I've recently gotten into 'waking up' my home where I carry out a series of tasks that invite the morning into my space, setting the day off to a good start. I'll open the curtains and let the natural light in. I'll make the beds. I'll put on a load of laundry, and so on.
Then, I already feel like I've accomplished a lot of cleaning by completing a few really easy steps. What I hadn't considered though, was performing a similar ritual at night.
After I discovered the 'wind-down rule', suddenly my cleaning routine has never felt so, dare I say, relaxing.
After all, I perform a wind-down routine for myself as the day draws to a close, such as getting into comfy pjs, having a shower, and turning off the lights. Here's what happened when I implemented 'wind-down rule' as a method of cleaning my home.
What is the 'wind-down rule'?
The idea of performing a 'wind-down' in your home is a gentle cleaning method. The rule asks you to perform simple tasks that'll make waking up in your home a more relaxing experience.
By putting in a little time before you head to bed, you're reducing the amount of cleaning and decluttering tasks to do the next day and creating a much calmer environment.
There's no strict rule on what tasks you should perform on your 'wind-down', that's entirely up to you.
Some examples include cleaning the dishes, putting washing away and light decluttering if things have been left out for no good reason.
There's also no set time for how long you should do the 'wind-down' clean of your home. It could be 10 minutes, or it could be 30.
But, if there's something you know you don't want to deal with in the morning, then tackling it to give you a better sleep and a nicer wake-up is worth your time.
It can also be adapted to fit your schedule. If you're having a night out with friends, chances are you'll have less dishes to do, but you might want to do a quick wipe around.
If you're opting for an early night, you could 'wind-down' your home a little quicker to facilitate this.
Trying out the 'wind-down rule'
To be honest, I knew I was going to like the 'wind-down rule' before I even tried it, because of how much I love 'waking up' my home.
But, it's been far too easy for me to stare at a mess just before bed and go, "I'll deal with that in the morning."
Instead of adding it to my morning workload though, I thought trying out the 'wind-down rule' would shift my mindset – and it absolutely did.
The beauty of this rule is that whatever tasks I chose to perform before I headed off to bed, the results would always be waiting for me in the morning.
I often find if I time my cleaning routine wrong, I end up tidying up and feeling good. But then, with two tiny kids running around, it's messed up before the day is done.
But, I also knew before trying out this rule that I didn't want to spend much time cleaning or decluttering just before bed. So, I opted for a quick 15-minute 'wind-down'.
Armed with a sponge, I lightly wiped down the kitchen surfaces, getting rid of any spills or crumbs ready for the morning. I then made sure the sink was clear of dishes and even gave the floor a quick sweep.
Finishing up with a run around of picking up clutter and putting it back where it belongs.
The one thing about trying out the 'wind-down rule' for me though is that I felt limited on what tasks I could actually do. Hoovering with kids asleep upstairs was out of the question. In fact, pretty much every room upstairs was out-of-bounds for noise reasons.
But, that was actually fine by me. With only 15 minutes dedicated to the 'wind-down' I found that ample time to spruce up my living room and kitchen ready for the next day.
And after trying it out for a week, I realized it's the most calming way I've been able to clean my home in a long time. It even made 'waking up' my home a nicer experience because of it.
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