Most of the time, a good portion of my house is a mess. As 2010 approaches, little by little I'm trying to make my house less cluttered and more clean and organized. Baby steps are my goal and here is the major principle I'm trying to keep in mind:If it takes 5 minutes or less to do, do it now!

I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to household tasks, and when you have little children tugging at your sleeve, procrastination can even seem noble. But the household chores do need to get done, and often, the job takes long if you wait. For example, when my baby throws a bit of mashed squash on the floor, I can clean it right away and it will take a few seconds. Or I can wait, and it will take longer because I have to scrub. Too, if I clean as I go, the house seems neater longer, which is mood-lifting. Here are a few other chores that may get built up in your mind as monumental when in reality, they take very little time: Folding the laundry: 5 to 10 minutes Decluttering the bathroom counter: 1 minute Unloading the dishwasher: no more than 5 minutes Loading the dishwasher: no more than 5 minutes Wiping down the kitchen table: about 1 minute Taking out the trash: about 2 minutes Vacuuming under the baby's high chair with a hand held vac: about 1 minute Join me in taking a cue from Nike: Instead of putting it off, just do it!