Today’s Quick Tips episode explores kids, home, work and daily routines!

Now that school is well underway, you may be experiencing a lot more daily chaos at home.
Kids or no kids, fall usually finds us back in a routine that’s a little more rigid than the lazy days of summer.
So today, we share strategies and tips for setting up good daily routines using Konmari principles.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

Head over to Apple podcasts to subscribe and review the show, which helps us reach others along their tidying journeys.

To extend your tidying experience, you can join the Spark Joy Club! Visit sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Join the Club” to become a member of the Spark Joy Community or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

KonMari Quick Tips:

The key to a great morning routine is to start it the night before
Wake and start your day with mediation, exercise, or catching up on the news. OR, you may prefer to sleep as long as you can and then jump up and be on your way!
Start your day with gratitude. Put each foot on the floor while saying “Thank” and then, as the next foot falls “You.” (Out loud of course!)
Reduce the amount of children’s clothing items that aren’t suitable for day-to-day school wear
Special occasion, weekend and play clothes should be separate from everyday school wear or uniforms. The same is true of your day to day work wear as well
Select clothes the night before or invest in a clothes valet
Create a Command Center: This may consist of a bulletin board, calendar, whiteboard or chalkboard on a desk that is central to the home
Use your Command Center as a place for you and your family to schedule appointments and to-do’s
Consider one “daily item” basket for each family member: keys, chargers, action items, homework, etc. live there
If possible, designate a spot by the door for a system to keep things centrally located at all times. One hook, one bin, one backpack or bag for each person is a good way to think of it
Keep only the current seasonal things near the front door in the coat closet whenever possible
- KonMari Lite this area often! It will be much easier if the day-to-day clutter is limited to one area of your home instead of scattered on all available surfaces. For more on how to KonMari Lite, check out Episode 94: Quick Tips KonMari Lite
Homework, business, and mail should come out of the bag and be sorted each day: stuff to do, stuff for parents, stuff to put away or relocate, stuff to discard. Avoid delayed decisions!
When it comes to paper clutter, encourage your school to communicate via email whenever possible
- Remember three high level paper categories: an act now pile for urgent decision, “Keep temp” files for things that are time bound and Keep forever items for emergency or legacy. For more on how to address paper clutter, head over to Episode 45: KonMari Paper Category: Cutting Paper Clutter
Homework and business work stay in a central place until done, try to establish a set homework schedule and a zone to complete work with a clear, flat surface. As soon as it’s ready, completed work goes in the school bags the night before
Consider what you can prepare for tomorrow’s meals the night before. Can the coffee machine be set to a timer? Lunch prep? Items added to the shopping list? This is also a good time to check the inventory. Are things in the fridge old or unused?
What about a thoughtful evening conversation with the family members? Maybe you could share three things you want to accomplish the next day as one of many table topics. Questions like “Do you have what you need to make that happen? How can we help each other have a good day tomorrow?

We are pleased to introduce the following new members of The Spark Joy Club, joining at the Joy Sparker level:

Welcome!
Jan Atkinson
Heather Arsenault
Kate Bunch
Louis St-Amour

We continue to welcome our listeners who are serious about extending the conversation around taking action, living, and maintaining a tidy lifestyle. Please join the conversation by visiting sparkjoypodcast.com and selecting Join the Club

And don’t forget to enter our Anniversary Giveaway!

As announced during Spark Joy episode 100, we have KonMari-themed gifts ready for you to claim by entering into our giveaway, celebrating our two-year anniversary.

The prizes include:
• Marie Kondo’s tidying sequel, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, signed by the Queen herself
• A Virtual KonMari Tidying Lesson provided on behalf of For the Love of Tidy
• An honorary membership to the Spark Joy Club at the coveted Joy Sparker level!
• And finally, a copy Marie Kondo’s highly anticipated new children’ s book, Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship, which will be officially released later this year.

Head over to sparkjoypodcast.com/itunes for instructions on how to leave a star rating and written review on iTunes.

Then, shoot an email to contact@sparkjoypodcast.com with your username for a chance to win one of six prices we have for our listeners this year.

You have until November 26 to enter and we’ll announce our winners during our “Best of” show on December 3.

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

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