The Intentional Home, Week Five: Wednesday

For an Introduction and Table of Contents for The Intentional Home, click Here.

Week Five: Wednesday

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
1 Peter 2:21

It's time to go back to your closet. If you think through your morning routine, where is one of the first places you go when you get out of bed? Your first decisions of the day are made right there in your closet. What do I wear? If your closet is cluttered and out-of-control, no question it can add stress to your morning. If you're anything like me, you have a thing for shoes. Perhaps you have a big pile of shoes on the floor of your closet? Let's clean that up.

Yes, we must purge! I know it's hard, but I also know you have shoes in your closet that you don't wear. Maybe they hurt your feet, or you got a great deal on them and you're still waiting (three years later) to find that perfect dress to go with them. Perhaps you're a stay-at-home mom now, but you still have ten pairs of heels and you don’t obviously wear them around the house. Let's just use the same rule we used when going through our clothes yesterday, if you haven't worn them in a year, it's time to say bye-bye. Of course, you do need to hang on to a grubby pair for yard work or what have you, but do you really need five grubby pairs of tennis shoes?

Now, we must address the keepers and it is not acceptable for them to be in a pile on the floor! There are several inexpensive ways to address this problem. I am a big fan of either over the door shoe holders or shoe holders that hang down from the rod. There are also plenty of options for shoe racks that sit on the floor of your closet. Preferably, it would work best if all of your shoes had a home in an organizer. If you have limited space, you might consider putting your out-of-season shoes in a bin. If you choose this option, be sure and label the bin before tucking it away.

I'm going to venture a guess that many of you already have shoe organizers, yet your shoes still end up in a big pile on the floor. Here's the habit that must be formed: when you come in, you put your shoes back in the organizer. I'm guessing it takes all of two seconds to do this, but the habit will keep your closet tidy. You'll find I repeat myself a lot, but habits and routines that take very little time really simplify your life and help create a peaceful haven in your home.

Here's the clincher: when you bring a new pair home, an old pair has to find a new home. This will make you think twice before impulse buying that cute pair calling your name. Wow, I'm really surprised how much I just wrote about shoe organization, anyone still with me?

Daily Chores: 

One load of laundry from start to finish

Make your bed

Unload the dishwasher in the morning, load and run it at night

Wipe down the kitchen counters and sink 

Wipe down the bathroom counters and sinks

Wednesday's chore of scrubbing toilettes, tubs and showers