i find that there are two kinds of "cleaning"-- 1. cleaning and 2. straightening up.
for the first, that's things like dishes, laundry, and daily chores. but straightening up, that's just keeping things so that they look generally nice and you feel comfortable and have guests.
i found that to maintain both, i had to create a steady rhythm to my day for my DS and myself. DS is 19 months old. so, younger, but he's still quite active.
i have a daily "deep cleaning" chore that takes me 30 minutes or less--such as cleaning the bathroom. so, the real 'work" is the straightening that i do.
what i found is that minimalism (however one defines it) really facilitates this process. when i have less to straighten up, it takes less time.
so, here is how my day goes.
DS and I get up at the same time, and i immediately make the bed. we then go to the kitchen, and i clean up DH's dishes from his breakfast (if he had it before us), and then prepare breakfast. once the food is plated (and cooling a smidge), i wash the pots and pans and dishes used to make the breakfast, and then i serve the food and we eat.
typically, DS and I share a plate of eggs and veggies, so i usually only have one dish and two forks to clean after breakfast. sometimes, DH is also eating with us, which means i have three forks to clean. as soon as breakfast is done, i wash the dishes, and then we get cleaned up and dressed for our day.
at some point, DS either potties his poop or he goes in his trainer, so we wash the trainer and put it to soak. then, we have play time inside or we go out and play.
we have a snack at 10:30 or so--apples dipped in peanut butter usually. so, i use a knife and the cutting board, and before serving the apples and dip in a small bowl, i wash those up and let them dry. we then have our snack, and i wash the small bowl with our dip and apples in it.
usually, we have played outside, but if we were inside, the toys are everywhere. around 11, DS goes down for his nap. as soon as he goes down, i go in and pick up the toys, putting them back where they belong (about 5 minutes). i pick up any rags or laundry that needs to be done, and go and do that load of laundry.
i then have time to myself to be on the internet, or read, or just rest and do yoga.
DH comes home for lunch around 12:15, so i make lunch for us. DS is usually asleep during our lunch, waking about 12:30 or 1. we then give him some lunch. same process with dishes at lunch as with at breakfast.
at 12:45, i head out to work for 4 hrs. DH usually takes DS outside to play, and then they come in for a snack and play indoors for the remaining 2 hrs. DH does not maintain the kitchen. all of the toys are drawn out, and typically DS's clothes had to be changed in the mean time, so DH realized that the laundry was done and moved it to the dryer so he could put DS's clothes into the wash with the stain stick stuff on it. LOL! if stuff was left in the dryer, he pulls it out and dumps it on the bed.
i get home at 5, and then i do another straightening. i fold the load of laundry pulled out, plus the one in the dryer if it is dry. i put the close away as i am folding it, since the dresser is right next to the bed. usually, DS likes to "help" with this too. it goes quickly--about 10 minutes.
i then go into the kitchen and straighten up in there--another 5-10 minutes depending upon how complex DH made DS's snack! LOL usually, though, it takes no time at all. about 5 minutes or less.
then, i play with DS and his toys, while DH makes our "tea" (tea and cookies, as we have dinner alter at 7:30 or so). then, when it's time to make dinner, i go in and do that, following the same process as breakfast and lunch. usually, i have the most dishes after dinner. i take about 15 minutes to do that and wipe down the stove and counters too, while DH plays with DS or DS plays on his own.
around 8:30, DS starts to go down, and usually by 9:30 is out. (this is partly why we have dinner late. he has a fast metabolism, and would nurse a lot when we had dinner and then a small snack, but when we flipped the snack and the dinner, he slept pretty much all night without nursing. not that i minded, it's just tht we noticed the change so we stuck with it).
after DS falls asleep i go out and straighten up the toys (putting them away), do the daily declutter (10 minutes) and organizing, check the kitchen and bathroom in case i need to straighten anything there, and then head into bed to be online and have a bit of fun before i sleep, or DH and i read or talk or watch a show on the computer.
what is absolutely essential is to find a rhythm tha works and a system that works. DS knows what i will spend about 30 minutes after breakfast doing some kind of chore, and then we play. so, he is eager to help with the chore and knows we will focus on him next. he knows the rhythms of cleaning around meals, and so never asks for me unless he needs help, in which cases i help him and then he plays alone again until i'm finished. usually, he's right along side playing right next to me while i clean.
it works out really well for us, and the house is straight 90% of the time. it's messiest right before nap and right before bed--but it's no big deal.
and, because he has so few toys, i can pick all of them up in under 10 minutes. so if i know a guest is coming over (or when i was selling my house), i knew that i could pick up the toys with 10 minutes (or less) notice, and go on a walk while they enjoyed the house.
I feel like a failure. I know a lot of this is because it was the example set for me and I never had household responsibilities, but I'm an adult and need to overcome this.
op, I'm in the same place, but have 2 mess makers.
(I packed, dh drove them over).
) and the bathroom is small. I leave the main living areas for last.
