Note: this is not me – I don’t look this
happy while cleaning! 🙂
First let me start by saying life is far from perfect over here. Case in point: yesterday I burnt a few Legos in the dishwasher (open the windows, air out the house burnt), I burnt the jalepeño poppers I was making for when my husband got home from work (beyond recognizable form), and I burnt our dinner of chicken quesadillas (I had spent an hour hand rolling/frying the flour tortillas!).
So… things don’t always go according to plan. However, the important thing is that I have a plan! “Plan your work, and work your plan.” I am definitely much better at the first part… but I do try with the second half of the statement. You have to “know where you’re going,” otherwise, you’ll never get there.
I love to make lists, like my insanely detailed grocery list. I also have a list for getting all the “daily chores” around the house done. I created this list after spending a good amount of time reading the Fly Lady’s website; she’s this amazing organizing woman with a plan and list for everything. I used her ideas for creating a household “control journal,” as she calls it, and I made my own version in one single chart – I have to see everything on one page. I like the big picture!
Back in the day, I used to do all the house cleaning on Saturdays. Yep, everything – laundry, dusting, vacuum, bathrooms, etc. I would spend hours cleaning. It was a great feeling to have the entire house fresh and clean for the week. However, when you have children, you don’t have four uninterrupted hours to devote to cleaning (and please don’t tell me about it if you do!)
So I made a plan and put it into, you guessed it: Excel spreadsheets! Here’s my plan:
1. Break up the Cleaning: I deconstructed my cleaning tasks into steps. Instead of “clean upstairs,” I have at least four distinct tasks that might take from 5-30 minutes. Telling yourself you’re going to clean the entire upstairs is daunting, but broken down sounds more manageable:
change sheets
wash floors
upstairs bathroom
laundry
I broke down every major chore/cleaning area, then spread those chores out during the week. I grouped them logically – if I’m going to change sheets, I’m probably doing laundry the same day. I gave myself a few “light” days, and a day off (Sunday).
2. Take Time For Yourself: You know all those New Year’s Resolutions that never quite make it past March? Exercise, daily devotions, drinking more water, taking vitamins. Well, I struggle with these on a daily basis too! So I made a list of personal daily goals and put them above every day’s cleaning tasks (priorities). This serves as a reminder – oh, did I take my vitamins today? No? Then stop and pop them in your mouth right now.
3. Mark Your Calendar: We tried keeping a family calendar. Things kept changing. And what about errands? They use up calendar time too. So we still mark big events on the wall calendar, but I added a daily “errand/appointment” list to my spreadsheet. I write in appointments and major events, and potential errands. Looking at the various events of the week, I can tell when I’ll have time for dropping items at the thrift store, or that grocery shopping on Monday won’t work because I have my heavier cleaning tasks on that day (I like to start the week out fresh!). This section is blank in my computer, because I print out a new sheet each week and write in these errands/appointments.
4. Remember to Eat: I was keeping a separate menu plan, but then started to realize the big dinner I wanted to make on Tuesday, I didn’t have time for according to my plan. So I combined the two sheets, and now the dinner menu is listed at the bottom of my chart. I can look my full plan, and tell if I need to have a light, quick meal, or if I’ll have time for a more involved menu.
5. Projects &Spring Cleaning: Ugh. We like the thought of an entirely clean house but… who wants to get started? After “working my plan” for several weeks, I found I skipped the same tasks each week. Like washing windows. Or wiping baseboards. Dusting. Cleaning the refrigerator. I made a list of these tasks, room by room. I call this my “spring cleaning” list. On my main chore list, I added the task “spring clean” a few days a week. Now, one or two times a week, I look at my “spring cleaning” list and do one of the tasks in one room (that’s important for keeping it manageable – don’t try to wash ALL the windows in the house – just do the kitchen windows this week). I chunked the spring cleaning tasks so that if I do 1-3 a week, after ten weeks, my entire house has had its spring cleaning. Then I’ll start over. So really, the house will be cleaned entirely FIVE times a year. Oh, and projects, like sewing, garden planning, scrapbooking, etc – I just list in the extra space at the bottom – I rarely get to these projects, but at least they remind me that eventually, they need to get done!
So, what does this amazing chart/plan of mine look like? I’m glad you asked. Here’s a Print Screen, so you can see a little version of my weekly chart:
6. Let’s Be Realistic: Before you start thinking I’m some kind of perfect cleaning angel: STOP. I have a plan. But we all know about the “best laid plans,” right? (Thank you, Robert Burns!). Do I do every single thing on this list every day, every week? No. Of course not. Things continue to be perfectly un-perfect over here. However, I am now much more likely to do 75% of the tasks on the list. And I get delighted on days where I cross off EVERY single task. What a sense of accomplishment!
And days when hardly anything gets crossed off… well, that’s why I print a fresh sheet every week – “tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet.” (Thank you, Anne Shirley).
What do you do to plan your day, your tasks, stay on top of household chores? Please share, I am always looking for new ideas to streamline my workload!
OMG I need a spreadsheet like this. Badly! You want to send over a copy of your hard work lol! Very impressive and not overyly stressful!
Pam R.
Tuesday 26th of October 2010
I was so excited to read this post! I joined Flylady a few weeks ago...for about the third time. It seems every time I joined the mailing list in the past I eventually ended up unsubscribing because I couldn't ever get myself to follow along. This time, however, I find that I really can do most of my household chores in 15 minutes or less and I feel much less stressed about doing those chores. I'm starting to learn good habits about cleaning and I'm finally able to get rid of so much junk in my home! My kids love Flylady (and the House Fairy) too. My kids do really well with a time limit for their chores and they would really benefit from something like your plan you have on a spreadsheet (much simpler though of course). Thanks for this great idea :)
Crunchy Beach Mama
Friday 22nd of October 2010
oh you make me smile. An excel sheet for cleaning. Sure, I'd love a copy - we'll see what I can do with it.TRex Mom - assigning tasks to Hubby? What is that? :)
T Rex Mom
Thursday 21st of October 2010
This is actually a really great idea. I need to start doing this. Usually hubby and I just sit down on Sunday and make a list prioritizing items and assigning items to each of us. But I think I need something a little more drawn out like this. Sometimes we have the discussion while soaking our feet in a tub of bath salts - a nice distraction when discussing cleaning and other chores.
"Deal"icio
Thursday 6th of January 2011
OMG I need a spreadsheet like this. Badly! You want to send over a copy of your hard work lol! Very impressive and not overyly stressful!
Pam R.
Tuesday 26th of October 2010
I was so excited to read this post! I joined Flylady a few weeks ago...for about the third time. It seems every time I joined the mailing list in the past I eventually ended up unsubscribing because I couldn't ever get myself to follow along. This time, however, I find that I really can do most of my household chores in 15 minutes or less and I feel much less stressed about doing those chores. I'm starting to learn good habits about cleaning and I'm finally able to get rid of so much junk in my home! My kids love Flylady (and the House Fairy) too. My kids do really well with a time limit for their chores and they would really benefit from something like your plan you have on a spreadsheet (much simpler though of course). Thanks for this great idea :)
Crunchy Beach Mama
Friday 22nd of October 2010
oh you make me smile. An excel sheet for cleaning. Sure, I'd love a copy - we'll see what I can do with it.TRex Mom - assigning tasks to Hubby? What is that? :)
T Rex Mom
Thursday 21st of October 2010
This is actually a really great idea. I need to start doing this. Usually hubby and I just sit down on Sunday and make a list prioritizing items and assigning items to each of us. But I think I need something a little more drawn out like this. Sometimes we have the discussion while soaking our feet in a tub of bath salts - a nice distraction when discussing cleaning and other chores.