Neat and Tidy

I have noticed that when I am stressed about something my house has to be neat or I get even more stressed out. With three kids it's not that easy to keep neat and tidy; my two girls are the hardest to keep clean after and it doesn't help that they don't pick up after themselves without me telling them 20 times.
One of the major things that stresses me out are the little nests that I build all over my house whenever I am doing something.  I have to put it away in the middle of the craft or sewing project.
It builds and builds and I have no spare counter top or my stairs are full of stuff that needs to go downstairs or upstairs.

Instead of getting overwhelmed, I pick an area or room, set the timer for 10 minutes, and I stick with cleaning it. You would be amazed how much you can get done if you focus on one thing for ten minutes.
Of course, you can't deep clean anything in ten minutes but you can:

dust
clean off the stairs
scrub the toilet and sink
fold a load of towels
wipe down the counters and wipe down the appliances
make your bed and pick up all the clothes on the floor

Once I get started, it gets me motivated to do more than I started out wanting to do and afterwards, I feel good about my house and myself so there is no downside.
I usually clean the whole house Friday or Saturday, which means mopping, vacuuming and cleaning all the bathrooms, but during the week I just pick up and keep it neat. I also try to do a load of laundry a day but I still get stuck with tons of laundry on the weekend; that is a given with this many people.

My kids also have chores. That helps me a lot during the week because I would be so much busier if they didn't do their part.
These 10 minutes are the only reason that, at any given time, I can open the door to unexpected guests and not be ashamed or feel the need to make excuses for the state of my home. Of course, I wouldn't recommend eating off the floor; I'm quick but I'm not a miracle worker.