I spent this
past weekend the way I spend most weekends, cleaning, doing laundry, trying to
bring the chaos in my house under some semblance of control, when I realized that
my weekends, the two days allotted for rest and relaxation, were actually just
an extension of my work week. These are the
two days per week when I should be spending as much time as possible with Zac. The two days that I should be doing something
that will recharge me for the week ahead, or even working on the “special”
projects around the house that I just don’t have the time for now. Instead, I spend those two days in my
rattiest jeans, surrounded by cleaning products.
Sure, I could
try and calm the “Type A” voices in my head that are telling me that yes,
sitting in the living room reading a book, when the furniture needs to be
dusted, is a horrible use of my time, but I don’t see that happening. Besides, it’s difficult for me to think
straight when my surroundings are cluttered.
What I need to do is rethink the way all of these chores get done.
There is absolutely
no reason why all the cleaning has to be done in one weekend, when it’s just as
easy, if not more so, to do a little bit each day. The end result is the same…a clean house! Now that I’ve changed how I view the getting
to that end result, it was time to put the plan into action.
To start off,
I made a list of all the things that need to be done on a weekly basis. This list didn’t include the daily “quick
pick up” I do each night (picking up toys, running the dishwasher, etc),
because that is something I do automatically, but you could certainly include
that on your list of items if helps. After the list was made, I spent a lot of
time trying to figure out what could I could, with my husband’s assistance,
accomplish each night. For me, three
chores are about all I can do each night and not feel like I’ve had absolutely
no down time that day….that meant my list needed serious revisions because
there is no way I can accomplish my 28 item list in 6 days (trying to leave
Sunday as free as possible)
.
Paring down
the list was probably the most difficult part of the process for me. Sure, it would be fantastic to clean the
ceiling fans each week, or to organize the pantry on a weekly basis, but for
me, those items could be done “as needed” or “as time allows” rather than
allocating time each week towards accomplishing those tasks. Time that would be better spent reading with
Zac or editing some photos I’ve been meaning to get around to; things that I
actually enjoy doing!
This is what
the end result looks like:
This leaves
me with only an hour of chores, at the very most, to do on Saturday and an hour
on Sunday for grocery shopping with the occasional additional hour thrown in if
there is yard work that needs to be done.
This is far more manageable than trying to get everything done in a two
day period.
Of course,
the laundry still needs to be done and there will always be the occasional “cleaning
crisis” that needs to be handled or the semi-annual Spring and Fall cleanings,
but this still frees up so much of my time!
I’ve laminated
the list and will be sticking it up on the cork board in our kitchen so that
both Nick and I know what needs to be done each night, which will eliminate
excuses for not getting things done.
If this chart
is something that could be helpful to you and you’d like a copy to fill in your
own daily chores, please feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to send one
to you.
Follow @ClaudiaMatievic
No comments:
Post a Comment