Cleaning schedule HELP

[lisac77]

I really, really need help with getting more organized in my life and especially in keeping my house clean! I'm starting graduate school (in addition to working and taking care of my DS) in September. Between now and then I HAVE to learn how to schedule my time and take care of all of my responsibilities.

I'm looking at FlyLady and Motivated Moms (leaning more toward MM) but I'm also considering doing my own schedule. Any domestic divas want to help me out?

Heck, I'd even pay someone from MDC to make a schedule for me that would work.

Ideally I'd like to do 15-30 minutes of housework a day.

[paniscus]

Always looking for a better routine. I hope you get some great responses!!

[mamangazelle]

I did both flylady and motivated moms, and I liked MM the best.

First, I don't have to open my computer, so it prevents me from getting sidetracked. Also, I like that I can check every duty once it is done. It gives me the feeling that I have accomplished things. I keep my to do list on the fridge, so whenever I get a second, I see what I can do. And sometimes dp will jump in too!

[Spastica]

I'm not the master of cleaning, but it stays manageable if I put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher immediately after using them and then putting all the dishes away after they the dishwasher is run (some people just pick out clean stuff as they need them, but then you'll have a sink full of dirty dishes). Same with dirty clothes. I am lucky that my washer is connected to a small room in my bathroom, so I toss it in the washer. I wash everything in cold and if something is super finicky to wash (new red shirt, delicate stuff), I'll put it in a bin near my washing machine and wash it later. I just take a few minutes to straighten out whatever messing up I do during the day and I keep my scrubbing and deep cleaning for the weekends. I personally think there's a difference between cluttered/messy and filthy/dirty, so I try to keep the clutter to a minimum during the week and deal with the usual filth later. If the mood strikes you, you can clean bits and pieces throughout the week, a load of laundry here, run the dishwasher, clean just the sink in the bathroom, clean just the toilet the next day.

I'm a single gal with no kids, so that works for me pretty well. If you need more structure, perhaps I can make a schedule for you based on the work/school schedule you currently have. I don't think I've ever made a cleaning schedule before, but I can take a crack at it. It's like home project management!

[Em T]

Since you're concerned about time, try timing some of your routine tasks. You may be surprised to see how quickly they can be completed; at that point, do them rather than put them off. Another strategy is take 5 tasks morning, 5 in the evening & always do those, no matter what else the rest of the day is like. So, morning:

Wash, dress yourself/kids
feed everyone, wash up dishes, clear table
Make beds
Start one load wash
Plan dinner so if you need to thaw something there is time

Evening:

Fix dinner, serve, clean up
Sweep kitchen
Take wash from dryer, fold, put away
Bathe children, do bedtime stories, prayers, whatever is your routine
Fast pick up in public rooms, pitch newspapers, put mail away, clear out any dishes anyone took out of the kitchen, shoes in living room etc.

That way when you get up in the morning it's not terrible. Do your five early am tasks & if you want to go to the park or run errands you're not coming home to a sty. If your kid(s) are big enough to play in the bathtub, clean that room while you're in there with them.

Good luck!

[lisac77]

Ye old bump. Thanks for everyone's input so far... any other ideas? Em T, I love your suggestion of timing how long things take. That's a good one.

[Em T]

I read it in a book. Author said she put off cleaning the medicine cabinet in the bathroom for ages. When she finally did it the whole process took less than 10 minutes so that was a big old DUH, why did I wait?

Other advice is make it easy to keep things tidy. Put hooks down low where kids can hang their jackets. Keep a recycle bin in a place that makes it easy to throw out newspapers & junk mail immediately. Make a rule to empty the car when you get out. Don't leave trash, clothes, shoes, etc. in it

Fix a bag or basket to take with you when you go out with your kids. Depending on their ages it might need diapers, wipes, extra clothes. Keep it ready to go near the door you exit from. In summer you might want a small cooler for snacks & drinks. When you come back from an outing, bring those in & replace the items used so the next time you go out, you grab & go.

And here is one that I used to death when my kids were little: have a child's table or child-sized picnic table outdoors, in the yard or on your porch. Every meal served outside is that many less crumbs to sweep up indoors or spills to mop.

Keep a running list wherever works best for you, in a notebook or on your computer. Write down what you need to do as soon as you think of it so you don't suddenly realize you've been out every day the past week but still never got that new key made/bought a card to send for a birthday/got the oil changed/whatever. Then try to group your running around by the best route to save time & gasoline.

[lav1al]

Here is my schedule on a daily basis:

Sunday: countertops, dishwasher, 2 loads of sheets, water, weed and sweep outside, organize attic/garage, pick up playroom, dust upstairs, vaccum upstairs, sweep kitchen, kitchen garbage

Monday: dishwasher, 1 load darks, 1 load towels, pickup downstairs, dust downstairs light fixtures, blinds, fans, vaccum downstairs, kitchen garbage, clean windows and glass surfaces

Tuesday: countertops, dishwasher, 1 load whites, 1 load rugs, sweep all floors, mop kitchen, all garbage

Wednesday: clean refrig., cupboards and doors, dishwasher, 1 load darks, 1 load blankets, quilts or throws, pick up downstairs, kitchen garbage

Thursday: countertops, clean microwave and stovetop, dishwasher, 1 load whites, pick up upstairs, sweep kitchen, kitchen garbage

Friday: dishwasher, 1 load darks, 1 load towels, pickup dust and vaccum downstairs, kichen garbage, all bathrooms, all windows and glass surfaces

Saturday: countertops, dishwasher, 1 load whites, organize closets, sweep kitchen, mop all floors, kitchen garbage

[Leta]

I stole a lot of terminology from Flylady. I don't know why this helped, but it does. I also took an idea from Motivated Moms and gave things names: "Chores" are daily, "Tasks" are weekly, "Jobs" are less frequent than weekly, maybe only once a year, and "Projects" are things that, once they are done, will not need to be done again for quite some time ~ ~ years, decades, centuries, .

I am still working out the sticky wicket of scheduling everything, but I made lists of "Chores", "Tasks", "Jobs" and "Projects". I am a list maker in general, so this helped me.

Example:

Chores: Dress and Get Ready, Make Bed, Swish and Swipe Bathroom, Water Plants, Toss Laundry into Basement, Feed and Water Dog, Make and Clean Up Breakfast, Start Laundry, Clean Up Hotspots, Do Tasks, Laundry Reboot, Make and Clean Up Lunch, Laundry Reboot, Deal with Mail, Laundry Reboot, Do Jobs/Projects, Walk Dog, Make and Clean Up Dinner (this includes wiping down the kitchen and mopping the floor), Sweep Downstairs, Put out Hotspots, Baths, Stories, Brushing Teeth, Feed Cats, Go to Bed.

I just do all this stuff in this order.

Tasks: Monday: Clip Everybody's Nails and Clean Shower, Tuesday: Deal with Trash and Change Kitty Litter and Sweep Upstairs, Wednesday: Change Bathroom Towels and Dust, Thursday: Change Bedlinens and Clean out Fridge, Friday: Groom Myself.

This way I have the weekends to enjoy with DH.

Jobs: Bathe Pets, Clean Out Freezers, Wipe Off Top of Fridge/Knife Rack, Clean Glass, Deep Clean a Room (Declutter/Purge), Make Laundry Powder, Make Soap, Make Yogurt/Syrups, Feed the Freezer, Pay Bills/Deal with Correspondence, Make List/Go Shopping, blah blah blah.

Projects: Cover Toybox, Refinish Floors, Make Pot Lid Rack, Get Stuff Ready for Yard Sale, Scrape and Paint Small Table and Chairs, Finish Diaper Bag, Fix Mike's Overalls, List Stuff on eBay, blah blah blah.

I feel like we are conditioned to think that everything needs to be done once a week. This is false. In my house, laundry and sweeping needs to be done everyday, and grocery shopping only needs to be done once a month. Everyone is different. However, I would suggest that you determine if something needs to be done daily, weekly, infrequently, or only just once EVER, and then organize your schedule along those terms.

[milosmomma]

Here's another "helping" website:

www.12minutestogo.com

[cc mt]

Thank you so much for posting this site (www.12minutestogo.com)

Originally Posted by milosmomma

Here's another "helping" website:

www.12minutestogo.com

Thank you so much for posting this site . I tried Flylady but always felt like such a failure - i couldn't keep up with the barage of emails they sent. I love the 12 minutes to go laid back attitude "perfection is not our goal, simply taking a small step in the right direction is" - this is so much more me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[EENS]

Good thread! My house is uncluttered and relatively clean but I really need some routine in my life. I think I'll check out the 12 minutes to go and the motivated moms site. I tried flylady in the past, but was completely overwhelmed. Hats off to the women that can do flylady with small children.