Are you struggling when it comes to maintaining a routine for your family? If you have been racking your brain wondering why a routine is so difficult to maintain, the first place you need to start is your home. Is it full of clutter? Does there seem to be chaos erupting from every room you walk into? Are there dust bunnies rolling out from behind doors and from underneath beds? You’ll be amazed to discover that by cleaning up the mess and getting rid of the clutter, it will improve your family’s chances of finding a routine that works for everyone. As you do this, you will discover another added bonus: Keeping up with the housework will make your workload much lighter.

If your house is a mess (or maybe it’s more like a disaster), it may be hard to know where to begin. It’s easy to be overwhelmed, especially if you are a working parent. It’s important to remind yourself that a clean house has many benefits. One is that it can actually make those living in the home feel better. If you feel agitated in your home or there seems to be unmanageable chaos on an everyday basis, you might be surprised to find out that by keeping your house clutter-free, you and your children will feel less stressed out. Most parents understand that children crave order and structure, and this can actually affect their behavior. Think about how you feel when you are looking at a mess. You might feel overwhelmed, and chances are good that your children feel the same way. Some people even say that when you have a neater home, their children actually get along better.

Kids thrive on routine, and having a good routine is easier when a home is clean and organized. Knowing that something is always going to be in a certain place (like their toys or self-care items) will help reduce their stress level and prevent a tantrum if they can’t find something. Staying organized will also help the whole family maintain a morning routine, which will make it easier to get to school and work, and a good bedtime routine, which will help keep things relaxed. Having a tidy home can also have other advantages: For instance, you can be more productive at home, and you can be proud to have company over without fretting over the possibility of guests seeing your messy house.

While it may seem overwhelming at first, in the end, cleaning up the house will make for a much lighter workload throughout the week, and chances are good that your whole family will feel better and function better, too. After a house gets a thorough cleaning, it’s much easier to maintain. Some cleaning professionals suggest starting with an easy task like laundry. Once the laundry is done, continue cleaning up in the laundry room by getting it organized. After completing one room, choose another to tackle. Keep in mind that when you make the decision to clean up your living space when it hasn’t been cleaned or tidied up in a while, it probably won’t happen in just one day. It’s something that might take several days, but it’s important to keep going until the task is complete. If you have children, find ways to entice them to help you achieve your goal.

To learn more about the benefits that living in a more organized space has to offer and how you can attain that goal, check out some of these resources:

• Mindful Decluttering: Your Stuff, Their Stuff, Our Stuff
• The Importance of Family Routines
• It’s the Little Things: Daily Routines
• Your Simple Whole-House Cleaning Schedule
• The Golden Rules of Cleaning: What You Should Be Cleaning When
• 13 Habits That Will Keep Your House Clean (Even if You Have Kids)
• Barriers to Getting Organized and How to Deal With Them
• The 10-Minute Routine That Transforms a Cluttered Home
• 10 Strategies for Better Time Management (PDF)
• How to Clean Your Home in 19 Minutes
• Organization: First Step to Simplifying Life
• Declutter Your Life Now
• Cleaning Schedule Templates
• When Kids Equal Clutter: Eight Tips for Keeping a Family Organized
• Help Your Child Get Organized