Restructuring my weekends

We returned from a quick trip to Vermont last week and in no time I was back to our routine and managing the household. Walking through the door after vacation usually brings joy but this time around when I instantly felt overwhelmed and claustrophobic. We came from an AirBnB that was cozy and clutter free to our home that was just filled with stuff. I knew my home environment was bothering me but I didn’t realize just how much until I stepped away from it all and then came back. This left me wondering how can I achieve the calming, peaceful feeling I had in Vermont? Granted this is our primary residence but all of a sudden I couldn’t take the messy junk drawer or the unorganized laundry room cabinets. I also knew I didn’t want to spend my weekends, that were already filled with household tasks, doing even more.

But we have to start somewhere, right? So I started with the smaller spaces. The spaces I could organize and go through in under an hour and I started to feel better. I also made one minor adjustment that has literally been a game changer for me - a wash all of our bedding on Friday’s. I used to do this last on Sunday mornings with the idea of starting the work week off with clean sheets but then I was doing laundry all day. So I tried moving it to Saturday and the same thing happened. So last week I just decided before I start the work day, I’m going to start washing the bedding and we’ll have clean sheets to start the weekend off. And it’s been amazing. I’m able to get the laundry done on Friday’s and the kids always take baths on Fridays since it’s the end of the week. And I don’t have to spend my weekends worrying about washing the bedding. A minor change with a huge impact. Now to address the rest of the house…

What’s one time saving idea or action item you’ve done that’s made a difference?