Weekly routine for a tidy home

I got tired of spending hours every week cleaning and tidying my house, which was filled with dirty laundry and toys everywhere. I’d often wait until the weekend to tackle the entire home, giving up my leisure time for playing catch up on home tasks. Now that I have this routine, my house stays so much tidier. 

Here’s what I do:​

​MONDAY
I clean out my fridge, meal plan and place my grocery pick-up order for the week.

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​TUESDAY
On this day, I pick up my grocery order, put the groceries away, and run any errands that I may have like dropping stuff off at the post office or donating a box of items to the thrift store. ​

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​WEDNESDAY
We change the bedding on Wednesdays. I say we because my kids help with this task. My nine-year-old makes her bed and her brother’s bed (he's only six and has a hard time with the fitted sheets and getting everything even). I also try to rotate any curtains that need washing.

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THURSDAY
Today is about paying bills and filing papers because it's my payday. I do my to-do items or “action file” and put away any documents I need to keep in my short or long-term storage system. Sensitive items I don't need any longer I shred with my paper shredder.

When it comes to getting paperwork done, getting this task accomplished every week helps prevent that paper overflow that is so hard to catch up on and causes bills to be late and important tasks to get missed. I cannot tell you what a hot mess it was not having a solid paper routine. Paper clutter can get out of hand so fast. Unfortunately, a lot of those papers are important and can wreak havoc in your life if you do not have a good paper system in place. 

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FRIDAY 
We do a house reset on Fridays. I said we because my kids participate in this as well. They may only be 9 and 6, but I still have them do what they can to help because everyone needs to pull their weight in the family. They empty trash cans, sweep, mop, pick up any out-of-place items and get them put away, and so forth. We always have a family movie night on Fridays which is incentive for the kids to get the tasks done quickly and without fuss so that we can get to our family fun time. ​

While they work on their chores, I tackle my chores and make sure that any hot spots get cleared, messes get cleaned, toilets get unclogged, and my yard is picked up (I live on the main road, and people feel it appropriate to toss their trash on my lawn).  ​

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SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS
I designate the weekend for special projects that I want to work on and family time. Those are the days when I will take the kids on a field trip, plan a special activity, or spend time together. Sundays here at my house are called “Sunday Funday” because it's all about fun and family.

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You don’t need to copy my routine exactly, but use it as inspiration to create one that will work with your family and your lifestyle. We all have different family makeup, different jobs, varying amounts of time, etc. There isn't a routine that is going to work for everyone. When I say this routine will work for you, I'm saying having a routine that fits into your schedule will work for you when it comes to keeping your home tidy.

Something you can do if you're in a different situation than I am is become a weekend warrior. If your weekdays are slammed and you don't have any time for cleaning, you can designate one day on the weekend to tackle all those home cleaning and tidying tasks. It shouldn't take you the whole day, but maybe a couple of hours to get everything reset.

If you don't have the weekends off when I say weekend you can consider it your days off. Whatever your schedule is, take one of those days to reset your space and get everything caught up so that you have some consistency in the home.

If time is your problem, I truly relate to you! That is my biggest hang-up as well. That is why having a routine that works was such a game-changer for me. If I didn't have this routine in place, nothing would ever get done, or some things would get done here or there, but nothing would be consistent. Multitasking is key to keeping a tidy home if you don’t have time to dedicate to cleaning and tidying. I recommend you find things that you can work into what you are already doing. For example:

• If you're microwaving a burrito for breakfast, while that's cooking you can empty the dishwasher. It takes less than 5 minutes to empty the dishwasher or to load it. I always thought this task took 15-20 minutes until I timed it! 
• Wipe the mirror, counter, and swish the toilet bowl while you bathe the kids. 
• If you use mouthwash, dump the bathroom trash while you swish.
• When you are waiting in the car for a kid to get out of a lesson or practice, pick up any trash and throw it away.
• While your coffee is brewing, you can wipe the kitchen counters down.
• When you're cooking, you can open one of your kitchen drawers and give it a quick declutter or get it organized while the meat is browning or sauce is simmering. 

​I used this excuse a lot, “I just don't have the time to clean.” In reality, I just wasn't using my time effectively. I had to realize that I have time, even if it isn’t dedicated time where I'm only cleaning, but I have the time to multitask. I can be cooking and getting something else done at the same time. I can be folding laundry while I'm helping a child with their homework. ​

If time is a premium for you, look for those times during your day when you can juggle more than one task, increasing your efficiency and productivity while getting your home on the track to tidy. ​

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