One of the best ways I can start my day is to wake up to a clean kitchen. A few years ago, we started developing the habit of not going to bed until the dishwasher was loaded and the countertops were cleaned off.
It’s amazing how happy this makes me feel in the mornings — it’s like a fresh, clean slate to start the day!
Three things you should know:
1) Jesse and the kids help with this — if this was left entirely up to me, it just wouldn’t happen every day.
2) We make really simple meals most days and clean up after every meal, so our kitchen rarely gets to the “disastrous” stage — which makes this a lot easier to maintain.
3) We don’t stress about it being perfect. If you look closely, there are crumbs on the floor, the stove has some food crusted onto it, and one cupboard door has chocolate spilled down it. I’ll get to those things today (hopefully), but just having the dishwasher loaded and the countertops cleaned off makes it feel like it’s clean!
(It’s Day #13 of the Go to Bed Early Challenge and I was in bed by 10:10 pm last night — yay!! How is the challenge going for you?)
Are you joining me for the Go to Bed Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your go-to-bed goal last night.
We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!
P.S. Read more about the Go to Bed Early Challenge here. Need some help and inspiration to go to bed early so you can get up and use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)
My dh has cleaned the kitchen counters, stovetop and sink for years and I load the dishwasher. It makes such a difference.
In my house growing up, my grandfather made sure the kitchen was clean every night before he went to bed. I remember hearing him putting any remaining dishes from the sink into the dishwasher and then hearing him prepare the coffee pot fur the next morning. He would then wipe down the counters and start the dishwasher (that was my cue to high tail it to bed as I always stayed up past my bedtime…..I really need the early to bed challenge! ). I never appreciated the clean kitchen in the morning until I moved out on my own and saw what a difference it made! I fell out of the habit shortly after I married my husband but I recently started it up again and realized, yet again, what a huge difference it makes! It’s nice to go to sleep knowing my kitchen is clean; it’s nice to wake up in the morning and have room to prepare breakfast and rinse things in the sink, and as a bonus I feel like I have a jump start on the chores for the day….score one for me!
I have been doing really well with going to bed by 10:30 all week. I have been waking up without my alarm clock around 6 a.m. every day. This makes me feel so much better about my days. Thanks so much for this challenge!
One of my goals with this challenge has been making it part of my routine to load and start the dishwasher at night instead of leaving it for the next day. I definitely LOVE waking up to a clean-ish kitchen — starts my day off right for sure!
I have not been very successful at getting to bed early this week – but I am determined to do it tonight! Last week I was fairly consistent – and it made a huge difference. Here’s to trying again!
I completely agree. I don’t always do it, but agree that starting off with a clean kitchen makes for a smoother day! When the house overall is cleaned up, I feel less overwhelmed and can concentrate on what really needs to done in a day.
I would love to get my family on board to help make this happen.
I agree…looks like a great way to be welcomed into the kitchen each morning.
I absolutely agree about how nice it is to have clean countertops and sink to wake up to! My number one tip to make this happen is to do a little bit throughout the day. I used to clean up all at then end of the day, but it was overwhelming and too time-consuming with the unexpected evenings we sometimes have with little kids. It may be less efficient than doing it all at once, but if I load the dishes after every meal and snack, I am A LOT more likely to get it done in the evening when my energy is low but there’s “just a little bit” left to do!
Such a great tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
I definitely agree about the kitchen. Starting with clean feels a lot less overwhelming. Last night I actually went to bed at 9:00. I’ve been sick and needed the rest.
This is so right! I have to keep the kitchen clean and I load the dishwasher,wipe down the counters and sweep the floor after every meal. We have a smallish house and it seems like if there is any mess in the kitchen it just feels to me like the whole house is filthy and I can’t handle that 🙂 It feels so good to come into the nice clean kitchen every morning. I was always taught that it’s much easier to keep a clean house clean than to have to clean up a dirty house and it is so true. It’s definitely worth the extra 20 minutes that it takes me after everyone goes to bed to go through and make sure everything is where it belongs. I think waking up to a mess just sets a depressing tone for the whole day.
We actually bump our routine just a little bit earlier; we clean up immediately after dinner and run the dishwasher so it can be emptied before bed (whoever has that as their assigned chore). It makes mornings SO much easier to start the day with an empty dishwasher so you’re not starting the day with dishes piled in the sink.
Love this! I agree – I love an empty sink and dishwasher to start my day!