better place to live in. We’ve all been there; it’s New Year’s Eve or January 1st, you write down a selection of cliche resolutions – or resolutions you think you should complete but deep down you know you won’t – and you are filled with hope and high expectations of yourself. By the first or second week of January you have already given in and you secretly loathe yourself or society, or whoever it is that invented New Year’s resolutions in the first place.
But wouldn’t it be better to incorporate New Year’s resolutions into things you actually need to do in life, like cleaning? No matter whether you loathe it or love it, you have to keep your home hygienic enough to dwell in, so why not make your New Year’s resolutions involve improving your home and keeping it clean and tidy all year? If this sounds too good to be true, here are a selection of ways which you can keep on top of your cleaning and improve the overall vibe of your home in 2016.
1. Come Up With A Cleaning Plan & Stick To It
Turning anything into a routine can be tricky. The Huffington Post reported that, contrary to popular belief, it can take a lot longer than twenty-one days to form a habit, “...if you want to set your expectations appropriately, the truth is that it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior into your life — not 21 days.” The key to success is not beating yourself up about it if you fall off the bandwagon. Writer for The Huffington Post James Clear said, “Making a mistake once or twice has no measurable impact on your long-term habits. This is why you should treat failure like a scientist, give yourself permission to make mistakes, and develop strategies for getting back on track quickly.” Depending on your schedule you may wish to make a plan which encompasses doing a little each day, or a weekly system may be better for you. Whatever cleaning plan you decide upon, it might be best to see 2016 as your year to form your routine and hopefully when 2017 comes around, you’ll have your cleaning rituals down to a T.
2. Put An End To Procrastination
Social media, TV shows, and the internet are all major procrastination tools which can be utilized to our (dis)advantage. Sure it’s important to relax after a hard day at the office or a manic week, but unfortunately for us, housework is also important too. It’s much easier to watch an episode of Mad Men before taking the trash out, or wasting an hour scrolling through your Facebook feed and watching videos of cats who are terrified of cucumbers, rather than putting on your rubber gloves and cleaning the toilet. The hard truth is, although procrastination feels great at the time, it may make you feel bad in the long run, because you have put off an activity that you didn’t want to do, instead of getting it out of the way. There’s only one remedy to getting your chores done and that is just to do them. You’ll feel better afterwards.
3. Don’t Let Things Pile Up
With our modern day, busy lives it can be difficult not to let things pile up. You may have planned to do the dishes or the laundry, but feel shattered from your hectic schedule, or you might get a better offer and your chores get put on the back burner. We’re all human and I too am guilty of this. However, if you take ten minutes out of your day to chip away at your chores, your home is sure to be a much nicer (and hygienic) place to live in.
4. Don’t Just Clean Before People Come Over
Some folks never clean before people come over and don’t apologize for mess either, which is a great way to live because your home should be how you want it to be and you shouldn’t need to feel obliged to please people. Having said that, it's usually helpful to at least be able to find things when you need to. It’s very tempting to only clean up before you have people over, but why not make the most of your home all year round and not just when you have guests visiting? It’s your home where you probably spend most of your downtime and it would be way nicer to keep it clean and tidy for you and whoever you live with, not just for other people.
5. Have A Spring Clean Out More Than Once A Year
If you have a good old fashioned spring clean once a year, it may be time to up your game and ensure you give your home a thorough clean a few times throughout the year, because it might benefit your health. The Huffington Post reported their findings on the link between health and a clean home stating that, “Even the Environmental Protection Agency admits that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than the outdoors. If the average person spends up to 90 percent of their time indoors, we are breathing in dust mites, pet dander, pollen, mold, bug skeletons, and toxins from such innocuous sources as conventional cleaning products and even chemicals emitted from our own clothing and bedding. These toxins manifest themselves as symptoms most people attribute to allergies such as itchy eyes, runny nose, and wheezing, but which should actually be blamed on an unclean house.” So schedule in some spring cleaning spots throughout the year, to deep clean your home and try to keep it a healthy environment in which to live.
6. Create A List Of Odd Jobs & Make Time To Finish Them
Making lists and ticking off your accomplishments is strangely satisfying. If you are anything like me, you’ll have a mental list of odd household jobs which need to be completed, but they’re not urgent enough to take priority. It’s a great idea to nip these little pesky jobs in the bud before they turn into real problems, so make a list of all of the odd jobs that need doing around your home, put it somewhere where you can see it (like on the fridge) and aim to cross off one each month from your list. If you’ve stuck to your list, by the end of the year your home will be as good as new.
7. Put A Little Money Aside For Home Stuff
Make a plan with your SO or housemates to each save a little bit of money regularly, which you can use to revamp your home when it’s looking tired. You may wish to spend the money seasonally, to take advantage of seasonally appropriate furnishings and accessories, or you could use the money to save for a big purchase like a new sofa to replace your old, haggard one, or a dishwasher to make your lives a little easier.
Make 2016 the year which you become a house proud homie and your hard work is sure to pay off!
