A Clean House is a Wasted Life! Can you believe I just said that out loud?
I have four children and I literally spend several hours a day cleaning.

Just yesterday, I spent nap time cleaning the fridge, microwave, and scrubbing the floors. Today one of my kids literally dumped syrup everywhere.
So, what I’m saying is, a clean house is a waste of life. While this is a bold statement, let me explain…
A Clean House is a Wasted Life
A clean house is important, but it’s not something you want to spend every waking moment of your life doing.
Why?
It’s simple – it WILL NEVER stay that way.
It’s literal time you are wasting.
You spend 2+ hours cleaning the house to make it look like you’ve hand things handled while your husband was away at work all day but then BAM a toddler, a dog, hell even my clumsiness can change all that in a moments notice.
There is a better way.
A way that WON’T waste your time – because time is something we can never get back.
Here are some tips for managing your home without wasting too much of your precious time (and while totally keeping your sanity)…
Have your kids help
Even if you have little kids, they can help in some way shape or form. Have them help pick up toys off the floor. You are great at teaching people stuff; you’ll be great at teaching your little people to help you out as well.

Set a timer
This is something I’ve been doing a lot of lately. There is more in life that I want to be doing besides cleaning.
I set a timer and I clean the whole time the timer is ticking. Once it goes off, I stop cleaning even if I’m not done.
Plus, it makes me much more motivated to get things done.
Clean as you go
I am so guilty of this.
I used to get going on with my day and have so much to do, I’d forget to put back things where they go.
Now, I can’t stand it, so I clean as I go.
I try to never walk to one part of the house empty handed. Maximize my time and energy.
It’s super important for me to at least put one thing away an hour. Sure, not a huge goal, but it helps keep my house clean!

Do the worst damage first
I always get the worst stuff out of the way first. Usually that is the dishes.
And yes, I totally have to give myself a pep talk more days before doing them.
P.S. Spaghetti has the worst smell on the second day, just thought you should know…
Don’t freak out
When it comes to having a clean house and keeping your sanity, you cannot have both.

If your house gets dirty right after you clean it, you can’t freak out.
Your kids are just children and that’s what they are going to do. THEY ARE MESSY!
You don’t have to tolerate them deliberately destroying your house, however, you also shouldn’t freak out on them if they get a little messy.
My favorite quote:

Learn to let go girlfriend because your house will NEVER stay clean when you have kids. Messing up a home is their specialty, it’s what they do and sometimes, it’s the best memory made.
Ditch the clutter

If you know me on a personal level, you know that I hate clutter. I get rid of the clutter before it even hits my house.
I’m always donating, selling, or throwing away because I don’t want the stress of cleaning it up. There is also 6 of us in a 900 square feet house, so staying organized is a must.
So forgive me for saying that a clean house is a waste of life because it is.
There are much better things I’d rather be doing like playing with my kids or eating chocolate.

I utilize these tips to keep my house clean and keep my sanity.
If you are on the verge of ditching your home for a tiny house (tiny means less cleaning, right?), I suggest you give these tips a try!

Lauren
Monday 16th of May 2016
I have been working on decluttering my house. My family and I have gotten rid of very few belongings in the last 10 years! Our basement is filled. It's so stressful having so much stuff!