Home Organization Part II: The Plan

"Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan."

~Harvey Mackay~

As we discussed yesterday, in our  General Overview, the first step towards a maintained and organized home is planning. The easiest way to create a cleaning plan is to divide the tasks up by how often they need to be completed.  I've found the best way is to create Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Seasonal tasks lists.

 
Planning Your Checklist
Creating a cleaning checklist for house cleaning is easier than you may think. The greatest advantage to creating your own list is that it will be perfectly suited to your household's needs. Here are some points to ponder:

What tasks need to be accomplished daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally? Consider your family structure and activities. If, for instance, you have very young children, mopping the floor may be a daily task. However, if you live alone, this obviously won't be the case.

Consider your busy days. If you spend all day Thursday running kids to soccer and piano practice after you've homeschooled and done volunteer work, this would obviously not be the day for your weekly tasks!

Streamline your errands. Set aside one day per week for running errands. This not only saves time and money, but also is more eco-friendly. Do not drive more than necessary.

Create the Schedule
After considering your family's needs, schedule, etc, you're ready to make your schedule!

Either take 4 sheets of paper to create your DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY and SEASONAL lists. Or draw 4 columns on one sheet of paper (eco-friendly!) and do the same.

Pull out your weekly schedule and decide when you can do which tasks. Personally, I use 15 minutes in the morning and evening for "chores". Saturday is set aside for weekly task. But perhaps you work weekends, your "Saturday" may be on a Monday.

Still Need Help?

If creating your own schedule is an overwhelming thought, you may view our household schedule.
Daily Schedule
As you can see, we spend 15 minutes in the morning (sometimes less) and 20 minutes after dinner cleaning.

Weekly:
Due to work schedules, our grocery day is Thursday. So..
Wednesday: Create menu and shopping list. Menu posts on refrigerator. Clear old food stuffs from fridge and wipe down using 50/50 vinegar spray and microfiber cloth.
Thursday: Errands at 2pm (bills, groceries, etc.)
Saturday morning we take 1 hour to use our cleaning checklist on our home.
If you stick to your plan most of the time, then those times when schedules get thrown by the wayside for a day won't be such an dreadful situation. Your home should be a place of peace and relaxation. You work hard to have your home, why not enjoy it?

Most Importantly: KEEP IT SIMPLE! The more detailed your list, the more overwhelmed you'll feel. If you keep your eye simple, the job at hand will be far easier and you will be more relaxed about it!