Fall has arrived, with October just around the corner. Summer is behind us; we relish the cool mornings, looking forward to leaving our windows open all day to let in fresh air. The first leaves are just starting to change color and drift down from the trees. And for many of us (at least, those in the northern hemisphere), the new season signals a change in the way our families live: we’ve reacquainted ourselves with the habits of school and a calendar full of related activities, and everything is beginning to move inside more, preparing for the winter months to come.
Looking ahead, we also realize the holidays are approaching: Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year, and all the activities that surround these celebrations. You and I know we’re privileged to be able to express gratitude for the blessings in our lives, to celebrate the birth of our Savior, to look forward with anticipation to the start of a new year. But the reality is, this time of year can be stressful. Traveling, family issues, grief for lost loved ones, and just the general busy-ness of the holidays … these are all sources of tension. And for many of us, the thought of hosting guests—and the task of preparing our home to be “presentable” to visitors—can sometimes feel so overwhelming that it dampens our joy.
Back in 2010, the scientific journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin conducted a study. They found 60 women who volunteered to take researchers on a guided tour of their homes, then used linguistic analysis software to look at the results. Women who described their house as “cluttered” or containing “unfinished projects” were more likely to be depressed and fatigued than those who found their living space “restful.” The research also concluded that women with cluttered homes had significantly higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
The following year, a Princeton study found, not surprisingly, that clutter can make it harder to focus on a task. Ladies, you know this already if you’ve tried to prepare dinner in a messy kitchen vs. a clean one. Specifically, the researchers found that our visual cortex can be overwhelmed by objects that are irrelevant to the current task, making it harder for us to focus attention and complete a job efficiently. This is equally true of males and females, too … nobody gets a pass on being distracted by a chaotic environment (a fact which definitely ought to give us pause, as home educators).
But it doesn’t have to be this way. No matter how busy life is, there are small steps each of us can take—in just a few minutes each day—to finally get a handle on the chaos. By having a plan and working to establish good habits, we can gain control of the clutter in our homes and provide our families with a cleaner, healthier, less-stressful environment.
If you’ve been following our ‘Do It’ List since we first published it in January, or have joined us somewhere along the way, we hope you’re reaping the benefits of the plan and the habits you’ve been establishing all these months. And if you’re just joining us for the first time, it’s not too late! Welcome! You have two whole months to whip that wayward house into shape! Please start by reading over our ‘Do It’ List archives; the posts for January–March will be particularly helpful, as they explain the overall approach and the daily, weekly, and once-per-month tasks.
Having said all that, it’s time to release our October ‘Do It’ List. This month’s unique task is purging the closets (with your kids) and it is the perfect time of year for this project, while you’re putting away summer clothing, taking out sweaters and coats, and getting ready for the upcoming holidays. Coming next Tuesday, October 2nd, Laura shares a detailed plan for getting closets under control—dealing with clothing, toys, games, etc.—so be sure you’ve subscribed and won’t miss that post!
In the mean time, you can download the October printable now and be ready for the start of the month. As usual, there’s a standard version of the ‘Do It’ List that form a basic plan of attack, and a blank version for those who want to tailor the daily, weekly, and once-per-month tasks to their own specific needs.
Managing a household well is work; there’s no getting around that basic truth. But as we approach what for many of us is the busiest time of year, the reward for your efforts will become even more apparent. Hospitality is a blessing, to you and to your guests [I Peter 4:8-11]. So whether you’re called upon last-minute to host the family Thanksgiving gathering because Aunt Eloise fell and broke her elbow, or you are simply able to throw open the front door (maybe for the first time!) and invite neighbors inside when they drop by with a tin of Christmas cookies, we pray that sharing your home will be a source of unmitigated joy—not stress!—as we move into the last months of 2018.
Download your October ‘Do It’ List TODAY!
