Top Ten: Daily Habits to Serenify Your Space

I'm not saying these habits are necessarily easy to incorporate. I'm not saying that I do them perfectly. I'm not saying I do all ten all the time. AND I'm not saying that sometimes life happens and a mess emerges. (Been there.) (I get it.)

There's nothing revolutionary on this list. But if a habit is new to me - even the littlest, "easiest", most obvious habit - it takes some intentional attention when I start practicing it. In our regular day-to-day lives if we stay on top of the habits below, we get Time in return. Time to be with our loved ones, Time to read a book, Time to sip that first fresh cup o' joe in the morning. (Time otherwise spent trying to dig out a shoe from under the pile or hunting for keys that are routinely lost.) 

Time. It's priceless isn't it? Let's do all we can to cherish it.

1. Make Your Bed
Confession of a Former Bed-Not-Maker: I did not always make my bed every day. I know. Pick your chin up off the floor and keep reading, guys. One spring my best friend visited me in Brooklyn. I slept on the couch and gave her the bed. When she emerged from the bedroom in the morning, the bed was already made. My room looked so nice. So inviting. But I figured: What was the point? Who ever saw my room? I was single at the time; I met my friends out at restaurants and other events. Why bother?

We bother when we care. No one saw my room?! I saw my room. So I started to make my bed for me. To care for my surroundings; to create orderliness and calm. I make my bed to start my day doing something. If it's good enough for a Navy Seal, it's good enough for me. 

2. Give Your Keys a Home 
They deserve one. And if they are always in the same place, we know exactly where to find them every time we need them. And we need them a lot. Therefore, if we can't find them a lot, that's a whole lot of Time wasted in anxiety.

Think about where would be most convenient for you. I carry mine in my purse. They hook into a latch. Nothing else goes on that latch. If you choose a pocket of a bag, I challenge you to give the keys the whole pocket. Nothing else goes in there. If you want to choose a drawer in your entryway, find a little box for that drawer so the keys don't get mixed amongst any other stuff. 

3. Give Your Shoes a Home
They deserve one. This isn't 1914 so I'm guessing we have more than one pair of shoes. Hence we must keep up with our revolving wardrobe. Put them away when you take them off. Be like Nike and just do it. It clears the clutter under foot. 

4. Give Your Laptop (&/ electronic devices) a Home
Third time's the charm: they deserve one. When not in use return electronics to a routine position. You may do this at night during the Intentional Timer. You may choose to do it whenever you finish using the device. Whatever floats your boat. My desktop is my laptop's home. Rocket science over here at A Serene Space. 

5. Sort the Mail Immediately
We all know mail can pile up. But we can minimize the pile. The only thing I'm suggesting is to sort the mail immediately - not pay bills, write a thank you note and renew a subscription. Just sort. Toss the junk, sort between the members of the household. Boom.

6. Keep an Empty Sink
OH BOY this is a challenging one! But if you have a dishwasher, rinse those dishes and stack 'em up, people! There's no excuse! I lived for a decade without a dishwasher so let's show our gratitude for them by using them. I like to think of an Empty Sink as a gift to my future self. The next morning (after making my bed) I stumble half-awake into the kitchen for some water and -- voila. I can actually use the faucet because the sink isn't a storage space for dirty dishes!

(If you are a city dweller or anyone without a dishwater, an Empty Sink can still be accomplished. When making a meal, wash as you go. When done with a meal, scrub them up. Dunzo.)  

7. Keep the Counters Clear 
This goes hand in hand with an Empty Sink. By keeping counters clear of clutter they'll always be ready for cooking prep and sandwich-making. I love serene kitchens. They might be my favorite thing to pin.

8. Return Your Day's Outfit to its Proper Place
Ok, I'm the first one to admit that there are those days when seven outfits and 5 dresses are tried on before I find something that works. That's a pile to put away. That's going to be more than a 5 minute task. But that's a rarity. Most of the time we have one outfit to either re-hang, re-fold or toss in the laundry basket.

9. Keep A Donation Bag
I always have a brown paper bag sitting atop our dryer. Minimizing and decluttering are ongoing, even for me. Bit by bit, we continue to find items that no longer serve us. I place them in the brown bag and when it is full, I take it to Goodwill. Donate wherever you so desire.

10. A Trash Free Car
Captain Obvious wants to point out this is for car owners. However, if you are a city dweller, this could apply to your bag that you tote around all day. Don't accumulate trash in your car. Be it coffee cups, receipts, straws, wrappers, toothpicks, you name it. Throw it away. A car deserves serenity as much as any other space. I'm all for equality. 

I'd venture to say that the majority of parking lots and street corners have trash cans. And your garage has one too. Use them.

But let's say someone comments below, "Hey girl, I'm a mother of young kids and guess what I don't have when I'm getting out of the car? A free hand." Well said. In that case, put a bag in your car to collect the trash and when that fills up, toss it away. 

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What daily habit keeps your space serene? Which of these habits do you want to try incorporating? Share your thoughts in the comments below!