Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Little Things That Make Life Easier
16
items You don't have to organize your whole house. Sometimes changing one little thing makes everyday life run a whole lot better. These are some of the simple systems I use myself and recommend to clients. Nothing complicated. Nothing that requires you to...
Sections
4
Start Smaller
Let Your House Help
Share the Load
Use What You've Got
Start Smaller
You don't need a whole new routine. Start with something small enough to actually do, repeat, and see a difference. These are for the days when the hardest part is getting started—or when you only have a few minutes and don't want to turn it into a w...
When you want to change a routine, pick one thing. Not five things. Not an entirely new morning routine starting Monday. One thing you can actually remember and repeat. Then give it 91 days. Once you're doing it without constantly thinking about it, ...
Give One New Routine 91 Days
This is one I recommend to clients all the time. Set a timer for 15 minutes and pick something. Fold laundry. Clear the kitchen counter. Clean as much of the bathroom as you can. Do a quick purge. Put away the stuff that's been sitting on the stairs....
See What 15 Minutes Can Do
Sometimes the problem isn't that you don't want to do something. You just don't know where to start. "Clean the kitchen" sounds like a project. Empty the dishwasher? That's something I can do. Goblin Tools has a Magic ToDo feature that can take a big...
When "Clean the Kitchen" Is Way Too Much
Waiting for your coffee? Put away a few dishes. Waiting for the microwave? Wipe down the counter. Tea steeping? Toss something expired from the refrigerator. You do not have to finish the job. If the microwave beeps and you've put away half the dishw...
Use the Time You're Already Standing There
Let Your House Help
The easiest systems work with the way you already move through your home instead of giving you more things to remember. A trip to the kitchen, a basket in your hand, or the place where you naturally drop something can do some of the organizing for yo...
If you're already getting up and going somewhere else, take a quick look around. Is there something nearby that belongs where you're headed? Take it with you. I'm not suggesting you spend your entire day wandering around putting things away. You're a...
Don't Leave the Room Empty-Handed
This is one of my favorite systems when a room is messy enough that you don't know where to start. Grab whatever basket you already own. You do not need to buy an official organizing basket. Start at the doorway and work clockwise around the room. If...
Grab a Basket and Walk in a Circle
If paper is a problem in your house, don't give it a chance to spread. Keep recycling near the door or wherever you bring in the mail. If you have a shredder, keep that nearby too. Sort the mail right there. Junk goes into recycling. Sensitive things...
Stop the Mail Before It Becomes a Pile
Returns. Library books. Donations. Something you're taking to your kids. The container you need to return to your sister. Give these things one place near the door. I don't want to have to remember that something needs to leave. I want to practically...
Make a "This Needs to Leave" Spot
Pay attention to where things keep getting left. Sometimes that's your house giving you a hint. If the scissors are constantly in the kitchen, maybe you need kitchen scissors. If everyone's shoes are piled by one particular door, maybe that's where t...
Put Things Where You Actually Use Them
I'm usually going to tell you to look at what you already own before buying more stuff. But sometimes buying a second inexpensive item makes sense. If you're constantly taking the same charger upstairs and downstairs, maybe you need two chargers. Sam...
Yes, Sometimes You Need Two
Share the Load
ome systems work better when they're not just in your head. Use a little outside help—from your family, an app, or both. This isn't about creating another complicated household management system. It's about making everyday things easier to see, share...
In our house, everyone was involved in keeping things picked up and organized because we all lived there. It doesn't have to be complicated. Everyone can have a few things they're responsible for, based on their age, ability, and what works for your ...
Get Everyone Involved
use Gemini for menu planning because sometimes I simply do not want to sit there figuring out what we're going to eat all week. I can tell it what I already have, what our week looks like and what kinds of meals we want, and let it give me somewhere ...
Let AI Start the Menu
If you're motivated to prep food for the week, use the motivation. But you don't have to turn it into a three-hour production. Wash the fruit. Cut up vegetables. Make tomorrow's lunch. Prep part of tomorrow's dinner. Do whatever will make the next fe...
Food Prep Does Not Have to Become Sunday Meal Prep
I use planners and digital tools because that's what works for me. That doesn't mean you should. Paper planner. Electronic calendar. Journal. Notebook. Giant calendar hanging on the wall. Use whatever you will actually look at and keep using. If you ...
Your Planner Doesn't Have to Look Like Mine
Use What You've Got
Before you buy another organizing product, look at the problem—and then look around your house. You may already own the solution. Organizing doesn't have to mean matching bins or using something exactly the way the manufacturer intended. If it solves...
Not everything you use to organize has to be an organizer. One of my clients was getting ready to donate an over the sink dish rack she didn't need anymore. At the same time, she needed something to organize her art table. I suggested we try using th...
Don't Shop in the Organizing Aisle
Please don't read this list and decide you're going to implement all 15 things this weekend. That's exactly what I'm telling you not to do. What's one little thing that's making everyday life harder than it needs to be? Start there. Try one small cha...
Start With the Thing That's Bugging You