April 1, 2025 • 25 mins
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What if the secret to a more peaceful family life isn't found in grand parenting philosophies but in the simple act of creating order in your home?
Our physical environment profoundly impacts our mental and emotional wellbeing, with research showing that clutter increases stress levels while orderly homes promote peace and clarity of thought. Creating order isn't about perfectionism but about establishing an environment where families can thrive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
• Order in the home mirrors God's design for creation and provides a foundation for virtue development
• Children thrive in predictable, structured environments that help develop executive functioning skills
• Follow the "one-minute rule"—if a task takes less than a minute, do it immediately
• Use Sunday family huddles to meal plan, review calendars, and prepare for the week ahead
Visit the Families of Character Shop to view more resources for creating order in your home!
The Thriving Family Accelerator provides an easy, 3-step process to lower stress, parent as a united team, and enjoy a true friendship with your spouse & relationship with your kids. Sign up now for this live parent coaching with proven methods for positively engaging your family and redistributing the mental load.
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Discover the secrets to building a connected + thriving family. All you'll need is a few minutes of your week—it's easy!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey friends, welcome back to our show.
Today I'm gonna dive into atopic that has the power to
transform your family life in abig way.
It's about creating order inthe home.
Now, before you start thinking,oh geez, jordan, this is just
another episode aboutdecluttering and cleaning, hold
(00:23):
up.
There is so much more than that.
I wanna read you a blog articlethat's actually on our website
If you go tofamiliesofcharactercom and click
on the blog tab.
Allie McCarthy wrote this blogarticle back in 2018.
(00:43):
And guess what?
Her message still rings true.
So I just want to read it toyou first, and then we'll dive
into the rest of the episode.
Here we go.
She says striving to make ourlives orderly is always
difficult.
Whether we are organizing ourhomes, working toward
(01:05):
self-improvement or realigningour priorities, it can be
challenging to make a change,and sometimes it even feels like
a chore.
With this process ofimprovement already being so
difficult, trying to teach theimportance of orderliness to our
children is a whole otherchallenge, but fortunately, st
(01:32):
Gregory of Nyssa has someeloquent insight to help us
remember the big picture and whyfinding order in our daily
lives is so important.
She goes on to write that StGregory of Nyssa saw all of
nature as a kind of song.
(01:52):
When everything works togetherthe way it is supposed to, it
has a rhythm that St Gregoryviewed as music.
He says the accord and affinityof all things with one another,
which is controlled in anorderly and sequential manner,
is the primal, archetypal, truemusic.
(02:16):
It is this music which theconductor of the universe
skillfully strikes up in theunspoken speech of wisdom,
through these ever occurringmovements.
End quote.
She goes on to write that hebelieved that the same is true
of our lives.
(02:36):
When we live an ordered lifeand strive for what is good for
us, then each of our actionsbecome like notes in a song.
None of our actions areindependent from each other, but
they work together tocontribute to the grand melody
(02:57):
of our lives.
And here's what St Gregory ofNyssa says.
He says in this singing.
St Gregory of Nyssa says, hesays in this singing, nature
reflects on itself in a certainmanner and heals itself For the
proper rhythm of life whichsinging seems to me to recommend
symbolically, is a cure ofnature.
(03:20):
For perhaps the very fact thatthe character of those who live
virtuously need not be devoid ofthe muses, unharmonious and out
of tune, is an encouragement tothe more sublime state of life.
Neither must the string bedrawn taut beyond measure, for
(03:40):
that which is well tunedcertainly breaks when it is
strained beyond what that stringcan bear.
Nor, on the contrary, must oneslacken the tension immoderately
through pleasure, for the soulwhich becomes relaxed in such
passions becomes deaf and dumbIn all other matters.
(04:02):
We must tighten and relax thetension at the right time.
Looking at this, that our wayof life in the customs may
continue, always melodious andrhythmical, being neither
immoderately slack or strainedbeyond measure, allie says.
(04:26):
As we continue to strive fororderliness in our daily lives,
let us look at the biggerpicture and consider the song we
are creating.
Like St Gregory indicates, weshouldn't be too hard on
ourselves.
Shouldn't be too hard onourselves, but find the right
(04:49):
balance for what we are capableof in each moment.
Thank you, allie McCaffrey, foryour beautiful blog article
that still lives on our website.
Friends, our homes are meant tobe places of rest, restoration
and renewal.
They are our launching pad foreverything we do.
(05:12):
We start out our day at homeand we launch out to work, we
launch out to school, we launchout into our community, you name
it.
But when things at home feelchaotic or disorderly and
clutter or disorganization takeover.
(05:33):
It can drain our energy andincrease our stress and make us
feel like we're constantlybehind.
So today we're just going totalk about why order in the home
matters, how it impacts ourminds and hearts and, most
importantly, how it impacts ourminds and hearts and, most
(05:53):
importantly, how you can takesmall, intentional steps to
create a peaceful and purposefulenvironment for your family.
I want to also give you alittle preview for what's coming
.
You can look forward to somereally awesome expert interviews
coming up about this very topicin the weeks to come.
(06:15):
So be sure you're tuning intoour podcast on the regular.
Make sure you've subscribed tothe Families of Character show
so that every time we launch anew episode you're notified and
you can listen to the next one.
But for now, let's kind of diveinto this.
Okay, I want you to picturethis you walk into your house
(06:38):
after a long day.
Okay, what do you see?
Is it a place that welcomes youwith warmth and peace, or does
it feel like another to-do listwaiting to be tackled?
Another to-do list waiting tobe tackled?
The reality is that our physicalenvironment directly affects
(06:58):
our mental and emotionalwell-being, and research shows
that clutter and disorganizationsignificantly increases stress,
that feeling that you have thismental load just weighing on
you, and it also increasesanxiety, that sense of I'm
(07:19):
forgetting something oreverything.
That's just too much right.
According to a study publishedin the Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin bulletin,women who describe their homes
as cluttered actually had higherlevels of cortisol in their
(07:40):
system the stress hormone thatwe carry around compared to
those who describe their homesas restful and restorative.
And it's not just adults whoare affected.
Children also thrive inenvironments that are
predictable and structured, andwhen our homes are in order, our
(08:01):
minds are clearer, our heartsare actually lighter and we can
focus more on what truly matters.
We talk about this all the timeat Families of Character.
What are the critical few thingsthat really matter?
Spending quality time with ourloved ones, growing in faith and
serving others.
(08:21):
When you have order in yourhome, it makes it very easy for
you to focus on those threethings.
So I want you to just consider.
You know, as Christians, weknow that order isn't just about
having a tidy house.
I want you to hear that becausesome of you are going oh, this
(08:44):
is too much and this is nevergoing to happen for me, but I
want you to really tune intothis message.
Okay, order is a reflection ofsomething deeper.
Right, god is a God of orderFrom the very beginning of time,
at the beginning of creation.
(09:05):
In Genesis, we see that Godcreated the world with a purpose
and structure.
He thought about what to createfirst and second and third and
so on.
Right In 1 Corinthians 14, 33,it tells us God is not a God of
disorder, but of peace.
(09:25):
When we bring order into ourhomes, we are mirroring God's
own design.
Order helps us also to grow inother virtues, virtues like
patience, self-control andgratitude.
(09:45):
Right, having order in the homeallows us to be more present
and intentional in our parenting.
Why?
Well, because we're notcarrying around a bunch of
mental overwhelm, because ourenvironment is emotionally
overwhelming and physicallydistracting to us, and then,
(10:11):
most importantly, distracting tous.
And then, most importantly,having order in the home creates
an environment where love canflourish.
So if you're ever feelingguilty for wanting things to be
more organized at your home, letgo of that guilt.
Okay, seeking order.
I want to emphasize this isn'tabout perfection.
(10:32):
Just like Allie wrote in herblog article, if you tighten
that string on a violin tootight.
What happens?
It's going to snap right.
So we're not trying to beperfectionistic.
It's about creating a space inyour home that fosters peace and
(10:54):
joy.
Okay, so I want to just giveyou some small steps to
transform your home.
Okay, I know some of you mightbe thinking you know my house is
a total mess.
I don't even know where tostart.
Let me reassure you.
This is not about a massivehome makeover.
Okay, it's about small,intentional steps that create a
(11:17):
lasting impact.
So here are a few practicalways that you can bring more
order into your home this season.
First, I like for you to juststart with a simple reset.
We call this the 10 minute tidyup.
Ok, in the evening beforeeverybody goes to bed, set a
(11:41):
timer in your home and take fiveto 10 minutes each person and
tidy up your areas.
I play some music and make itfun, but just 10 minutes each
night to tidy up your ownpersonal space so that when you
wake up the next morning, yourspace is pleasing to you and
(12:04):
your kid's space is pleasing tothem.
They know where to find things.
Start small, with just five to10 minutes, and then celebrate
when they've tidied up and youdo the same along with them,
right?
We always talk about a parentfirst approach to parenting,
which means that you lead byexample.
(12:25):
You say I'm going to tidy up myroom as well.
I'm going to get the wipes outand wipe down my kitchen sinks
or my bathroom sinks whileyou're wiping yours down as well
.
Okay, teamwork makes the dreamwork, but that 10 minute tidy up
is a real easy habit to putinto place, even tonight.
Create family stations that'sanother tip right.
(12:47):
If you have designated spots forbackpacks, shoes and lunch
boxes, designated spots forbackpacks, shoes and lunchboxes,
mornings are not a scramble,right?
There's a couple in ourcoaching series who has been
just such a delight to workalongside with.
They've shared that one of thethings that really helped them
(13:10):
get order back in their home wasto create a space just inside
their back door where they callit the landing pad and the
launch pad.
So you can imagine.
The launch pad is where theyput everything the night before
to get ready for the morning,where they're going to launch
out to school and work.
So their work bags, backpacks,you know, anything that they
(13:33):
need for the next morning is onthe launch pad, and then they
have another place next to it.
That's just called the landingpad, okay, and that's where you
put everything when you comehome from work and from school.
Naming places in your home,giving them a fun, catchy name,
(13:53):
helps.
Hey, go put that in the launchpad, that'll be a great thing
for you to have ready in themorning when you wake up.
Don't forget to get yourlanding pad, everything in the
landing pad, right.
Unpack your lunchboxes, makesure that your backpacks are
hung up, and that way you'll beable to find it right.
Or that way, later on in theday you want to go back to get
(14:15):
something out of it, you'll knowthat it's right there in the
landing pad because you'velanded back at home, okay, so
it's fun to just set up littlespots in the home where you can
create family stations andpeople know what's expected of
them.
That's huge.
When it comes to creating orderin the home is just having a
place for things.
And then the other piece ofadvice is just to declutter one
(14:38):
space at a time.
You don't have to tackle thewhole house at once.
Just choose one area If yourkitchen is overwhelming.
You think what is the one thingthat drives me most.
And that's about this kitchenand that's the thing you start
with.
Maybe it's under the sink.
You can never even get to the.
(14:59):
You know detergent to put inthe dishwasher because things
are just falling out.
You know old grocery bags orcleaning products or whatever it
is you have under there.
It's just a mess.
What if you took five minutesto open that cupboard, take
everything out, toss the thingsyou don't need, put back the
(15:19):
things you want to keep and justgroup things in a nice orderly
fashion and make a little spacefor things.
That makes a difference.
Okay, small wins add up.
Choose a kitchen counter, adrawer, a closet, you know a
spot in your garage and just dothe one thing.
(15:42):
Okay.
And then I like to tell peopleembrace the one-minute rule, or
we call it also the one-touchrule.
If you touch something, ifyou've got a coffee cup in your
hand in the morning and youfinish your coffee cup instead
of setting it down in somerandom place you know three
(16:03):
rooms away from your kitchen, itdown in some random place you
know three rooms away from yourkitchen, just walk right over to
the dishwasher and put that cupin the dishwasher.
Right, it takes less than oneminute to get from one end of
your house to the other, even ifyou're as far away as you can
be, to do the right thing andjust put it where it belongs.
Again, this parent firstapproach, this modeling hey, mom
(16:27):
, what are you doing?
I'm going to go put my cup ofcoffee that I've already drank
out of.
I'm going to go put it in thedishwasher.
Oh, so then they start seeingyou doing the right things in
the moment and just picking upafter yourself, little by little
, and then they want to do thistoo.
So if it takes less than aminute to do, just do it right
(16:49):
away.
Other piece of advice set aSunday prep time.
Every Sunday we have a familyhuddle.
Okay, we've been doing thissince, let's see here, I don't
know for six years or more everySunday, and we just take time
to set our family up for successfor the following week.
(17:12):
Right?
So what we want to do is wewant to kind of plan meals for
the week.
So I sit down and say, guys,what are we thinking for meals
this week?
For dinners, ok, we don't planout every breakfast or lunch.
We just kind of keep breakfastsand lunch the same around our
house.
That helps us keep order aswell.
If we have three items forbreakfast and the same, you know
(17:35):
, two or three lunch items, thenwe just keep it like that.
But then we plan out dinnersright, what are four dinners
that we can make at home andthen one dinner is going to be
leftovers.
But we sketch out the meal planfor the week and it's okay to
change around days or whatever.
But then that helps us togrocery shop for that, even on
(17:57):
Sundays we could meal prep so wecould make a big batch of
chicken in advance or make sixcups of rice and have that ready
to go in the fridge so that wecan put meals together easily.
But just prepping for the weekon Sundays is a good way to work
together as a family and againcreate some order, right.
(18:18):
So these are not things you'rehaving to think about after you
get home from work from.
You know all the things thatyou've been thinking about every
day.
If you have that plan boom,that creates a sense of clarity
in your mind and frees you up tofocus on the things that matter
even more.
Another thing we do that Ihighly recommend is reviewing
(18:40):
the family calendar.
Man, if you can look at oneweek ahead with your whole
family your spouse and your kidsand you can post a calendar in
your kitchen.
I tell people put it in yourkitchen.
That's where we spend the mosttime together, right?
Or that's where people go forsnacks three times a day or
(19:02):
whatever Like.
The kitchen is a good spot tohave, kind of a command center
where kids know where to go,your spouse knows where to go to
access the events and theactivities for the week.
So post your family's calendarup on the fridge and go through
it day by day with them so thatthey know what's coming and they
(19:24):
can start creating order intheir own lives by preparing and
getting responsible and beingready for basketball, for
wrestling, for a dance class,for the science fair project
that they have to turn in onThursday, right Order when it
comes to the calendar helps withthese executive functioning
(19:46):
skills.
If you want your child to beable to leave home with the
ability to manage a calendar awork calendar, a home family
calendar you got to conditionthem for that now.
So reviewing just one week at atime, maybe if you have really
little kids, you only look atthree days at a time and you
(20:07):
just post the activities of thenext three days on your fridge.
This is a game changer, folks,okay, so choose one of these
that you want to work on.
You're not going to do all thethings that I talked about here
today, but each of these smallactions, when they're done
consistently, help create anatmosphere of peace and
(20:30):
stability in your home, and whenpeople feel like home is a
place of rest, let me tell you,everybody thrives, okay.
So I just want to encourage youtoday.
Bringing order into your homeis not about having a Pinterest
perfect house.
(20:51):
It's about creating a spacewhere your family can thrive, a
place where your kids feelsecure, a home where you can
recharge so that you can go outinto the world and serve as God
has called you to serve with allyour great gifts.
So remember, small steps matter.
(21:13):
Do not let perfectionism holdyou back.
Start with one little changeand watch how it shifts the
atmosphere of your home.
And listen.
Shifts the atmosphere of yourhome.
And listen.
We would love to hear how youare bringing more order into
your own home.
If you clean out that onedrawer in your kitchen that's
(21:35):
been driving you most nuts, snapa picture of yourself with the
drawer and post it to socialmedia and tag families of
character, or text me thatpicture right 720-500-5494.
Text me a picture of what youdid to take one small action
(21:57):
towards making your home moreorderly in this season of family
life.
You could also email us apicture and tell us what it is
that you're doing to help takesmall steps to get more order
back in your home.
Listen, let's support each otheron this journey, right?
We are a community here atFamilies of Character.
(22:20):
Share your wins.
It helps give other peoplemotivation to do one small thing
towards bringing order to theirhome as well.
So thank you for being part ofour Families of Character
community.
We love all the messages thatyou're sending us on social
media and through our email.
(22:40):
If you ever want to shareanything, hello at
familiesofcharactercom is ouremail address.
Reach out to us.
We love to know that you're outthere listening, that our
content is benefiting you.
And then also, if you can justsend this episode on to someone
in your circle, just pick oneperson that you're going to send
(23:02):
it to Maybe it's your spouse toget you both on the same page.
That would really help us getthe message out and continue to
make these record downloads weekby week, spreading this message
of intentional parenting wherewe're raising kids of good
character Guys, thank you forjoining me today.
(23:23):
Character Guys, thank you forjoining me today and until next
time, keep leading your familywith love and intention.
Take care and I'll see you onanother episode of our show real
soon.
Hey friends, welcome back to our show.
Today I'm gonna dive into atopic that has the power to
transform your family life in abig way.
It's about creating order inthe home.
Now, before you start thinking,oh geez, jordan, this is just
another episode aboutdecluttering and cleaning, hold
(00:23):
up.
There is so much more than that.
I wanna read you a blog articlethat's actually on our website
If you go tofamiliesofcharactercom and click
on the blog tab.
Allie McCarthy wrote this blogarticle back in 2018.
(00:43):
And guess what?
Her message still rings true.
So I just want to read it toyou first, and then we'll dive
into the rest of the episode.
Here we go.
She says striving to make ourlives orderly is always
difficult.
Whether we are organizing ourhomes, working toward
(01:05):
self-improvement or realigningour priorities, it can be
challenging to make a change,and sometimes it even feels like
a chore.
With this process ofimprovement already being so
difficult, trying to teach theimportance of orderliness to our
children is a whole otherchallenge, but fortunately, st
(01:32):
Gregory of Nyssa has someeloquent insight to help us
remember the big picture and whyfinding order in our daily
lives is so important.
She goes on to write that StGregory of Nyssa saw all of
nature as a kind of song.
(01:52):
When everything works togetherthe way it is supposed to, it
has a rhythm that St Gregoryviewed as music.
He says the accord and affinityof all things with one another,
which is controlled in anorderly and sequential manner,
is the primal, archetypal, truemusic.
(02:16):
It is this music which theconductor of the universe
skillfully strikes up in theunspoken speech of wisdom,
through these ever occurringmovements.
End quote.
She goes on to write that hebelieved that the same is true
of our lives.
(02:36):
When we live an ordered lifeand strive for what is good for
us, then each of our actionsbecome like notes in a song.
None of our actions areindependent from each other, but
they work together tocontribute to the grand melody
(02:57):
of our lives.
And here's what St Gregory ofNyssa says.
He says in this singing.
St Gregory of Nyssa says, hesays in this singing, nature
reflects on itself in a certainmanner and heals itself For the
proper rhythm of life whichsinging seems to me to recommend
symbolically, is a cure ofnature.
(03:20):
For perhaps the very fact thatthe character of those who live
virtuously need not be devoid ofthe muses, unharmonious and out
of tune, is an encouragement tothe more sublime state of life.
Neither must the string bedrawn taut beyond measure, for
(03:40):
that which is well tunedcertainly breaks when it is
strained beyond what that stringcan bear.
Nor, on the contrary, must oneslacken the tension immoderately
through pleasure, for the soulwhich becomes relaxed in such
passions becomes deaf and dumbIn all other matters.
(04:02):
We must tighten and relax thetension at the right time.
Looking at this, that our wayof life in the customs may
continue, always melodious andrhythmical, being neither
immoderately slack or strainedbeyond measure, allie says.
(04:26):
As we continue to strive fororderliness in our daily lives,
let us look at the biggerpicture and consider the song we
are creating.
Like St Gregory indicates, weshouldn't be too hard on
ourselves.
Shouldn't be too hard onourselves, but find the right
(04:49):
balance for what we are capableof in each moment.
Thank you, allie McCaffrey, foryour beautiful blog article
that still lives on our website.
Friends, our homes are meant tobe places of rest, restoration
and renewal.
They are our launching pad foreverything we do.
(05:12):
We start out our day at homeand we launch out to work, we
launch out to school, we launchout into our community, you name
it.
But when things at home feelchaotic or disorderly and
clutter or disorganization takeover.
(05:33):
It can drain our energy andincrease our stress and make us
feel like we're constantlybehind.
So today we're just going totalk about why order in the home
matters, how it impacts ourminds and hearts and, most
importantly, how it impacts ourminds and hearts and, most
(05:53):
importantly, how you can takesmall, intentional steps to
create a peaceful and purposefulenvironment for your family.
I want to also give you alittle preview for what's coming
.
You can look forward to somereally awesome expert interviews
coming up about this very topicin the weeks to come.
(06:15):
So be sure you're tuning intoour podcast on the regular.
Make sure you've subscribed tothe Families of Character show
so that every time we launch anew episode you're notified and
you can listen to the next one.
But for now, let's kind of diveinto this.
Okay, I want you to picturethis you walk into your house
(06:38):
after a long day.
Okay, what do you see?
Is it a place that welcomes youwith warmth and peace, or does
it feel like another to-do listwaiting to be tackled?
Another to-do list waiting tobe tackled?
The reality is that our physicalenvironment directly affects
(06:58):
our mental and emotionalwell-being, and research shows
that clutter and disorganizationsignificantly increases stress,
that feeling that you have thismental load just weighing on
you, and it also increasesanxiety, that sense of I'm
(07:19):
forgetting something oreverything.
That's just too much right.
According to a study publishedin the Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin bulletin,women who describe their homes
as cluttered actually had higherlevels of cortisol in their
(07:40):
system the stress hormone thatwe carry around compared to
those who describe their homesas restful and restorative.
And it's not just adults whoare affected.
Children also thrive inenvironments that are
predictable and structured, andwhen our homes are in order, our
(08:01):
minds are clearer, our heartsare actually lighter and we can
focus more on what truly matters.
We talk about this all the timeat Families of Character.
What are the critical few thingsthat really matter?
Spending quality time with ourloved ones, growing in faith and
serving others.
(08:21):
When you have order in yourhome, it makes it very easy for
you to focus on those threethings.
So I want you to just consider.
You know, as Christians, weknow that order isn't just about
having a tidy house.
I want you to hear that becausesome of you are going oh, this
(08:44):
is too much and this is nevergoing to happen for me, but I
want you to really tune intothis message.
Okay, order is a reflection ofsomething deeper.
Right, god is a God of orderFrom the very beginning of time,
at the beginning of creation.
(09:05):
In Genesis, we see that Godcreated the world with a purpose
and structure.
He thought about what to createfirst and second and third and
so on.
Right In 1 Corinthians 14, 33,it tells us God is not a God of
disorder, but of peace.
(09:25):
When we bring order into ourhomes, we are mirroring God's
own design.
Order helps us also to grow inother virtues, virtues like
patience, self-control andgratitude.
(09:45):
Right, having order in the homeallows us to be more present
and intentional in our parenting.
Why?
Well, because we're notcarrying around a bunch of
mental overwhelm, because ourenvironment is emotionally
overwhelming and physicallydistracting to us, and then,
(10:11):
most importantly, distracting tous.
And then, most importantly,having order in the home creates
an environment where love canflourish.
So if you're ever feelingguilty for wanting things to be
more organized at your home, letgo of that guilt.
Okay, seeking order.
I want to emphasize this isn'tabout perfection.
(10:32):
Just like Allie wrote in herblog article, if you tighten
that string on a violin tootight.
What happens?
It's going to snap right.
So we're not trying to beperfectionistic.
It's about creating a space inyour home that fosters peace and
(10:54):
joy.
Okay, so I want to just giveyou some small steps to
transform your home.
Okay, I know some of you mightbe thinking you know my house is
a total mess.
I don't even know where tostart.
Let me reassure you.
This is not about a massivehome makeover.
Okay, it's about small,intentional steps that create a
(11:17):
lasting impact.
So here are a few practicalways that you can bring more
order into your home this season.
First, I like for you to juststart with a simple reset.
We call this the 10 minute tidyup.
Ok, in the evening beforeeverybody goes to bed, set a
(11:41):
timer in your home and take fiveto 10 minutes each person and
tidy up your areas.
I play some music and make itfun, but just 10 minutes each
night to tidy up your ownpersonal space so that when you
wake up the next morning, yourspace is pleasing to you and
(12:04):
your kid's space is pleasing tothem.
They know where to find things.
Start small, with just five to10 minutes, and then celebrate
when they've tidied up and youdo the same along with them,
right?
We always talk about a parentfirst approach to parenting,
which means that you lead byexample.
(12:25):
You say I'm going to tidy up myroom as well.
I'm going to get the wipes outand wipe down my kitchen sinks
or my bathroom sinks whileyou're wiping yours down as well
.
Okay, teamwork makes the dreamwork, but that 10 minute tidy up
is a real easy habit to putinto place, even tonight.
Create family stations that'sanother tip right.
(12:47):
If you have designated spots forbackpacks, shoes and lunch
boxes, designated spots forbackpacks, shoes and lunchboxes,
mornings are not a scramble,right?
There's a couple in ourcoaching series who has been
just such a delight to workalongside with.
They've shared that one of thethings that really helped them
(13:10):
get order back in their home wasto create a space just inside
their back door where they callit the landing pad and the
launch pad.
So you can imagine.
The launch pad is where theyput everything the night before
to get ready for the morning,where they're going to launch
out to school and work.
So their work bags, backpacks,you know, anything that they
(13:33):
need for the next morning is onthe launch pad, and then they
have another place next to it.
That's just called the landingpad, okay, and that's where you
put everything when you comehome from work and from school.
Naming places in your home,giving them a fun, catchy name,
(13:53):
helps.
Hey, go put that in the launchpad, that'll be a great thing
for you to have ready in themorning when you wake up.
Don't forget to get yourlanding pad, everything in the
landing pad, right.
Unpack your lunchboxes, makesure that your backpacks are
hung up, and that way you'll beable to find it right.
Or that way, later on in theday you want to go back to get
(14:15):
something out of it, you'll knowthat it's right there in the
landing pad because you'velanded back at home, okay, so
it's fun to just set up littlespots in the home where you can
create family stations andpeople know what's expected of
them.
That's huge.
When it comes to creating orderin the home is just having a
place for things.
And then the other piece ofadvice is just to declutter one
(14:38):
space at a time.
You don't have to tackle thewhole house at once.
Just choose one area If yourkitchen is overwhelming.
You think what is the one thingthat drives me most.
And that's about this kitchenand that's the thing you start
with.
Maybe it's under the sink.
You can never even get to the.
(14:59):
You know detergent to put inthe dishwasher because things
are just falling out.
You know old grocery bags orcleaning products or whatever it
is you have under there.
It's just a mess.
What if you took five minutesto open that cupboard, take
everything out, toss the thingsyou don't need, put back the
(15:19):
things you want to keep and justgroup things in a nice orderly
fashion and make a little spacefor things.
That makes a difference.
Okay, small wins add up.
Choose a kitchen counter, adrawer, a closet, you know a
spot in your garage and just dothe one thing.
(15:42):
Okay.
And then I like to tell peopleembrace the one-minute rule, or
we call it also the one-touchrule.
If you touch something, ifyou've got a coffee cup in your
hand in the morning and youfinish your coffee cup instead
of setting it down in somerandom place you know three
(16:03):
rooms away from your kitchen, itdown in some random place you
know three rooms away from yourkitchen, just walk right over to
the dishwasher and put that cupin the dishwasher.
Right, it takes less than oneminute to get from one end of
your house to the other, even ifyou're as far away as you can
be, to do the right thing andjust put it where it belongs.
Again, this parent firstapproach, this modeling hey, mom
(16:27):
, what are you doing?
I'm going to go put my cup ofcoffee that I've already drank
out of.
I'm going to go put it in thedishwasher.
Oh, so then they start seeingyou doing the right things in
the moment and just picking upafter yourself, little by little
, and then they want to do thistoo.
So if it takes less than aminute to do, just do it right
(16:49):
away.
Other piece of advice set aSunday prep time.
Every Sunday we have a familyhuddle.
Okay, we've been doing thissince, let's see here, I don't
know for six years or more everySunday, and we just take time
to set our family up for successfor the following week.
(17:12):
Right?
So what we want to do is wewant to kind of plan meals for
the week.
So I sit down and say, guys,what are we thinking for meals
this week?
For dinners, ok, we don't planout every breakfast or lunch.
We just kind of keep breakfastsand lunch the same around our
house.
That helps us keep order aswell.
If we have three items forbreakfast and the same, you know
(17:35):
, two or three lunch items, thenwe just keep it like that.
But then we plan out dinnersright, what are four dinners
that we can make at home andthen one dinner is going to be
leftovers.
But we sketch out the meal planfor the week and it's okay to
change around days or whatever.
But then that helps us togrocery shop for that, even on
(17:57):
Sundays we could meal prep so wecould make a big batch of
chicken in advance or make sixcups of rice and have that ready
to go in the fridge so that wecan put meals together easily.
But just prepping for the weekon Sundays is a good way to work
together as a family and againcreate some order, right.
(18:18):
So these are not things you'rehaving to think about after you
get home from work from.
You know all the things thatyou've been thinking about every
day.
If you have that plan boom,that creates a sense of clarity
in your mind and frees you up tofocus on the things that matter
even more.
Another thing we do that Ihighly recommend is reviewing
(18:40):
the family calendar.
Man, if you can look at oneweek ahead with your whole
family your spouse and your kidsand you can post a calendar in
your kitchen.
I tell people put it in yourkitchen.
That's where we spend the mosttime together, right?
Or that's where people go forsnacks three times a day or
(19:02):
whatever Like.
The kitchen is a good spot tohave, kind of a command center
where kids know where to go,your spouse knows where to go to
access the events and theactivities for the week.
So post your family's calendarup on the fridge and go through
it day by day with them so thatthey know what's coming and they
(19:24):
can start creating order intheir own lives by preparing and
getting responsible and beingready for basketball, for
wrestling, for a dance class,for the science fair project
that they have to turn in onThursday, right Order when it
comes to the calendar helps withthese executive functioning
(19:46):
skills.
If you want your child to beable to leave home with the
ability to manage a calendar awork calendar, a home family
calendar you got to conditionthem for that now.
So reviewing just one week at atime, maybe if you have really
little kids, you only look atthree days at a time and you
(20:07):
just post the activities of thenext three days on your fridge.
This is a game changer, folks,okay, so choose one of these
that you want to work on.
You're not going to do all thethings that I talked about here
today, but each of these smallactions, when they're done
consistently, help create anatmosphere of peace and
(20:30):
stability in your home, and whenpeople feel like home is a
place of rest, let me tell you,everybody thrives, okay.
So I just want to encourage youtoday.
Bringing order into your homeis not about having a Pinterest
perfect house.
(20:51):
It's about creating a spacewhere your family can thrive, a
place where your kids feelsecure, a home where you can
recharge so that you can go outinto the world and serve as God
has called you to serve with allyour great gifts.
So remember, small steps matter.
(21:13):
Do not let perfectionism holdyou back.
Start with one little changeand watch how it shifts the
atmosphere of your home.
And listen.
Shifts the atmosphere of yourhome.
And listen.
We would love to hear how youare bringing more order into
your own home.
If you clean out that onedrawer in your kitchen that's
(21:35):
been driving you most nuts, snapa picture of yourself with the
drawer and post it to socialmedia and tag families of
character, or text me thatpicture right 720-500-5494.
Text me a picture of what youdid to take one small action
(21:57):
towards making your home moreorderly in this season of family
life.
You could also email us apicture and tell us what it is
that you're doing to help takesmall steps to get more order
back in your home.
Listen, let's support each otheron this journey, right?
We are a community here atFamilies of Character.
(22:20):
Share your wins.
It helps give other peoplemotivation to do one small thing
towards bringing order to theirhome as well.
So thank you for being part ofour Families of Character
community.
We love all the messages thatyou're sending us on social
media and through our email.
(22:40):
If you ever want to shareanything, hello at
familiesofcharactercom is ouremail address.
Reach out to us.
We love to know that you're outthere listening, that our
content is benefiting you.
And then also, if you can justsend this episode on to someone
in your circle, just pick oneperson that you're going to send
(23:02):
it to Maybe it's your spouse toget you both on the same page.
That would really help us getthe message out and continue to
make these record downloads weekby week, spreading this message
of intentional parenting wherewe're raising kids of good
character Guys, thank you forjoining me today.
(23:23):
Character Guys, thank you forjoining me today and until next
time, keep leading your familywith love and intention.
Take care and I'll see you onanother episode of our show real
soon.
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