How Routines and Habits Impact the Life of a Born Chaotic Person!
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How Routines and Habits Impact the Life of a Born Chaotic Person!

Updated: May 2, 2023

Today I am going to take you with me as I work through a morning at home.

I work part time and this is one of my full days off. I have two full days off in the week - one I try to keep as my main housekeeping day and the other is where I can see friends and family or schedule appointments.



So lets begin - my name is Linda and I am a BCP (Born Chaotic Person!)

A BCP could be seen as the polar opposite of a BOP - a Born Organised Person. BUT it is not a gene we lack which BOP's have it is just a set of skills which need to be learned and the learning may take a little longer for some than others! It could be that we have just never been taught the skills of an organised person, maybe you come from a long line of BOP's or if your parent's do appear to be BOP's perhaps they took to it so naturally they never even thought it was a learned skill which needed to be passed on.

Let's begin to change this!!


I firmly believe that with a little perseverence and by introducing small habits and new routines into our lives we can all begin to see changes.

Not just by having a comfortable home which we love but in other areas of our lives. We can gain time to spend with the people we love, save money because we don't buy things we don't need or even buy more than one of something because it is 'lost'. It can even impact our health for the better. My asthma has improved greatly since starting to introduce a few small routines. This is my experience, although I hope it will also be yours.


So here we go A Morning in the Life........


It's Monday morning, my alarm goes off at 6.25 but as is becoming increasingly common I was awake before 5.00am and so got up and went downstairs to watch the news before anyone else got up!


My personal morning routine consists of coffee, breakfast, ablutions, (I love that word!), getting dressed and making the bed. I will spare you pictures of me in my dressing gown and slippers! Here's a picture of me doing my moisturising!!

VERY IMPORTANT LIFE HACK: YOUR PERSONAL MORNING ROUTINE IS THE BASIS OF EVERYTHING. START BY GIVING YOURSELF THE CARE YOU NEED. THIS IS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD / LIFE ROUTINES.

In the seasons of your life when it is hard to keep up with everything, this is the area where you can carry on, keep looking after yourself - your other projects will follow as you get strong enough to tackle them.



Let's move onto my morning home routine. I wipe down the bathroom - I do this everyday, just a damp microfibre cloth and a quick wipe around. A squirt of bleach in the toilet and that room is done. This is not a deep clean but as part of my daily routine it reduces the dust and grime build up so there is rarely a need to really give the room a scrub, just a more thorough wipe down and we're away! This was Flylady inspired 'swish and swipe'! I began this routine by looking at it as a habit I needed to develop. Every day I would consciously make the effort to stick to my morning routine and eventually it has become something I do almost automatically. You can do this, too.


I leave the seat up - even though it annoys me when someone else does it! This is because I was once told by someone in the shower industry that bleach fumes can leave brown marks on the underside of a plastic seat - who knows- but they stay up until the next flush!

I also give the family bathroom and the downstairs toilet the same treatment!



Next I gather up some washing and put it all together ready to take downstairs when I go down, and then I stand back to see what needs doing in the room. Not a good day!!

As a BCP, as opposed to a Born Organised Person, when I have a lot of things on my plate, which is the case at the moment, little jobs get missed. Putting things away when I am finished has ALWAYS been an issue for me and one I am still making a habit!! A look at my bedside table, my bin and the windowsill shows you that I need to get back on track! Habits can take a while to embed in your brain before something becomes routine and you will fall off the habit wagon but get back on it!! Take it from me it is worth it, every time!


I must point out that this is NO WHERE NEAR the mess I used to find myself in!

I mean you can see the floor, most of the trash is actually in the bin and the bed is made!! Making the bed and enforcing the habit - just that one habit - made one of the biggest changes in my home life. In the beginning it was somewhere I could use to do my decluttering. A big space for me to unload drawers and cupboards onto. Now it is the centre of our lovely, peaceful and restful bedroom.

So back to today, the washing was all gathered together, I put some empty bottles off the bedside table and some trash off the windowsill in the bin and took the whole lot downstairs. I took the recycling out and the trash and put the wash on for a quick cycle then back upstairs with my mate Henry (the vacuum). A flick around with the duster and a hoover and I'm done!



Now it's the kitchen - again not a good day! The floor was covered in crumbs the dishwasher was half emptied and not all put away etc etc!


Once again - it has been much worse than this for many years! This is not clutter, it is untidy and needs a clean.

So much easier to deal with because I know there is a place for everything and will take no time to sort it! For many years I would just look at a room like this and panic because I didn't know where to start, the cupboards were already overflowing so there was literally nowhere for things to go. I am now so much more careful with what I buy for the home - I can still make the odd impulse buy but for the most part I consider purchases for the home - why do I want it? Do I need it? Will I actually use it? Am I sure I don't already have one? Life has got so much easier with a clean sink (again Flylady!) and homes for my belongings.


By now it was about 10.30 - I don't usually stop to take photographs of everything!


Now it was time to think about the weekly shop.

On my weekly routine this is usually done on a Saturday but we had various committments this week so I have moved it to Monday. Now the countertops are clean and free of objects I am able to do an inventory of what I already have, create my weekly meal plan and from that make a shopping list.


I was going to do a refresh of my inventory lists but for some unknown reason the printer wasn't playing today so I am using inventories I made 4 weeks ago so please excuse the stains!!!



[There is a link to my Etsy shop where you can buy your own copy of my full meal planning system - buy once use forever! This is at the end of this DOCC Blog] Because I was using inventory sheets which already have entries I just go straight to the area being checked with this inventory and either tick or cross out items we still have or have used and write any new items on it.


oops - sorry it's blurry!


The freezer inventory. This involved pulling each drawer out of the freezer in turn and noting down / ticking off the contents. A pleasure to do on a clean tidy counter!!


Once you have a full inventory of what you already have in your cupboards and wherever you keep your food you can create your meal plan and from this you make your shopping list. Bring your meal plan together by creating as many meals as you can from the items on your inventory. Now you have a clear idea of how many meals you need to buy for go ahead and build your shopping list. There is a link below to my DOCC Blog explaining in much more detail how to use my inventory lists, meal planner and shopping list.


All this has been a success because I have determindly created routines and built habits. None of it has been straight forward and I have let things slide on the way but once you experience the joy of an organised and clutterfree home which works almost automatically because you have these routines YOU WILL PERSEVERE AND KEEP GOING BACK TO YOUR ROUTINES tweeking where necessary but it is SO worth it!!!

Please comment below, I love to hear from you!

If you would like to leave a more private message you can use the website chat bubble, or message me on both Instagram and Facebook. (links below)

If you want to learn more:

I have created a Declutter Journal and a little book called 'creating habits - reaching goals' you will find them both here : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-J-Harper/e/B0917SJ324/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

If you need a firm hand telling you what to do and when, I highly recommend





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