Taking Control of Your Time (Part 3)

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 3)

Now the third thing you need to do is create your daily routine. It may take a few weeks to figure out what works for you. Again, don’t stress. You have a whole year to get it figured out. J You will need to tweak it here and there, but eventually this will be a great anchor for your whole day. I know that by having this daily routine, my house will always be clean.

Your routine will help you keep your house clean with very little time or effort. You just decide when a task will be most convenient to do and in 10 minutes or less it is done! Eventually this will become a habit!

This is easy to do even if you have a baby or have a job outside your home. I am going to give you an example of my daily routine so you can get an idea of how this works.

7:00- Wake up and take dirty laundry to laundry room, sort and start a load.

8:00- After fixing my hair and brushing my teeth I wipe down the mirror and counter.

8:15- I unload dishwasher and put clothes in the dryer.

8:30- After breakfast, I clear the dishes from table, rinse then put them in the dishwasher and wipe the table. (This is a good job for kids.)

10:00- During a school break the kids and I get clothes out of dryer, fold them and put them up. * I try to only do one load a day if possible and I don’t do laundry on Mondays or weekends.

12:00- Following lunch, the kids and I clear dishes from the table, wipe table, rinse dishes and load.

4:00- 10 minute quick clean, At this time we run around the house (this makes it fun, ) to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be and we quickly vacuum with a rechargeable vacuum. (Kids beg to vacuum with this.)

6:30- We clear the dishes and wipe the table and counters. I have the kids vacuum the kitchen floor with the rechargeable vacuum and I start the dishwasher.

7:30- During little brother's bath, I wipe down the kids’ bathroom counters, floor and mirror. (Never leave little ones unattended in the bath.)

8:00-During the kids’ bedtime snack , I clean out the sink and get the coffee ready for the next morning.

The best way to set up your routine is to figure out what you want to get done in a day and place it where you can most logically get it accomplished with little effort. Even though my list may look like a lot, it is really not. You get to the point where you don’t even realize you are doing anything. Remember it is okay if something does not get done one day because you are sick or busy. Just continue the next day. Another great thing about this routine is that my children know it, so they will take it over when I need them to. Make sure that you try really hard to do each thing on your list, because they build on each other. Example: Taking a few minutes to clean the kitchen after lunch means a clean start when you make supper.

  

 Don’t forget- if you are still trying to declutter add in a few minutes a day to accomplish that.