Most of the time, my husband is a master of the do-it-now principle. If something needs cleaned, if a phone call needs made, or if a bill needs paid he likes to get it done right away. No waiting. No planning. No thinking about it (or having to remember it).

I, on the other hand, am not so disciplined with the concept. For example, two days ago I noticed that there’s a ridiculous amount of crumbs under the edges of my kitchen cabinets. Instead of quickly grabbing a broom, I thought, I really should sweep this floor later. I’m embarrassed to admit that the crumbs are still there.

Sure, it’s good to prioritize what gets done in the day and to work on what’s most important. But there are many times that I put off simple little tasks that could be taken care of quickly and easily. If I want my ordinary days to flow more smoothly, I need to do it now. Not later. Why wait?

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

For the first time in my adult life, my car has been clean for more than two whole weeks. I can’t believe it. You can go ahead and applaud, if you wish. It really is an amazing feat.

And it’s been easy. Too easy. It’s been so easy to keep it clean that I find myself asking why I didn’t make the effort sooner.

We started by cleaning out my mini-van and making a place for everything that needed kept in there. Restaurant coupons go in the glove box (and need regularly sorted through!), CD’s are stored in the center compartment, coins are in one of the drink holders. The phone chargers and ice scrapers also found homes. Everything else had to go, including the miscellaneous junk that had found its way into the pouches in the back, the cut-outs in the doors, and that empty space between the driver and passenger seats.

And now, every time I get out of the van I grab whatever doesn’t belong in there. Every. Single. Time. It must take all of three seconds. Like I said, it’s almost too easy. When I pick up my purse, I quickly glance around for trash or anything that belongs in the house. I remind the kids to do the same thing in the back.

Peace. That’s what I feel when I get into my car several times a day. Well, I feel as much peace as is possible when I’m running like a crazy person to get anywhere on time. But I’ll take whatever peace I can get. It’s a lovely thing.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Laundry is my nemesis. I battle against it constantly, but it just keeps on coming back. It never ends. Never. Never ever.



There are bunches of different methods for managing laundry. I know. I’ve tried many of them over the years. The ages of my kids, the seasons of life (and sports), our schedule, and my mood all have an effect on how I keep up with the wash. Right now I’m working with a system that seems to be the best yet.

I try to wash one to two loads of laundry each day (none on my husband’s days off, if possible). On a regular day, I aim to do one load of clothes (either lights or darks) and one load of towels or sheets, as needed. I find that by doing just a little bit of laundry everyday, we no longer run out of clean clothes, and I’m still able to get it all folded (I’m working on the putting-it-away part).



Another key to my laundry method is that I start the process the night before. In the evening, I have the kids gather their dirty clothes from the hamper in their bathroom and the laundry basket in each of their rooms. I sort their clothes into the two baskets I keep in my closet. My husband and I use a blue basket for collecting our dark clothes, a white one for lights, and a mesh-bag hamper for towels. We (usually) sort our clothes and towels right when we take them off or finish using them.



Once everything is sorted, I put whichever load appears to need done into the washer. In the morning, it’s ready for me to add the soap and turn the machine on. Without even trying, my morning routine gets a quick jumpstart. Gotta love that kind of ordinary.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Linked to Raising Homemakers.