I want to share with you my experience of how I came to such a life: I spend on cleaning not more than one hour per week (including washing of floors, dusting and putting things in places). And the rest of the time you can spend on creative work, communicating with family and other pleasant things.

The first book that changed my attitude to things, after which I removed four huge bags of unnecessary things was... Well, of course, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" (author — Marie Kondo).

After cleaning up the number of items reduced three times. I used to wonder why did I wear the same clothes every day with a full wardrobe. As it turned out, not all the things are needed. It was such a relief when I threw out things that had long been out of favor, not necessary, and just pressed me psychologically (with memories, referrings to the past, etc.).

There is only one important thing — be careful with documents. Do not throw out all of them, you will need some of them :)

From the book I've learned the first three rules:

Rule 1. Go through your things.

Leave only the desired and favorite things. The rest must be given away, sold or thrown away.

It is better to sort as they say in the book: all clothes (take even leaky boots from the shelves under the ceiling), all books, all documents, and so on. Grab the whole category of things and do not wander around the room (clean the first room, then the second and so on).

About this

number of things left my wardrobe when I went through the clothes:

Rule 2: Do not buy extra.

It is better to think about the purchase twice: why do I have this bunch of beads? Will they come in handy? But is this polka dot fabric (with a weird pattern or bright plaid) exactly what I need? And does this bag go with everything? And am glad that I bought this thing and do I need it? Do I need the fifth pair of shoes for the fall? Sometimes it takes a little time to think about the purchase.

Rule 3: Store things vertically and arrange them in baskets or in roll-out drawers:

This is my favorite way to store socks, panties and other delights (I ordered 3 separate organizers on purpose):

Every little thing: cosmetics, inventory, soap accessories, a first aid kit are stored in small baskets and boxes:

Handmade wealth is also stored in baskets and jars: ribbons, threads, pieces of fabric, scissors, needles, embroidery, lace, beads. Somehow I did not manage to beautifully arrange everything, therefore, there are various jars and the boxes. But I easily easily orient myself among them. I put everything in a wardrobe — there is less dust. So, you can save time on wiping dust.

Beautiful organization (the photo below) is very poor in terms of cleaning. How much time will I have to spend on wiping dust from the shelves? Wiping can discourage me from crafting. And I can not craft in dust and dirt. For this reason, I hid all my stocks of needlework in a remote closet with doors.

A perfect place of work in my understanding looks like this:

The fewer things on the table — the better. And the simpler the table — the better. You need to get out of the closet everything you need, then work and clean the place. After embroidering you can put ribbons, needles, scissors, hoops and stuff in their place (thanks to the "Self-discipline" course). And hence the following rule:

RULE 4: ALWAYS PUT EVERYTHING IN PLACE!

Do not simply throw some things in a closet. It is a secret of success. If you spend just 5-10 minutes on putting everything in places, the order in the working closet will live longer.

Rule 5: Ask yourself the question: which things do you use more often?

I've recently deduced this rule by myself, and it was the missing puzzle to assemble the whole system together.

For example: clothing by a season, cosmetics, a hairdryer, linen, bags, jewelry, shoes. Needlework: needles, scissors, ribbons, fabric.

Rule 6: Where is it more convenient to put things that are used more often?

My linen moved to an organizer and a roll-out drawer, a curling iron and a hairdryer to the front edge of the shelves in the closet (there are books behind, they are needed less frequently and the closet is deep and I have to use it somehow), bags moved from a dark corner to a higher shelf (small bags behind, they are like a cherry on top among the rarely used books), cosmetics are at the eye level, accessories are hanging on a hanger for scarves and ties (it is very convenient, I can choose them by color and size, I used to rummage in the box before I could find the second earring or a desired pendant). Handmade supplies are scattered in boxes and baskets, and placed in the same priority: the most needed things are in the forefront, and the rarely used things are in the back. Finished works are on the very top shelf — I can take them out when I get orders and send to customers. It is really better to store them there — they do not fall, do not crumple and do not spoil.

Rule 7: Cleaning from the top to the bottom!

First wipe the dust on shelves and window sills, and then wash the floors. Or you will have to wash the floors again.

Rule 8: Do not store handiwork remains.

There are often pieces of tapes, fabrics, threads and other things left after embroidering. I made the following with ribbons:
threw out the smallest pieces immediately, 1-2 cm remains were for leaves and petals, made them immediately (melt and cut) and put them in a bag. Pieces of the tape with a length of 5-10 cm went in bags by color. There are usually no longer pieces, as I cut short ribbons. I think you can implement this in every technique. If you think well. The fate of the "stump" is solved at once, not some time or other.

Rule 9: Clean with your loved ones.

I remember that in my childhood my parents thought carefully and came up with a wonderful idea of teaching children (i.e., us) how to make the bed immediately after waking up. Once we woke up and ran away to wash, to eat breakfast and to do other children's things. And dad went to the nursery, closed the door and made our beds. Mom came into the room with us wondered for a long time who had made her such a pleasant surprise. Naturally, we began to make our beds more often and then it grew into a habit (mum's praise + dad's example = useful habit for children).

Sometimes you need to show or tell your relatives that you don't mind if they will help you a little with the cleaning. In this case, the things will be more likely in their places and others will understand that the bread does not grow on trees, and the house does not clean itself.

If you want, you can always figure out a way to lure your loved ones to the side of the order :)
PS: Here is the secret of maintaining order. The order must be everywhere, everything must be in its place. It's time to wipe the dust. And then it will truly be clean.

Thank you for your attention! I wish you cleanliness and order in your house of a craftswoman! Add this publication to your favorites and share it with your friends :) Please write in comments if you liked the topic :)

All images and photos are taken from the Internet.