This is clutter's favorite time in your life to accumulate!
It starts with the suitcases (full or empty).
Then the dirty laundry piles.
And the clean clothes that weren't worn on the trip.
Kids' stuff,
Monday morning prep paraphernalia,
Dishes,
Paperwork, etc.
You know how it goes--and before you know it--your decluttered home is piled with stuff again!
To keep your home free of clutter and organized: make a plan.
If you're a list-maker like me, make a list of what you want/need to get done the first day home.
And the 2nd, and the 3rd, until you're back in your regular routine and everything is in its place.
It may take the same number of days as how long you were gone...but don't give up!
Don't give in to the "I'll do it later" mentality!!
We just got back from a weekend trip to Durango.
AKA: 6 hour drive each way with 2 kids--it looks like the snack aisle of Natural Grocers exploded in our van.
My list for this morning looks like this:
-laundry
-grocery list
-get groceries
-cash checks
-email/call (list of work people)
Implied on that list is:
-put suitcases & kid stuff away
-make supper
-take a shower (sometimes I actually write this on my list so I do it!)
...and sadly, what is not included is cleaning out the van. That is my area of weakness...it literally gets dirty again while I'm cleaning it out! (We don't have a driveway, so there are usually crumpled leaves, etc on my shoes and they're guaranteed to get inside while I'm vacuuming the inside.)
If you can give yourself an extra day off when returning from a trip, just to get things put away--do it! You'll feel so much better if you're not wading through piles of stuff for a week.
(And this is when you break the "one load of laundry" rule and do it until it's done!)
