If you start your day by being organized, having a list of habits you perform to get you going, and end the day with a routine that clears the decks for the next day, you will be on your way to an organized, happy life.

If you begin your day harried and rushed, it will set the tone for much of the day. If you go to bed knowing that when you get up in the morning you will find your space in disarray, you will be uneasy and might even have trouble getting to sleep.

If your life is totally unorganized and chaotic, just begin with two steps, one for morning and one for nighttime. In the morning, do not leave your bedroom until the bed is made. And in the evening before going to bed, do not leave the living area without having the kitchen cleaned up and the kitchen sink clean, dishwasher emptied.

Do these two things for two weeks, then begin adding more small chores to your mornings and evenings. For example, in the morning, hang up or put away your nightclothes, and in the evening, clear off the area where you sit to read or watch TV. Do those chores along with the bed making and kitchen clean-up for two more weeks, then look around and find out what you can add. Maybe wiping down the bathroom sink area in the morning with a handy sponge, and before bed, setting up what you need to make and serve breakfast.

Someone said habit is destiny. The more chores you make into habits, the more time you have to think about other things and worry less about a mess.

What chores do you like to do in the morning and in the evening that make you feel good about yourself and your environment? I, for example, simply cannot go to bed without emptying the dishwasher, or leave the bedroom in the morning without making the bed. These have become habits for me, mindless activities. When doing them, I can think about other stuff. Maybe even what to write for my next blog post.