Everybody knows the best way to keep your house neat and clean is to put everything away as soon as you’re done using it. And anybody with kids (or a husband!) knows that’s easier said than done. Clutter builds up and before you know it, the house is a mess. I personally have a hard time relaxing or settling into an evening after work if I look around and see a mess. Finding time to clean is tough, but all you really need to get through today is 10 minutes.

Start in one room and grab everything that doesn’t belong there. These are things like tennis shoes left in the kitchen, a receipt on the table that needs to go to the desk, or a glass somebody left by the couch. Now go to the next room and drop off anything you’re carrying that goes there, and pick up everything that needs to leave. Keep working your way from room to room, and in just a few minutes, you’ll find the house looking worlds neater than it did before.

Sure, you didn’t clean. But you straightened. And that can make a big difference. You can even enlist family members to cooperate a lot more willingly if it’s a quick game of “10 minute cleanup!” instead of a dreary-sounding “help me clean the house”. Do this a couple of times a week and you’ll find the house is in much better shape whenever you do your regular cleaning routine (which is suddenly far less daunting a task).

My favorite time to do a 10-minute cleanup is when I’m the phone talking to my sister. Rather than just sitting down and chatting, I stay on the move and get things done. It almost doesn’t feel like work when you’re having a fun conversation at the same time!