Making Habits in Homemaking… and a New Favorite Blog!

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- Aristotle

I found that quote above on Zen Habits, which you can guess by the title of this post, is my new favorite blog. Zen Habits, written by Leo Babauta, is not about homemaking. It is about “achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.”

Well, it might as well be about homemaking, since all these things can be applied to how I go about my daily life, including keeping up with chores, making healthy meals, having a neat and clean house without wearing myself out over it.

I have bookmarked so many of Leo’s posts. I plan on going back to them again and again, so that I can apply them to how I keep my home. I am not the most organized (Julie declutters better than I do, hands-down). I’m not the best baker (Marye takes that cake). Rebecca could teach me tons about gardening. I try to be thrifty, but am not always successful. There is always a lot to learn.

For example, my ongoing clean-up project is my kitchen island. Yes, I’m at it again. I’ve made some progress, especially with having designated folders for various papers. But it really needed some tweaking. And it needs a lot of habit-formation. I’ve realized that the reason clutter accumulates on this spot is that I don’t put away papers as soon as I touch them. OK, whack me over the head for taking too long to realize that.

It’s not that I don’t have good intentions. I do. Every time I get that spot cleaned out and organized, I tell myself that now it’s easy to put things away. But do I? I postpone dealing with this little flyer, and that one envelope, and before I know it, there’s a stack where a clean surface used to be. It’s not even a neat stack, it’s more a jumble.

So I’ve decided to focus on this one area in our home, and develop a habit that will keep it organized. It’s my take on Leo’s first advice on how to create a minimalist home. He says:

One room at a time. Unless you’re just moving into a place, it’s hard to simplify an entire house at once. Focus on one room, and let that be your center of calm. Use it to inspire you to simplify the next room, and the next. Then do the same outside!

It’s not even one room I’m focusing on. It’s just this one hot spot. I resolve not to stress about the other areas that need my attention. I will still clean them, but the habit that I will focus on is filing mail and other papers as soon as I get them. All it takes is a few seconds every day. Once I get this habit down pat, I’ll focus on another spot. I think I can do it. I think I can, I think I can…

Just to remind myself again,

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- Aristotle

hat tip: Zen Habits

Tags: homemaking, forming habits, Zen Habits, housekeeping, decluttering, clutter control, organizing the home