Out-of-Control Housework
Author: Heather Slee
You probably have a lot going on. Kid or kids, work or stay-at-home-parenting, projects, volunteering, church or other organizations, or more. Or maybe just your active children are enough to keep you busy all day long! At any rate, many parents are finding it hard to keep up with housework. You're afraid someone will stop over without calling first. You close the door behind you when the pizza delivery person arrives, and you pray no one will ask you to host the next play day. Well, here are some tips to help you get back the control over your house.
Start by getting control over your laundry. This is a fairly easy one. You can do pretty much anything and still be doing laundry at the same time. Throw a load in the wash, read a few books with the kids. Throw the load in the dryer, time for the baby's bath. Make it a habit. If you know you're going to be doing something that takes about 20-30 minutes, you can first throw in a load of laundry. Then take a timeout and throw it in the dryer. And if your kids are a little older, you can enlist their help. They can match socks or sort light and dark clothes. Maybe one can be in charge of cleaning the lint trap, and another can be in charge putting the dryer sheet in the dryer.
Once you get a little caught up with the laundry, if that is one of your trouble areas, you can start attacking the rest of the house. Even if you are booked solid, or just completely exhausted from the day's activities, make a plan with your partner, or even if it's just you, to do something productive (cleaning-wise) for at least 20 minutes each evening. This can be after the kids are in bed, or while they're watching a show, or maybe it's right away when you get home from work. Figure out a time and commit. You'd be surprised how much you can actually get done in 20 minutes. And again, older children can help out with some tasks. Otherwise, if you have a baby, try to do this during a sleep cycle.
Spend some time on the weekends for bigger projects, like cleaning out closets and garages and the like. For a few weeks you may have to sacrifice some time you'd otherwise spend differently. But eventually you'll be caught up, and if you keep doing your 20 minutes a day, you should maintain your clean house easily.
Okay, easier said than done, right? Here's the trick: you need a real commitment. Make a chart or a calendar and put it on the fridge. Have a family meeting about it. Decide today that you will not let your house control you! Decide that you want to invite that pizza delivery person right on in because you're proud of your house. The mindset is what is really tricky; you have to overcome your overwhelmed self, recognize that it will be hard at first, but that it will be worth it in the end. Pretty soon your 20 minutes a day will seem too long, and for the last 10, you'll be able to sit and relax for once!
