There are some things I've done very well as a parent--and some areas which I've failed miserably at. Neatness as a result of good habits is perhaps my biggest fail. My family (at my prompting) is committed this year to start from scratch, and learn/relearn good habits which will keep our home more tidy, ending the ridiculous mess we find ourselves in more often than not, and making less work in the long run.
Each week this year, I (Mom) will identify a very particular bad habit for us to break. Everyone in the house, parents included, will focus our efforts on replacing it with a GOOD habit. Any infractions discovered will require a 5-cent deposit into our new fund, which will eventually be used to buy organizational tools/items for the home, like bookshelves, crates, baskets, etc.
The bad habit police will continue to enforce each new rule in perpetuity, beyond the initial week. By the end of the year, we should have swapped out 52 bad habits for 52 good ones!
Are you with me?
Week 1's bad habit is clothes on the floor. Might as well tackle a doozie right out of the gate, while we have the enthusiasm to do so! Today, Sunday, is our day to get our things in order, including the addition of laudry baskets in the bathrooms to help facilitate remembering! (Our bathrooms currently don't have laundry baskets due to the unaccommodating space--although they'll stick out like sore thumbs, it'll be an improvement on having the clothes on the floor--perhaps another time, we'll work on carrying them to the more appropriately placed baskets--baby steps!) Starting tomorrow, anyone who has left an item of clothing on the floor will be penalized 5 cents!
I'll keep you posted on how it goes--please note that I, myself, will struggle with this first assignment! (The boys have learned their bad habits from an expert... :{ ).
Wish us luck, and tell me if you decide to join us, too!
I love this idea! I am going to customize it to my situation. I live with a NEAT Freak so, there is hardly anything out of place. The problem is that I shove everything in the closets to hide it from him, because I feel bad throwing things away. I noticed the other day that there is a ton of stuff that I will never use in my closets and just need to bring myself to get rid of it! I am going to donate or throw away (depending on the item) at least 3 things a week to help declutter. I put a lot of it in there over a year ago and never found a reason to go look for it. I could use the closet space in much better ways:-) Good luck to our NEW habits! Happy New Year to you and your family!!!!
ReplyDelete-Tracy Taylor (not sure what to do for "Comment as"
Awesome, Tracy! I must've picked up on your brainwaves, as I was thinking about donating a bag every month for the same reason! Part of the de-clutter issue--a place for everything, and everything in its place! :D Keep me posted on your progress! I love New Year's Resolutions!
ReplyDeleteHuh...pretty cool idea, Jules! I'll suggest this approach to family. Even shifting a few habits could make a big difference. Thanks for sharing! ~Cliff
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cliff! I'll have to do an update soon--it's been an interesting journey, and although the progress hasn't always been in a forward direction, I'm not giving up! I love paying just a little bit of attention to it--I'll update soon! :D
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