I am not some one who likes routines in general, which probably sounds funny to those who know me, but it’s sadly true. Although I recognise the need for routine, I like to retain some spontaneity.
When it comes to housework however, I have found routine to be helpful in dividing the chores into more manageable chunks that I can do in and around the routine and demands of my children. I have found this much more helpful rather than having a weekly cleaning day which my own mother used to do.
I read the ‘Smart Martha’ book a few years back (see the review here) and though I could never be as organised at Tami Kiser I knew that I could better plan my time.
The first thing I did was sit down and work out what were daily, weekly and monthly or occasional chores that needed to be done around the house.
For example daily chores included children’s hygiene, meals, keeping the house in some order. Weekly chores included ironing, watering the garden, cleaning the house. Monthly or occasional chores were things like cleaning bed sheets, mending clothes, paying bills.
Initially I would do a load or two of washing everyday but I found this really ate into the time I wanted to be doing other things. Now I wash three days a week and average about three loads, and I wash on a fourth day, usually Saturday, if I’m overrun with extra washing due to bad weather or so on.
I found this gave me two other mornings where I could concentrate on other chores. Now I leave Thursday mornings free for grocery shopping and other out of the house errands and Tuesday morning is generally spent vacuuming the house before the kids make too much mess.
Monday is my weekend recovery day. I tend to be a bit more lenient on the weekend with regards to chores so Monday morning is generally the day I straighten the house and just feel like I’m getting back on top of things. There tends to be quite a lot of laundry to do then as although I might wash on Saturdays I don’t on Sundays and on the weekend we always seem to wear more outfits!
I have found this system works really well for me, especially now as I’m approaching 35 weeks, because everything is broken into smaller chores and you can fit them into your day when it suits you and your children’s routine.
So in addition to the daily chores of preparing meals and their clean up, washing dishes, dressing and helping children with hygiene demands, general tidying and so forth my week generally looks something like this:
Monday – general house tidy, laundry (usually a lot)
Tuesday – dusting, vacuum carpets, ironing
Wednesday – laundry, bathroom and toilet clean, meal planning for week
Thursday – groceries, occasional chores like mending, washing bed sheets
Friday – laundry, sweep and mop tiled floors
Weekends – minimal chores unless necessary
What does your week look like? Do you have a conscious schedule or do you just do what needs to be done as you go along?
Originally posted 2013-12-26 21:13:41.