Below are the results of our survey about audience experiences related to the topic for episode #217 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly. If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey.
We asked our audience, “Do you consider yourself a “morning person,” a “night owl,” or somewhere in between?” (Respondents who chose the “Other” option were given a chance to elaborate. You can see those responses in the table below.)
Note: Hover over any pie slice in the chart to see the name of the category and the number of respondents who selected that answer. (Mobile users: Click on the slices for details.)
To view the complete, detailed survey response from any respondent, click on their name (or “Anonymous user”) in the table below. You may also find it easier to read long responses in the detailed view.
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Do you consider yourself a "morning person," a "night owl," or somewhere in between? | Please elaborate, if you wish. | What are the trouble spots in your daily routine or your family’s routines? | What aspects of your home contribute to or detract from your ability to cultivate and execute productive and useful routines? | What daily (or frequent) chore would you like to wave a magic Clutter Fairy wand to remove from your routine? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyce | Neither | If I check email, then I check social media, then I go down internet rabbit holes, then I'm late. I'm better at following a morning checklist than an evening one, because the morning checklist gets me out the door, but I fall asleep on the sofa before I finish (or start!) my evening routine. | Big stuff happens (e.g., two floods within 3 months), so while I'm still digging out from one event, something else interrupts my flow and creates more clutter. I look at said clutter, and get the ol' rhymes-with-bucket feeling. I will use others' problems to avoid dealing with my own clutter. | Vacuum | |
| Debra | Neither | I am tired in the evenings and have little energy because of how early I have to get up for work—5:50 a.m.—but I have always naturally been a night person if I have the chance to let my body do its thing. My evenings are absolutely shot because my body and mind are exhausted. | Example A is my personal experience. In a small space every square inch has to work harder than in a larger home. Because of the harder use per area, it actually gets dirtier and messier faster than with a larger home. There’s no place to hide anything. That ratio of use:space makes it imperative that I have good cleaning systems in place. It also significantly limits how much stuff I can own without immediately overwhelming my flat. I tend to resent gifts because my first thought is about where on earth am I supposed to store that thing. Consumables and experiences FTW. | Deep cleaning the oven and fridge. | |
| Saskatchewan Jane | Morning person | Cleaning/sweeping entrance ways. As well as, picking up pine cones, which come down in daily winds. | |||
| April | Morning person | Im really good about getting the first 20 things done… before my morning shower. But the rest of the list is less critical- but they are the things I really want to build in, like the gym, physical therapy exercises and certain foods. About 75% of the time I just never get that far down the list. Yes, I could move them up on the list.. BUT things like feeding the dogs, washing dishes, yard work and maintenance cleaning would likely suffer. I think I need more energy. Time is not the problem since I work from home and have control over my schedule.. unfortunately there’s not much on my list that GIVES me energy- and I’m not sure what to add in, to get the boosts. Oy… I’m probably depressed? Idk | My plumbing is currently shot. So I’m essentially living van life in my house. Latest estimate was $17k. May as we’ll be a $million- I have a decent, albeit illegal system for draining water but the whole situation is an energy suck | It would be a toss up between dishes and mowing the yard | |
| Bina | Night owl | I can never find things when I am going out. eg this afternoon I couldnt find my dress jeans and ended up having to wear track pants. also I plan to clean, declutter etc but end up having a nap in the afternoon so things dont get done. | I have just emptied a cupboard and bought some of those ikea slide out plastic drawrs. It has finally dawned on me that I don't have anywhere to put yhings away. I kept waiting to "declutter" before buying storage but I was just tub shuffling. | cleaning the kitchen sink | |
| Dee | Morning person | If I haven’t gotten started by 1pm, I start to get sleepy. | Looking at the cluttered condition of my apartment is a discouraging way to start my day. | Sorting where things belong. I wish they were already there. | |
| Alexis | Morning person | I feel as though the way l work with myself during my most energetic times of the day really help me to enjoy caring for my home. Quite honestly, l really naturally enjoy doing projects like decluttering and organizing….so I guess, along with Gayle, there are at least two people around who really like to dig in to a project. | I do have a small home and l enjoy the things in my home so l do find my environment supportive and fun to be in. I think l might possess a somewhat kid approach to the things around me… like it is my play space. | I love having a lot of glass space in my home without really loving the process of washing windows. Inside is fine, but outside cleaning does not spark my joy. 🤣 | |
| Anonymous user | Neither | I spend time on the Internet first thing when I get up in the morning - checking email, reading or watching my favorite commentators, checking my favorite comic strips (I limit myself to 3 comics). This takes more time than I wish (3 hrs taken vs 1 hr i wish). Then I don't get started until 1 PM on tasks I need to do. | Looking at clutter is discouraging. Husband doesn't want to give the help I need (I have a mobility disability) but complins about nothing getting ealt with and cleared away.. | filing papers and tracking finances | |
| Anonymous user | Night owl | I never get my stuff for the next day ready the night before, even though I have time to, and know it will save me a lot of stress the next day I often waste time looking for things because I don't put things back in the same place every time I spend all day online, then wonder why I never get my stuff organized My place is so messy that it interferes physically with my wanting to even bother getting things organized because I have to watch every step to make sure I don't step on anything I don't do laudry enough and sometimes run out of clean clothes | Everybody in my family is totally clutter-happy and refuse to do anything about it. I get discouraged at how messy my room gets even a couple days after I tidy it up Putting like things together in clear ziploc bags is my favorite organizing tool | Washing and putting away dishes | |
| Anonymous user | Other | I used to be a morning person. But, after I retired I’m not anymore. | I plan to do something every morning. But, somehow it gets derailed. We walk the dog, then I’m usually tired by the time we get back. | My husband does want to help. But, I’m not in the mood to doing it at the time. | Dish cleanup |
| Anonymous user | Morning person | Backlog overwhelms me. Can't seem to break it up into manageable pieces. | Spouse is not supportive. Don't have "homes" for some things. | Cooking! Clutter related: filing | |
| Anonymous user | Night owl | I don't have a daily routine that includes household maintenance, although I have begun creating some habits that will prevent clutter. The weak link concerning decluttering is interruptions by friends and neighbors who are lonely, demanding, sick, bored, senile, or any combination of the above. I drop everything to be a friend rather than put them off. | I live in an apartment building, and have multiple chemical sensitivity, so can be struck ill without notice if a neighbor smokes, someone uses pesticide or scented candles; if my window is open when someone uses dryer sheets, etc. Then, any project is immediately impossible to do, as thinking is then very difficult, and even walking is a struggle. Recovery can take days, provided I can avoid further exposures. By the time I recover, other matters are usually more pressing. | Take over the kitchen, preparing the special diet I am forced to follow, and cleaning up afterwards. | |
| Gabriella | Morning person | My desk always looks a mess after I've worked at it. I put in 30 second time-outs in which I put things back in their places several times a day - except for papers I've been working on. These papers and random notes I find unpleasant to deal with and I tend to procrastinate on it. This makes my desk look messy about 80% of the time. | I have a place for just about every item and I keep frequently used or important items easily accessible. This way, I can get things done very quickly and I hardly ever need to search for things. An example: When a friend who was house sitting my apartment needed a certain, seldomly used document, I could tell him "Its in the top right hand drawer of my desk, on the left side up front." He found the document immediately and he was impressed. | - vacuming - dusting surfaces - doing the dishes, especially larger pots and other cookware - cleaning the bathroom Oh Lord won't you give me a Mercedes Benz... nah, I'd prefer a Clutter Fairy wand that turns the house sparkling clean in a split second! I promise, I'll make it a daily routine to use it :o) | |
| Karla | Night owl | I wake up and send my husband out the door at 6:15 but then go back to bed and sleep until 10:00am. Ughhh | We do a dance in the hallway s we live in an RV and we gotta get out of our way to make the am routine run smooth. Good thing we have 2 bathrooms!! | Always having dishes in the sink. No dishwasher so everything is front and center in the sink | |
| Lisa | Neither | Place priority on an organized life (daily & long term tasks), but not enough time with a consistent workout routine. | Home is organized and decluttered. Each season, I go through the entire house and find things that are no longer useful, so I donate, recycle or trash. My husband does the same with his items. | Any type of shopping. | |
| Summer | Night owl | I am messy when I am into my daily work. I get too distracted and lose time. | It is a constant struggle to remember to take time to tidy up. Before I know it, it's time for bed and my place is still very messy. | PAPER WORK!!! | |
| Peggy | Other | both, haha, which means I take naps daily | keeping track of the notes I jot on random pieces of paper... despite the fact that I have a clipboard / paper for this purpose | We took several items out of the bedroom to replace the baseboards and paint the woodwork. Now I see how much better it looks and wonder why I need to bring that stuff back in... I need to be decide if I have to keep it all | the crumbs my husband leaves all over the kitchen daily... want to keep the husband though 🙂 |
| Lisa | Night owl | I struggle with finding the energy to get chores done. I am exhausted almost all day, with a good window between 7pm & 9pm where I can get things done. That's when I get my dishes done, laundry done, etc. I wish I had a bigger energy window but I'm working with what I've been given. lol | I live in a small house. It's a 3/2, 1000 sq ft, with the largest bedroom being 10' x 10' and the smallest bedroom is 6' x 9'. We have one tiny bathroom without much more than a tub/shower combo, a toilet and a sink with no vanity. We added one of those over the toilet shelves but I almost feel like it's just "another horizontal surface" and seems to get cluttered quickly with all of the hair and skin care products my 14 year old "needs." My dining room table is right at the entrance of my house and everyone dumps everything on it as soon as they walk in the door. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to keep our table clear. My daughter doesn't care about the clutter in the house, it's all she has ever known. My husband is easily annoyed by the clutter, as I am, but he, unlike me, won't do anything to help get rid of stuff. | Cleaning the bathtub! | |
| Elizabeth | Morning person | I forget what I’m supposed to be doing, even in the middle of doing it. I have to make long lists or set annoying alarms on my phone for anything truly important. | I have most areas organized in zones. So the items I need for a particular task will be found in that room. This helps me avoid the issue of leaving a room to go look for a tool, and then never coming back. | I did wave a magic wand when I got married. My husband now takes out the trash, gets the mail, and empties the dishwasher. | |
| Suzanne | Other | I really can’t tell though sometimes I wish I lived across the world for the hours. | I delay taking the first steps to get myself started, ie get dressed, or eat something to have energy, or get moving. Much better if I get dressed, put my uniform on to get in the zone in the kitchen and some other tasks (apron I really like and socks and runners). Even better if I take a shower first. | I have a really hard time doing things if someone is lying on the couch with the tv going. Open concept house. Also, because of the open concept and so much of the interior space wasted for traversing, on top of sunken living room splitting floor in the center, there is a serious lack of storage. This home must of been built for minimalists. | Ooh, good question! I’m pausing to think. Gee, it would make a noticeable difference if all of the items that have a home magically were suddenly placed in their home. |
| Hila | Neither | It take me more time that I think to arrange before I go out | I don't have to put stuff visually so sometimes I don't remember when I put them | ||
| Debbie | Morning person | I have good intentions, procrastinate doing the more difficult things. For example am a month late on sending a high school graduation card. Need to find the right words of how to sign it. lol. Keep house picked up, dishes done, bed made, but resist digging deeper into clutter. | I would say the last one. Seeing the clutter in my place stops me from digging deeper into getting rid of stuff. Creates a viscous circle of defeat. | Vacuuming and dusting | |
| Kathy | Neither | If I can't get my chores or errands done before 10 a.m., when I go to work in my home office, then they don't get done. I am too tired at end of work day to do much cleaning or decluttering. So, if I oversleep or spend too long in my devotional time, I have to skip the chores to get to work on time. | My husband works about 15 hours a day so is not available to do most chores. I have developed good routines that keep the house running smoothly, but that can get derailed when I have big work deadlines myself or special things come up that take extra time (getting cars repaired, etc.). | cleaning the bathrooms 🙂 | |
| Rowan | Night owl | My health is not great so I over estimate what I can get done (I have to be careful buying fresh produce). | My part of the house is my room so this supports my need to live lightly - in the physical weight of my things, my ethical responsibility to not keep things I am not using (since they could be used by others), and simplicity of the number and type of my items (a decluttered space makes room, both time and energy, for the possibility of living a life that matters). As Joseph Campbell wrote — 'You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.' These are not just words to me, I experience this every day, sometimes every hour. This is why I am almost a raving evangelist for decluttering one's physical life. I want to scream at everyone - there is a life beyond drowning in stuff (but I do know people who have a large house and are fine with their 10,000 books). thank you for listening | the only thing I can think of is what we both want - a resident gourmet chef to (for me) cook indian, ethiopean, and thai food. Oh yes - vacuuming, but my housemate is not ready to let me rip up the carpet in the second floor (first floor is artificial wood flooring). | |
| Evelin | Neither | I suffer from depression and often have no energy to do what I had planned. It can happen at any time. | There is too much stuff everywhere! I definitely have to get rid of a lot. My husband says it's all my stuff and I have to agree most of it is mine. | cleaning the toilet 😀 | |
| Intignia (inn tig (as in pig) knee ah) | Other | Have chronic illness with lots of meds. Am hung over in morning by sleeping meds. Start to come around early afternoon and can do some light work in 5 to 10 minute increments. By early evening all energies are spent and am too tired to function. So my most productive time is afternoon. Before this illness I was definitely a morning person, rising at 6 am and on the go all day until 11 pm when I went to bed. No sleeping problems then. | Chronic illness messes with my good intentions. I never know how long feeling good will last as there are many instances when my strength and stamina are gone "poof" just like that with no apparent cause. Basically I have to live my life moment-to-moment. But I still manage to get a little done most days. | My husband and I are crammed into a tiny one-bedroom senior apartment, where there is very little room for the necessities of life let alone all my hobby stuff. I am constantly downsizing my collection and bringing in new items. I keep saying to myself, "I'm not going to buy anything new. And then, presto, something new comes out that I just have to have. So then I must decide which item will be leaving my collection next. | Daily personal care, such as shower, brushing teeth, etc. I have so very little strength and this routine takes a lot out of me. |
| A.G. | Night owl | Going to bed too late and, relatedly, not having enough time in the morning. I'm also useless and scattered and anxious if I'm in a rush so if I don't prep the night before I madly scramble in the morning. | It's easier to get things done if hubby is in the headspace to do things or if he has done his part. It can really take the wind out of my sails if he's grouchy or hasn't done things it's his responsibility to do or that I wanted\needed his to do. I find the house just a little too small for easy cleaning. Small hard to sweep spots, not much space to maneuver myself or a vacuum, stuff like that. A minor renovation that made some small changes in layout and functionality (like an additional electrical outlet) have made a big difference in day to day living, and good organization of other spaces really helps. | If the dishes were all magically clean that would be sooo helpful. We're constantly drowning in them. | |
| Jean | Neither | Late afternoon…out of energy but want to run away! | Apartment is confining. I think the pandemic took a toll! Walls closing in and I’m chewing on my leash! I’ve minimized and feel good about that. Spouse has forty years of paper clutter that I REALLY want to toss. He is finally open to looking through a few files. This will take two hundred years! | Living room messy several times a day. Could you please toss it all off balcony for me? | |
| Elizabeth | Morning person | I run of steam in the afternoons so it's rare for me to check off all the items on my daily list. I also succumb to digital distractions easily. | My home environment is supportive and my daily routines keep the house pretty well under control. Seems I'm always trying to conquer special projects like paper filing, deep cleaning or decluttering. Special projects take me longer to complete than I would like. | The need to sweep & mop my kitchen floor! | |
| Anonymous user | Morning person | doing the breakfast dishes | |||
| Brigitte | Night owl | Since I have less stuff, it’s much easier to keep our appartement nice and organized. In the morning time to chill, in the early afternoon prepare dinner, in the evening tired and too ‘lazy’ to do things that ask my body to excel. | Véry slowly hubby takes more responsibility for his stuff. So that is a real advantage. Hubby empties the dishwasher and I only need to organize the Tupperware. Hubby empties the waste bin and the recycling bin and I do the cooking. The tasks are shared and we live happily ever after 😍 | Drying of the shower and ironing… I only iron every few months anymore. No bed covers, nearly no clothes! That makes life só much easier! | |
| Lisa | Night owl | I need to be more intentional about setting a time (or time block) to work on certain chores or projects. | We’re decluttering our home after 40 years of marriage and accumulating stuff. I am more motivated to clean and maintain our home as the amount of stuff to maintain is lessening. | Decluttering my backlogged emails! | |
| Laura | Morning person | Start out with great energy. By afternoon, I am fading. | I have too much stuff in my sewing room. I barely have room to sew. | Already took care of this by hiring a cleaning service for every two weeks. | |
| Brenda | Night owl | I am now disabled My hands have CRPS (used to be known as sympathetic reflex dystrophy) My chores get done in 10-20 min increments if I can get myself back to finish | I went from a one bedroom with a big walk in closet to a 2 bedroom townhouse with 4 dinky closets | Vacuuming | |
| Pat | Neither | I do my morning and eveningroutines. But I wish that I had those routines wen the kids were small. | My house is a medium european sise. Since the new bathroom we have a space for everything. That’s so wonderfull. The same go’s for the kitchen. | Vacuum the dogs hair every other day. | |
| Laurie | Neither | When I have an appointment (or my husband has an appointment because he likes me to go with him) that I need to go to, it throws off my daily routine, so I try to schedule as few appointments or obligations as possible. | I find my days are split between daily routines (brushing teeth, washing face, cooking, doing dishes, etc.), decluttering (reading watching videos and actively gathering and dropping donations) and working on DIY projects in our home. My husband and I recently were working in the kitchen removing the popcorn ceiling, putting a skim-coat of drywall compound on the walls, and then sanding and painting the walls. The kitchen was a mess with tools and materials laying on the floors and countertops. It was difficult to cook a meal and have a clean space to work in. I feel torn when I'm working on DIY projects, which I enjoy, because the daily maintenance isn't taken care of. Luckily, projects have a start and end time, so some of the maintenance is put on hold for a limited time. I try to look at the benefit and the cost, both mentally and financially, of doing DIY projects and when the projects are finished, it's always worth the inconvenience! | Cooking. Also dusting furniture and vacuuming but I definitely don't do that on a daily basis! | |
| Brigitte | Night owl | Since I have less stuff, it’s much easier to keep our appartement nice and organized. In the morning time to chill, in the early afternoon prepare dinner, in the evening tired and too ‘lazy’ to do things that ask my body to excel. | Véry slowly hubby takes more responsibility for his stuff. So that is a real advantage. Hubby empties the dishwasher and I only need to organize the Tupperware. Hubby empties the waste bin and the recycling bin and I do the cooking. The tasks are shared and we live happily ever after 😍 | Drying of the shower and ironing… I only iron every few months anymore. No bed covers, nearly no clothes! That makes life só much easier! | |
| Dawn | Night owl | I set good intentions, but I run out of steam late in the day and never manage to finish the day’s chores. It’s summertime so my hours at work change. | Overwhelmed at the amount of items to declutter. | Cat litter boxes. LOL. | |
| Mary | Morning person | The end of the day. After dinner dishes I have to push through to get done. I make dinner and do the clean up. I want a clean kitchen in the morning. | My husband does all the vacuuming which is a great help. I have a bad back and he loves his cordless Dyson. The little clutter that comes in everyday. The worst is the mail. I get at least 25 charity requests per week. I feel I must pull out anything that has my name and address on it and shred. Charities have ignored my requests to stop. It seems impossible to get this done. | Dusting | |
| Cee | Morning person | I have good intentions, start off good focusing cleaning and decluttering. Get sidetracked pulled away by family needing something. I try not to go in the kitchen because when I do I get involved in cooking and cleaning as I do. By the time I am done I've lost my drive to get back 7to decluttering and have to just put everything back away. Feels like it gets worse each time I put things back before comp | I seen to be only one concerned with keeping up with cleaning and decluttering. Every space I clear gets recluttered by someone. They don't bother to try to neaten the mess. | Decluttering paperwork and shredding or burning. | |
| Marsh | Night owl | I also set myself up with great intentions then I get hyjacked from my Brain and this is where I stop | My home is an 68year old Mobile Home ie a metal box built for economic NOT organic flow of ones life. Kitchen is a jammed L shape includes fridge, stove, sink tinee tiny window Living room is a square box with four windows and no wall space (add in my beloved Upright 120 year old piano even demotes my floor space) Bedrooms x 2 I do no even use because they are too stuffy and too small. No flow. Just a residing in this home, not living in it. | Borrowing the biggest Clutter Fairy-Wand I could = Wave 1 x and remove this entire domicile from my routine. I would re-wave myself into a more organic, stick built home of my own and "live there"! | |
| Jo | Neither | I always forget what my intentions were. I don't recall until I am going to sleep. | We assertively downsized to live in a tiny apartment, then unexpectedly moved into a 4 bedroom house next to our daughter. Literally only having one room worth of stuff, the environment is super easy and conducive to plenty of room to exercise and have a meditative space for contemplative practices where they actually get done. | Floor washing. | |
| Christina | Morning person | I'm super productive all morning and then completely burn out by the end of the day! | I live in a small space so everything has to be pretty intentional. I've been in my place about 2 years now so my routines/organization continue to improve. My partner is anti-clutter which helps a lot with my natural tendencies to have many things! | Dishes, for sure! And just putting away stuff that I've left everywhere. | |
| Danetta | Neither | I run out of steam later in the day so I try to do important things before 2-3 in the afternoon. The weeks I take care of my mom and the days I have doctors’ appointments, I tend not to get in my walking steps or all that I’d like to do. | I’ve been slowly decluttering for the past 4 years. After the first year or two, my husband liked how my half of the closet and my desk looked, so he’s been doing a great job of decluttering too. Our house looks much nicer and is much easier to maintain. | Drying the shower after we shower to prevent having to scrub out the shower periodically, vacuuming and mopping a house that is 100% tile floor. I’m getting older and it takes more out of me. | |
| Christine | Financial paperwork. It is so depressing | ||||
| Katharine | Neither | I start to go get ready only to find little things that need to get done before leaving. | I drop things around the kitchen to end up putting away later. It’s all on me since I often don’t put items away quickly. Then it adds up & becomes overwhelming & it’s a cycle of finally putting away only to start it again a few days later.🫤 | Putting work items away after refilling supplies & washing, folding the work laundry & putting it all away. After working cleaning the Airbnb, sometimes I’m too tired to come home & still have to take care of my supplies the same night. It can take a couple of days for me to finally get it done. | |
| Anonymous user | Other | I can have morning energy if I sleep well, but sleeping is often challenging. Then I may stay up late but won't necessarily be productive. | I can make very good task lists, sometimes well-prioritized. But executing tasks is most often not good. I tend to get more done when there is company on the way, but there are often too many tasks that have been procrastinated on to finish all that really needs to be done. Have a hard time deciding whether to do inside chores vs. outside chores - whichever I choose, I feel guilty about not having done the other. | Still too much clutter that interferes with cleaning. (But we recently did rearrange the livingroom furniture and I think that will be helpful.) I find it hard to do housework while my husband is home (which is most of the time since he retired). It always feels that he is watching and being critical of what I set as priorities even if he doesn't say anything. | vacuuming |
| Lesley | Morning person | All of the above | I have too many items that don’t have a home. And my house is 1100 sq ft with 30 years of stuff. I would declutter when my mother was alive only to have her pass along stuff I didn’t necessarily want but couldn’t part with at the time. Now I lack the energy and focus to declutter. | Dusting and vacuuming. I can do laundry and yard work satisfactorily | |
| Noreen | Morning person | I plan to do too much and then I am not able to finish the day’s chores | My house is small and most everything has a place, so there re no issues with that. | Dishes - unloading dishwasher and wiping down c | |
| Sue | Neither | I’m always running late, never accounting for the time it takes for my arthritic body to really wake up and also not account for when my animals won’t cooperate with walking, feeding, playing or crating! And I often forget to eat, leaving me starving or depleted at the end of the day-eating a bunch of random junk and feeling crappy! | My house is tiny, but cluttered. I’ve been chipping away at it one POM round at time, but often get sidelined when an animal, a family member or I get sick. How does total chaotic clutter build 100x faster than cleaning and organizing? | Folding and putting away laundry, trimming the hedges or paying bills! | |
| Heather | Night owl | I struggle to get up and going in the morning. I'm retired so don't have to be anywhere at any specific time. Now that it's summer it's best to run errands in the morning before it gets too hot. Needless to say, I'm normally out and about in the heat of the day. Sigh. | I'm pretty good about putting things back where they belong. Unfortunately, some items don't have permanent homes and are cluttering up the place. | Vacuuming. It's the worst. | |
| Lynn | Neither | I do my chores first thing upon waking up until I run out of energy or it gets too hot, usually around 11am. Nothing else gets done until evening g when it is cooler and I have regained energy. | I greatly dislike the flooring in my house and want to replace it, but not until my mother's elderly dog (17 years old) with a peeing problem passes away. Meanwhile, it takes a lot of constant maintenance and products for cleaning up after him. He has lived far longer than expected and is still going strong. I love him, but sure can't wait to get the new flooring and finally be finished with making this inherited house a home I enjoy. | Mopping up dog pee. | |
| Jeanne | Neither | I tire easily these days. I must take frequent breaks. | Very small little ranch home. Son and I work together now since lost hubs this past fall. | Cleaning showers | |
| Anonymous user | Morning person | Surfaces of furniture and countertops | Most daily routines are good but at 75 I run out of steam when it comes to spring cleaning/ big jobs. | All cleaning and cooking. | |
| Ginger | Night owl | My routines for the morning reset, laundry, desk work and night prep for tomorrow are all working well. Smooth routine habits. My weak link is in getting the deeper cleaning done and in diving into decluttering projects. I procrastinate. I can get thru these best when I post accountability in a Facebook group - posting/doing 3 steps at a time. | I can’t blame the environment. It’s just me and my husband. The size of our home is perfect. The only issue is: Our home is built on stilts. We have to go downstairs to get to our cars in the garage. But, even then - it’s easy to get help from our very helpful neighbors. | DUSTING! I hate to dust. I change our HVA/C filter monthly. I run 2 air purifiers. (Those help.) I need to get rid of more flat surfaces. There are 4 tables in this living room - each with a bottom shelf. I use long-reach dusters to help reach the nooks and crannies - without crawling in the floor or climbing a ladder. | |
| Anonymous user | Neither | I think about stuff I want to get done but I don't always do those things for various reasons. | The closets in my apartment aren't completely usable because the mechanical stuff is in them, so I've had to be creative in the available closet storage. | Laundry, because I have to use the community washers and dryers in my apartment building | |
| Anonymous user | Morning person | I definitely run out of steam as the day progresses. Also my family does not chip in to help with housework. | My motivation and home size combined make it so that as I finish cleaning all the rooms it's time to clean again. So there is no full reset or fully clean home | Dishes | |
| Mel | Other | I have good intentions to do routines but lack follow-through and consistency. | I am sometimes more productive in mornings but can also be a night owl so don’t get up and moving in the morning. | Cleaning the bathroom. Really, all the chores. | |
| Catherine | Night owl | Trying to get the house picked up before I leave so I come home to a clean house. Finding my sunglasses and getting out the door on time. | My closet needs a serious overhaul. | Keeping my bedroom clutter-free. | |
| Jetta | Morning person | I'm retired so each day can differ quite a bit. Days where I'm home are usually productive. When I have to get out and about during the day then I procrastinate too much. I put off taking care of things that I think will take too long. | I've worked to get my house decluttered and more efficient so the routines are easier to follow (or get back to). I am intentional with my purchases and where items are located so that I don't get overwhelmed with too much. | Washing dishes! We don't have a dishwasher (or room to install one) so I'm handwashing them all. I put on headphones and listen to podcasts or music so it's not too bad. | |
| Kara | Morning person | I A) sometimes don’t write things down that I think about to do, then I forget about them or B) I write them down, but they’re one of many items and I don’t eat the frog (should have just 3 items on my list and eat the frog first thing) C) think that because I spent a day in the office dealing with papers, I now can ignore the office for a month (need to get a habit of daily or at least weekly spending some time in the office) | I have much less stuff in my house than ever before (thank you Clutter Fairy, professional organizers and a cross country move) so it is so much easier to keep things put away and to clean I still have photos and sentimental or just old items in garage from deceased parents’ home in the garage. I have my own bins of crafting items in the garage. Both of these categories in the garage can be pared down. | Dealing with paperwork/bills/mail! | |
| Anonymous user | Neither | I start projects, but then get preoccupied and busy- and don’t want to put things away because they are in a certain order. Yes, order, lol. | The livingroom is spacious and gets good sunlight, so it is a great place to work- but ofcourse, it’s not exactly supposed to be an office or an art studio but a living room. I alsi need to factor in clean up time / put stuff away time when I allocate time to declutter. On a positive note, though, certain habits I put in place have worked well 🙂 | Decluttering paper has almost become “routine “!! In a good way, finally getting done- but also in a super annoying and overwhelming way. | |
| Becky | Morning person | I get a lot done in the morning, but I run out of steam in the afternoons. | My kitchen is very small, and it is hard to keep it clutter free. I have gotten rid of so much, but there is still too much on the counter. | Cleaning bathrooms especially the bathtubs. | |
| Charlene | Neither | All week I think I'll really hit decluttering hard on Saturday but then I can't seem to get started and waste the day. | I'm overwhelmed and don't know where to go with stuff. | Cooking supper | |
| Lela | Neither | I'm low on ambition and energy late in the day. I have to plan difficult tasks for late morning or early afternoon. | My MIL built onto our house 20 years ago, & I was her main caretaker during that time. She passed away last year, so now my husband and I basically live in a duplex. Moving is not an option right now. I'm having difficulties at times remembering to utilize and upkeep a second set of appliances (for example: using the extra clothes washer, garbage disposal, and dishwasher occasionally to keep the seals moist and the appliances running correctly). I also sometimes have trouble remembering which side of the house an item is stored in. I'm trying to consolidate most items in my side of the house, but we have to keep the other side functional for resale value and because we have get-togethers there every month or two. One house was more than enough for me, but now I have to maintain two. Lol | DISHES!!!!!! | |
| Carrie | Night owl | Mornings suck. | My bathroom is so tiny that I figure “How dirty can it BE?” | Cleaning the bathroom! | |
| Celina | Neither | I am ALWAYS late for work. I live a mile away and drive there by car. Doesn't matter if I wake up earlier or skip breakfast. And yes, I do have a lot of routinised morning activities. Often almost like an automaton/robot. Otherwise, I am usually never late to places these days. | I live in a rented space. I don't have a towel under the shower and I need to wear rubber slippers. Afterward, I get back to bed to dry my feet among the sheets. if I had my own house, where I could have a mat and a chair to sit on right after the shower (I need to sit to dry my feet because of my disability) I wouldn't have to get back to my bedroom to do it and thus waste the time. And this is just an example of how unsupportive is my environment fro as long as I am not a home owner but have to rent places. I can't rent very high-end ones and single living units either, because they're more costly and I'm trying to save up fo rmy own mortgage, not someone elses.I've given myself a dealine though, so I hope I'll be able to move into my own place in some time 🙂 | it's the little stuff... the chairdrobe, the desk-drobe, the night-table clutter, etc. etc. those stupid small things that add up to severe visual clutter. | |
| Anonymous user | Other | It's variable based upon how much sleep I've gotten the night before and what time my husband wakes me up. At times I'm awake in the middle of the night, too. | *I find myself waffling back and forth on the continuum of being organized (i.e., turn over a new leaf,/ usually with a hard copy calendar/schedule of to do's for the day) and not as organized (having it in my head with a lower degree of intention since my list keeps me accountable. *DH and I have a different perspective on the use of time is. His is, "We're both retired--what does it matter?" Mine is, "I have a lot to do and my hope is to be circumspect about how I spend time." He messes me up at times. | *DH can be distracting either because of his perspective (stated on previous question) or because he has the "time stealer" of emotional needs which need to be attended to. *At times DH gets real upset about my clutter and I'm forced to clean things up. I'm working on attending to it myself before it gets to the point of being overwhelming to him. Being "forced" is never a positive experience, but the positive is that things get cleaned up. The two main trouble spots are my office and the living room. | Dusting for every room and cleaning the bathrooms (2). |
| C | Neither | I distract easily. It seems like everything else tht needs to be done is more important than the last thing I srarted on. | We have (had) so many interests and also so many things we accumulated, plus now in retirement we have lots of volunteer activities, it seems like there's no time to make decisions to declutter. Our regular everyday tasks hardly get done. | Dusting | |
| Millie | Morning person | I set good intentions but some days I don't "feel" like doing the jobs I set. So I spend my time surfing the internet instead. Afterwards I feel awful about it because I wasted my time. | My house is 80 years old. It seems like it's always dusty no matter how much I clean. | Cleaning the bathroom. It's 80 years old - no remodels - and it depresses me. No money to update or remodel. | |
| Anita | Neither | Running out of steam later in the day. Procrastination just staring at piles of clutter or stuff shifting. | My house has a lot of structural issues and I have some flat pack furniture which I have tried but failed to put together...since January! This means tools left around, ladders etc. I would put in outhouse but that has a leaky roof. | Ironing!!!! Here in UK most people dry clothes outside and despite hanging carefully they still crease. | |
| Jennifer | Morning person | I have no help around the house. I live with two other unrelated to me adults and trying to keep the house clean is like trying to push the ocean back with a broom. | Cleaning the kitchen. | ||
| Jenny | Night owl | Being in a hurry. Use items but not putting them away immediately after use. I have to focus on doing it. | I have too many duplicates or items that only serve one purpose. | Dusting | |
| Janice | Morning person | I get a great start but my handicapped spouse needs something unexpected or my elderly and sick dog needs to be hand fed and cleaned up after. I budget extra time but somehow it exhausts me and I put myself on the back burner. | My room is the worst, it represents unmade decisions, although I am peeling the onion and I have hope. | cleaning up after my poor toothless dog eats and has accidents despite wearing diapers and using placemats. | |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Do you consider yourself a "morning person," a "night owl," or somewhere in between? | Please elaborate, if you wish. | What are the trouble spots in your daily routine or your family’s routines? | What aspects of your home contribute to or detract from your ability to cultivate and execute productive and useful routines? | What daily (or frequent) chore would you like to wave a magic Clutter Fairy wand to remove from your routine? |
Well Begun is Half Done: Organize to Optimize Your Daily Routine
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