Secrets of how the Swiss stay so organized

The Swiss are known as the “innkeepers of the world” with good reason, their city, shops, hotels, restaurants and trains run like clockwork and they look great doing it. So how do they do it and how can their methods translate into your own home life?

Secret 1: Everyone participates.

All Swiss citizens feel responsible for their environment and actively participate in keeping it orderly by following the rules of good citizenship. Evaluate your family, is everyone involved in keeping the house clean and tidy? All members of your family, including children, are “citizens of the world.” This means that everyone must take responsibility for the home. Even the youngest members of the family should be encouraged to do simple tasks. They can be as simple as helping mom put toys away at the end of the day or for older children, vacuuming the floor. Chores should be treated as a normal part of daily activities where everyone collaborates, should not be used as punishment or paid as a reward.

Secret 2: Having too many things.

Americans are in love with things. We have too much. We buy until we get tired, we buy on impulse, we buy what we don’t need, what we already own or think we can’t live without. Is it really necessary to have 6 pairs of jeans, a tea bag squeezer, or a brush to clean fungus? Swiss refrigerators and cabinets tend to be small so they don’t buy more than they can store and tend to use what they have before buying more. They are avid recyclers and have been for many years.

Secret 3: smaller goals = bigger achievements

The Swiss eat a leisurely two-hour lunch. They would rather put an extra hour into their workday than renounce this civilized tradition. Realize that reaching your goals is good, but you don’t have to achieve them in one day. Thorough work takes time, so create rest periods. For large projects, such as cleaning up a very cluttered space, break up the work into small increments of time to make the task less overwhelming. Allow 15-30 minutes a day and stay focused on the task. Creating a schedule also helps. Dedicate a day strictly to laundry or grocery shopping. Allot a day just to clean bedrooms and bathrooms. Again, small tasks make work bearable.

Find a system that works for you, and remember that starting a good habit takes at least 30 days before it takes hold, so keep going.