Secrets of how the Swiss stay so organized

The Swiss are known as the “innkeepers of the world”, and with good reason, their city, shops, hotels, restaurants and trains run like clockwork and 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. Assess 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 on household responsibilities. Even the youngest members of the family should be encouraged to do simple tasks. They can be as simple as helping mom put away toys at the end of the day or, for older children, vacuuming the floor. Chores should be treated as a normal part of daily activities in which everyone collaborates, not used as a punishment or paid as a reward.

Secret 2: Having too many things.

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

Secret 3: Smaller goals = bigger achievements

The Swiss take a leisurely two-hour lunch. They would rather add an extra hour to their workday than forego this civilized tradition. Realize that reaching your goals is good, but they don’t have to be accomplished in a day. Doing thorough work takes time, so build in rest periods. For large projects, like cleaning up a very messy space, break the work into small increments of time to make the task less overwhelming. Allow 15-30 minutes a day and stay focused on task. Creating a schedule also helps. Set aside a day strictly for laundry or grocery shopping. Allocate a day just for cleaning bedrooms and bathrooms. Once again, small tasks make the job 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 stick with it.