Catch Yourself if You are Slipping!

I've noticed that in the two plus years of the major de-cluttering of my apartment(s), stuff and inconsistency have been creeping back in.

So what DO you do after you've cleared the stuff and its insuing clutter? If your day-to-day routines are continuing to create clutter and hectic, then you'll always be one step behind.

Steps to a New Daily Routine

1. Identify the problem. Think of things that tend to "sneak up" on you in your life - annual things like tax time, monthly things like invoicing clients, weekly things like running errands or daily things like meal times. For now, let’s use the example - "I'm always rushed in the morning".

2. Identify the costs. If the costs aren't that high, you probably won't be motivated to do anything to change it. The costs of being rushed in the morning may include: poor choices for breakfast or no breakfast at all, poor digestion from eating too fast or perhaps not eating at all and having coffee on an empty stomach. Then, getting to work in a rush results in stressful travel, impatience and unpleasant interactions with fellow travelers. What happens if you get caught in a traffic jam or the train comes late? This will affect your whole day.

3. Back it up. So you're rushed in the morning - what choices did you make up to this point that resulted in being rushed?

4. Experiment with some changes in your routine. Don't be rigid; you're in the experimental phase here. One day you can try going to bed a half hour earlier and waking up a half hour earlier. (You might need to work up to this: Go to bed 5 minutes earlier each night for 6 nights.) The next day try laying out your clothes the night before. Next, try putting your lunch (and any other lunches you have to prepare) together the night before. The next day try a 5-minute meditation break in the morning. Be careful that you are not sidetracked by Siren-like distractions. Try to get up immediately when the alarm goes off. Don’t even think about pushing the snooze button!

5. Commit to a new daily routine. Once you've experimented for a week or so, look back and reflect on which strategies made the most difference to your morning (and the rest of your day). Use structures as reminders (tack up a list of your routine), inspiration (post a photo that represents the kind of relaxing morning you'd like to have) or tracking (give yourself a gold star or another fun and visual marker on the calendar for every day that you implement your new routine – or just shout “Yaaaay!”).

Remember that it's not about keeping a perfect routine or beating yourself up for straying from it - it's about making healthier choices every day. If you slip, your very next choice can set you straight again.