If you’ve read any of my articles, you know that I have a website dedicated to house and home. I have recipes, crafts, parenting tips, fitness tips, how to get organized, and so much more. The reason I started the page in the first place was because I know how hard it is to manage it all. You have a home to maintain, children to care for, a spouse that requires your attention, and often a job. How do you manage everything, and still have some time to relax?
After years of perfecting my system, I’m going to share it with you. I want everyone to be able to come home and feel relaxed, not like they’ve walked into the circle of chaos.
Step One, Clean Up
The first step to getting your home under control, is to make it a priority. Dedicate a weekend, or a few hours a day, if you have a busy schedule. Clean that house. I’m talking about going through EVERYTHING in you home! Get rid of anything you don’t need. Keeping all of those things in your home, “just in case”, is doing nothing but adding more things to dust, and adding more stress. Clutter=Stress! Wash all of your curtains. Wash the towels in the guest bathroom. Scrub out your garbage cans. Spring Clean!
Sell those things that you don’t want, or give them to Goodwill. Get rid of that trash! Make your home start to work with you!
Step Two, Build A System
Now that all of that clutter is out of your home, set up a cleaning schedule to maintain it. I sell cleaning cards on my site, that makes this step easy. I use them, and wanted to offer them to everyone else. They break down each day, and what cleaning needs to be done. They are dry erase cards so they can be reused over and over again. By having these “Chores” in front of me, I know what needs to be done that day. I spend an hour or so, cleaning, but Sunday is always my day off. No cleaning!
Step Three, ROUTINE
Now, I know you’ve heard it before, but by building a routine for your family, this helps with not only time management, but with the habits you are instilling in your children. Routines have been proven to help with giving your child a stable childhood.
Everyone’s routine will be different, because every family has different needs. Build your routine around your family. Schedule family nights. Schedule Taco night! Schedule time with your spouse.
Step Four, Menus
Yes, menus. I take a Sunday afternoon and plan my family’s menu for the next 2 weeks. This helps to avoid the “what’s for dinner” dilemma. You have everything on a list on your fridge, and you know exactly what to pull out of the freezer. It also helps with grocery shopping. Make your menu, see what you have in your pantry, and make your list. It helps to avoid overspending, as well as any planning for shopping with coupons.
Step Five, Maintain
Follow these 5 steps for 1 month! Maintain! I know it’s going to be hard to get into the grove, but if you stick to it, the reward is priceless!
Final Step…ENJOY
Now after your 30 days of following the above steps, sit back and look at all you have accomplished. You haven’t missed an appointment. Your grocery trip was a piece of cake. You were able to read an entire book! The kids are even behaving better.
Enjoy it!
Image Credit: Health.com
Cool! Now if I could just have the energy to maintain a clean and organized house… !!!