Weekly Chore List

[Octobermama]

Does anyone have a weekly (or daily or monthly) chore list. My grandma had certain days that she did chores. Wash on Mondays, shop on Tuesdays, etc. She even flipped her couch cushions on certain days! I don't need to be that detailed but I think if I had more of a cleaning routine I would get more done and feel like things were cleaner. Does anyone have something already in place?

[Peppermint Leaf]

try "fly lady" .. she breaks your home into 5 zones ... so that in a one month period you have covered your whole house.... I find it really helpful.

[songbird45]

I have a tickler file for this purpose. We created checklists of stuff we wanted to do weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly and put them in various places in the tickler. When it comes up it goes on the fridge, and when everything on the checklist is done (or we decided we aren't going to do it) it goes back in the tickler in the next appropriate slot.

[LilMama23]

I use Motivated Moms and I absolutely love it.

[Minerva]

We're working out that sort of schedule.

Daily:
Wipe down bathrooms.
Tidy and wipe kitchen.
Run the dishwasher.
Sweep floors.
Sort mail.
Pick up toys before bed.
Wash diapers.
Feed cats.
Cook meals.

Weekly:
The husband buys groceries on Sunday mornings, including returning bottles to the dairy.
Laundry on Mondays.
Recycling out on Tuesdays (then mop the tile floors).
Post office run on Saturdays.
Menu planning, grocery list, and fridge cleaning on Saturday night.

Bi-weekly:
Change cat litter.
Post newly-decluttered items to ebay and Freecycle.

Monthly:
Shred paper on first weekday of the month.
Clean out my handbag on the last weekday of the month.


We're still decluttering areas into the daily schedule. There will eventually be daily dusting of furniture and vaccuuming as the non-tiled areas get cleaned out.

[TeaghansMama]

i modified flylady and motivated moms to fit my life. here's an overview:

monday:
wash front door window and back door window
clean bathrooms
dust and declutter living room

tuesday:
mop kitchen
vacuum downstairs
dust and declutter dining room

wednesday:
pay bills/ do filing
work on grocery list and menu plan
clean out the fridge
take out recycling/trash

thursday:
grocery shop
dust and declutter kids bedroom and playroom

friday:
change sheets on all beds
vacuum upstairs
dust and declutter master bedroom

saturday:
h2o plants
straighten/sweep deck and front porch
clean out vehicles
work in garden/yard or garage (sometimes we don't do this but usually dh and i do a house project together on saturdays)

sunday:
cut coupons/sort and file
clean out diaper bags and purse
review my weekly plan for the next week
family meeting time (dh and i just spend time together talking about whatever needs attention: finances/house projects/scheduling/etc)

i pretty much stick to this in addition to my daily chores and then at least the basics get covered each week

[doubledutch]

we have a daily list and a weekly list. rather than doing one bigger item a day like your grandma, we just do the little stuff and try to do all the weekly stuff on the weekend (unless there is a specific other day it needs to happen, like making sure the recycling is out).

daily:
meals - cook x3 and clean up x3
laundry - wash/dry, fold, put away (i put away in the morning what i folded the night before)
take out trash
potty the dog (okay, this is on here as an attempt by me to recognize dh's contributions around the house . . . he has to go out on a leash)
pick up toys, books, etc
vacuum/sweep downstairs (what a joke - this doesn't happen daily, although it should)
wipe down bathroom (i do that during the bath)

weekly:
shopping
recycling
scrub bathroom including floor
scrub kitchen including floor
sweep upstairs
dust
clean out fridge
mow/shovel
deal with mail / pay bills / manage accounts

oh, i'm so mortified to think how rarely some of these things actually happen.

[2GR8KIDS]

Here's our weekly list- we're not that rigid about adhering to this but it at least gives us a goal of what we need to accomplish over the course of a week:

SUNDAY
Plan meals for the week
Grocery shop
Take out trash and recyclables (also as needed throughout the week)

MONDAY
Clean basement playroom and bathroom
Catch up on bills and paperwork

TUESDAY
Clean all bathrooms (other than basement bath)
Wash towels

WEDNESDAY
Clean bedrooms
Wash sheets

THURSDAY
Clean living room, dining room, family room, other common areas

FRIDAY-SATURDAY
No set cleaning tasks these days; just catch up on things missed during the week or tackle a larger project

DAILY
* Laundry- I usually do a load or two a day- throw it in the washer in the morning, move it to the dryer sometime during the day, then fold and put away in the evening or the next morning
* Make beds
* Put things away
* Sweep kitchen and dining areas
* Declutter
* Superficial cleaning of bathroom counters, etc.

AS NEEDED:
* Clean kitchen (I usually clean during the down times during meal prep)
* Mop hardwood floors (very occasionally)
* Yardwork (usually weekly)
* Move filing from temporary filing area to file cabinet in basement (about monthly)
* Water plants (whenever I pass by and they are looking unlovely!)

[SusannahM]

Originally Posted by songbird45

I have a tickler file for this purpose. We created checklists of stuff we wanted to do weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly and put them in various places in the tickler. When it comes up it goes on the fridge, and when everything on the checklist is done (or we decided we aren't going to do it) it goes back in the tickler in the next appropriate slot.

I misunderstood your post when I first read it, but that must have been serendipity. I think a method that will work for me is to have index cards with a small list of chores on each one and post that somewhere until that small list is done, then grab another small list to post. Then, if I get behind, it's okay, I'll just keep going and things that haven't been done in the longest will still be the first ones to get done. The regular tickler file doesn't always work for me since when I get behind, I just keep getting further and further behind because things keep becoming "overdue".

[lovemyfamily6]

This is my ongoing struggle. I decided I'd like to do things over the course of two days. I'm still messing around to see which days I like best. I think Thursday/Friday. So, I've been doing this.

Thursday:
Dust the entire house
Bathrooms (mirror, sink, counters, toilet)

Friday:
Vacuum the entire house
Mop the tile (kitchen, entry way, laundry room, bathrooms)

Then by Monday, I clean the main bathroom again. It isn't working great, but it's better than nothing. I've tried to have an item per day to do, but I get overwhelmed and don't do it, then I panic and get further behind. It isn't pretty.

I'm always looking for a better way though and will be excited when I (hopefully some day) find it!

[DandeCobb]

I have weekly, monthly and yearly schedules (not daily i work parttime random days so that would not work for me). i do not include the daily dishes and pick up type things

here it is:

Weekly Cleaning:
Empty refridgerator
Mop kitchen
Meal plan
Grocery shop
Dust
Vacuum
Change sheets
Wash kitchen towels/linens
Laundry
Sweep porch
Bathrooms
Sweep upstairs
Mop/vacuum upstairs


Monthly Cleaning:
Refridgerator
Stove
Microwave
Doors
Shower
Trashcans
File
Vacuum under beds
Ceiling fans
Laundry room
Baseboards
Window sills

[DandeCobb]

continued

this is how i break down the monthly cleaning:


Week #1:
Weekly cleaning
Refridgerator
Stove
Microwave

Week #2:
Weekly cleaning
Doors
Trashcans
File

Week #3:
Weekly cleaning
Shower
Under beds
Laundry room

Week #4:
Weekly cleaning
Ceiling fans
Baseboards
Window sills

[DandeCobb]

continued

this my yearly schedule and how i break it down;

Quarterly Cleaning:
Wash walls
Vacuum under furniture

Bi-annual Cleaning:
Change seasonal clothes
Shampoo carpets

Alternate with:
Wash furniture
cleaning yard and cars



January:
Monthly cleaning
Alternate cleaning

February:
Monthly cleaning
Alternate Cleaning

March:
Monthly cleaning
Quarterly Cleaning

April:
Monthly cleaning
Bi-annual cleaning

May:
Monthly cleaning
Alternate cleaning

June:
Monthly cleaning
Quarterly cleaning

July:
Monthly cleaning
Alternate cleaning

August:
Monthly cleaning
Alternate cleaning

September:
Monthly cleaning
Quarterly cleaning

October:
Monthly cleaning
Bi-annual cleaning

November:
Monthly cleaning
Alternate cleaning

December:
Monthly cleaning
Quarterly cleaning



I don't always meet these goals but it gives me something to work towards

[Octobermama]

This is so helpful! I have started by writing down everything I would like to accomplish and giving each task a time frame. Now I need to decide which days to which task. Lastly, I am going to write the monthly and quarterly chores in my planner. I really like the idea of Motivated Moms and that tickler folder thing having a list. Thanks for your ideas and sharing what works for you!

[JamieBrewHa]

Ooooh thanks for all the ideas... I need to do this!

[songbird45]

Originally Posted by SusannahM

The regular tickler file doesn't always work for me since when I get behind, I just keep getting further and further behind because things keep becoming "overdue".

This is why the second rule is important (and I got it off this board, maybe from a Motivated Moms thread?): If you don't get to it, don't sweat it. It will come up again. So if there's something I'm supposed to do monthly and I just don't get to it that month, I just put it in the tickler for next month. It's fine. There are only 24 hours in a day. I'll try to prioritize that one over other "monthly" items next time. I try to clean the microwave weekly, but the world doesn't end if I don't get to it every week.

I think that having some method of coping with "getting behind" is key to any system. You WILL get behind and it's super important that you have some kind of rule for dealing with that. If you have a neverending-piling-up list of chores you will give up, no matter what the system.

[becoming]

Here's my old one. I have a housekeeper now, though, so it's obsolete for me.

Daily:
Clean kitchen counters.
Wipe down high chair & dining table.
Sweep kitchen, laundry room, & entryway.
Wash & fold/put away one load of laundry.

Mondays:
Vacuum & dust

Tuesdays:
Clean master bath mirrors, vanity, sinks & toilet.

Wednesdays:
Clean kids' bath mirror, vanity, sink & toilet.

Thursdays:
Balance checkbook & write bills.

Fridays:
Clean toilets again.

First Saturday of Month:
Clean out DS's toys.
Straighten/organize DS's dresser, DVDs, books, under-bed cabinets & closet.
Wash DS's sheets.

First Sunday:
Clean out DD's toys.
Straighten/organize DD's dresser & closet.
Wash DD's sheets.
Mop all floors.

Second Saturday:
Clean kitchen trash can, drawers & cabinets.
Clean out & wipe down fridge, inside & out.
Clean fish bowl.
Clean dish drainer.

Second Sunday:
Clean microwave, dishwasher, & toaster.
Wash my sheets.

Third Saturday:
Straighten/organize entertainment center.
Clean out living room end table.
Clean washer & dryer.
Straighten/organize laundry room cabinets.

Third Sunday:
Straighten/organize master closet, my dresser & nighttable.
Wash both kids' sheets.
Mop all floors.

Fourth Saturday:
Clean master tub & shower.
Straighten/organize linen closet, drawers & cabinets in master bath.

Fourth Sunday:
Clean windows & doors/doorframes.
Wash my sheets.

Fifth Saturday (when applicable):
Clean out DS's clothes.

Fifth Sunday (when applicable):
Clean out DD's clothes.

[unlegal]

I created one not too long ago, and put everything on my Google calendar. Then Google sends me emails once daily, letting me know what's on my schedule for that day.

I also divided my house into 4 zones (ala flylady), and have the zone for that week emailed on Mondays. I then choose whatever extra tasks are most needed for that area.

I don't include daily tasks like picking up, one load of laundry daily, and dishes daily.

This keeps me more focused, and I don't feel as overwhelmed thinking about everything I need to do. I keep the tasks to a couple things a day, and it's not too bad at all.

[lovesdaffodils]

Originally Posted by LilMama23

I use Motivated Moms and I absolutely love it.

: All the chores I'd never think of are already on the list for me. Love it!

[bocks_box]

Here's mine (and keep in mind I homeschool, too)

Sunday - nothing but church
Monday - meal plan and cut coupons/make grocery list
Tuesday - Errands and shopping
Wednesday - Laundry
Thursday - clean house
Friday - Laundry
Saturday - Paperwork and bill paying

Daily, the kids and I have a rotating chore list - we're in groups (A,B,C) and the group rotates every week.

Group A - roomba dining room
Group B - empty dishwasher
Group C - clear stairs, check bread (this needs 'xplainin' - check stairs means we pile stuff on the stairs all day long that needs taken up all day long and check bread means if we have 1/2 loaf or less, put bread in the bread machine)

Then, on Thursdays, each group has "special chores"
Group A - roomba living room, water plants
Group B - dust living room and dining room furniture
Group C - dust stairs

Then, on Saturdays, everyone dusts and roombas in the bedrooms.

We have other, heavy cleaning times, too, but even if that doesn't happen, our rotating chores help us at least keep things at a bare minimum, you know?