Traci Jaime married her high school sweetheart and currently stays at home, to care for their two young children, in the Great Lakes Bay Region. She is an aspiring children’s book author, who writes her own blog www.adayinmommyhood.blogspot.com, about her experiences as a mother. She is an avid crafter and has recently created a new blog, www.tracicreatesit.wordpress.com, where she will share craft and party ideas.
A little over a month ago, I asked my Facebook friends how they run their homes. A majority of them seemed to answer “it gets done, when it gets done, if it ever gets done.” I decided to create a cleaning schedule for my home, to see how/if it would make a difference in our lives. I was so tired of picking up the same things over and over again every day and when the weekend rolled around feeling overwhelmed because I had an entire house to “deep” clean.
I broke my house down into sections and divided them between the days of the week, leaving Saturday empty. I had high hopes of never waking up with work to do on a Saturday morning. This is how it worked out for us:
Monday: Kitchen
Tuesday: Front Living Room and Laundry
Wednesday: Bedrooms
Thursday: Back Living Room and Laundry
Friday: Bathrooms
Sunday: Laundry
At the end of the first week, I was a huge fan. Mornings ran more smoothly, and evenings were much more relaxing because I was able to clear that mental to-do list that was constantly running through my head. I forced myself to only worry about that day’s tasks. Of course, in any home, there are always extras that need to be done – cleaning up after meals, loading and unloading the dishwasher, picking up toys, making beds and so on. It all seemed easier because I wasn’t worrying about the entire house.
I realize that this system might not be as easy for everyone. I stay at home with my children, so I have more time during the day to get things done. My advice in this situation is to use a timer. In the evening, set the timer for 30 minutes and spend those 30 minutes focusing on only ONE space. I promise you, at the end of the week, you will be very happy with the results.
As anyone with small children knows, there are days when you cannot get anything productive done. Having the schedule also helps on these days, because my husband is able to come home and be on the exact same page as me. On those crazy days, he can help me complete the job for that day and we can get back on schedule.
Over the last week, I was sick and spent the weekend away scrapbooking. My house this morning is a disaster. It’s almost to the point where I don’t have a clue where to begin. My plan is to just jump right back to my schedule. I am not going to worry about every room at once, just today’s room. It takes the stress away and makes it so much easier to focus.
Overall, the last month or so on this schedule has been extremely rewarding. Our house is honestly the cleanest that it has ever been. When you clean this way, you are able to take the time, to do the things you might not do on a regular basis. The biggest plus, for me, is that I no longer feel guilty taking a nap because I know everything is getting done.