My hubby calls the mess lived in. I call it a source of irritation.
Don't get me wrong. I like my house neat and tidy with everything in it's place. But if there's one thing I've learned over the last few years it's this: cleaning with kids around is like eating Oreos while brushing your teeth. It's a never-ending struggle.
Over a year ago I was fed up with always feeling behind with things at home. Then a dear friend introduced me to what I loving referred to as "The List". You may remember a few posts here that detailed my journey to of cleaning more effectively.
But things have changed. Our busy schedules are constantly shifting, and I find that I no longer can follow a strict weekly cleaning schedule. I also don't want to spend all day Saturday playing catch-up.
I once wrote about some cleaning hacks I had learned to help me check off some things from my list. So now I'm back with five simple tips for using seconds to save minutes...or minutes to save hours...that you may or may not have in your own busy, crazy life.
Ready? Here we go:
1. Put it away, right away. When I get home from work, I'm ready for my oversized sweatshirt and my most comfortable skirt. These days it's more like out of work clothes and into workout gear. It's so much easier to just toss everything into a heap at the end of the bed. But that means coming back later to take care of it. A few extra seconds of simply putting everything away when I take them off, saves minutes of clean up later. This also applies to coats, shoes...you name it. Done with it? Then put it away--immediately.
2. Wipe it down. I love Clorox wipes! It doesn't have to be name brand, some off brands work just as well. But I keep these in the kitchen and bathrooms. After getting ready in the morning, I take just a minute to wipe down both sinks and the counter in the bathroom. This shaves off the time spent on cleaning the bathroom every week.
This concept also extends into the kitchen. Dishes all done? Use the dish wand to scrub down the sinks and then rinse them out. A few wipes later and all the counters are nice and clean.
3. A load a day keeps the laundry at bay. Now I understand that not everyone has to do a load of laundry every day to keep up with everything. But with our active family of five, I absolutely HAVE to. Working smarter I found that by putting a load in the washer the night before, starting it right before I walk out the door the next morning, transferring to the dryer when I walk back in after school, and folding before bed keeps the dirty clothes at bay.
4. Only 15 minutes of tidying up. This is HUGE for me! We can all agree that fifteen minutes is not really that long, but the effects are amazing! By the time I head to bed, the main living areas of our house (meaning: the rooms people will see if they drop by) are neat and tidy. That means picking up toys played with, discarded shoes, socks, drinking cups, and...I hate to say this, but any trash left lying around. With everything back in its place, it gives the appearance that I've actually done some cleaning. Then all I have to do is run my iRobot the next morning while at school (one of the greatest investments ever made!) to add the finishing touch.
And for the finale...
5. Do it the night before. This includes things like packing my lunch, setting up the keurig, putting everything back into my school bag, or having my clothes ironed for school. Doing these small things the night before means less stress getting out the door in the morning.
And it can be stressful!
But taking just a few seconds here, saves minutes at a later time. Minutes I can use to just sit and do absolutely nothing...which is very rare...and sounds heavenly.
What about you? Anything you've tried that helps you work smarter and not harder? Do share! I'm always ready to try something new!
Simply Saving Time,
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