Streamline Your Post-Work Routine
This post was originally written by Katie McCann, Maeve's Method Coach
Generally, the last thing on your mind as you walk through the door after a long day is maintaining an organizational routine. I get it, you had a crazy day at work, the 7 train was delayed on your commute home (AGAIN) and you’ve had to pee for 3 hours. But, challenge yourself to fight the urge to drop your coat and bags in the entryway of your home and incorporate these easily implementable tips to give some more intentional structure to your return home.
Less Than a Minute
As you look around your home, do anything that takes less than a minute. This includes but isn’t limited to: opening, sorting and recycling your mail, loading any dishes in the sink and or putting the dishes in the dishwasher away, preparing the coffee to be made the next morning, surface cleaning table tops to get rid of miscellaneous paper, etc.
You're a Shoe In
Many of my clients struggle with what to do with their shoes when they enter their home. Many cultures even find it rude and unsanitary to wear your shoes anywhere past the doorway of the home. So what to do? Try incorporating shoe storage into your entryway drop zone. Whether that means putting your shoes directly in a shoe rack by the front door or on a door shoe rack in the front hall closet, just try to do it purposely. No space for a shoe rack? Try even just placing them next to each other in the same place daily. This will help to eliminate searching for matches as well as the tripping hazard piles of shoes by the front door can create. #dropzone
Baby It's Cold Outside
In the cooler months, hang up your coat with the scarf around the hanger, gloves in the pockets and hat in the sleeve. That way, there will be no need to search for all these elements when you are heading out the next day. The same goes for every member of your family. If all of these items live together on one hanger, you’ll no longer need to search for all the matches each time you head out of the door.
Create Homes for Essential Daily Items
Put your car/house keys, phone, train pass and any daily essentials in the same location in your bag and place your bag in the same location each day (invest in a bag with multiple pockets so each of these daily essentials has their own space). Never fall victim to “the dreaded dig/where the @#$! are my keys!?” ever again. While you’re at it, prior to placing your bag down at the end of the day in it’s home, take a minute to clear out your bag of non-essentials (receipts, water bottle, tissues, garbage, etc.) to maintain less chaos and be able to navigate your bag easier throughout the day.
The Emperor's New Clothes
I find changing from my day wear to my post work lounge wear is very cathartic (Maeve does too!). I allow myself to shed the day and enter into a more relaxed, home and family focused state. Revel in this ritual and hang up and or fold any clothes that don’t need to be laundered. For items that need to go in the laundry, separate into dark/lights/delicates on the spot. Putting this little extra effort in will ultimately save time when you’re ready to do your laundry or when getting ready the next morning.
Incorporating any or all of these small steps into your daily routine will help you streamline your day in a big way.
Can you think of any other small habits that take less than a minute that you can incorporate into your day?
