Cleaning Chart

Before kids, and when I worked full time, Saturday mornings were a time of laundry and frenzied cleaning. I spent several hours racing around trying to get everything back in shape. Now, I do cleaning in short bursts when I have time, or at least before company comes over.

I just read an article that affirmed my experience, saying it's more productive and less stressful to break things down into small jobs throughout the week. I never really timed these projects until I planned to write this post, but it is true that you can do a lot in 20 minutes.

When breaking up the tasks, I worry that I'll miss something.One of my friends told me she has a set day for dusting, another for vacuuming, etc. I'm not sure I can hold myself to such a high standard.

Because I believe that good organization means developing a system that actually works (not just sounds or looks good in a magazine), I came up with this cleaning chart to help me personally cover the basics. I'm sure it will require some adaptation after a few weeks.

As an example, I only scheduled myself to vacuum upstairs every other week. Maybe you think that's gross, but let me say that it's better that I do it every other week than procrastinate and have it go far longer in between.  Yes, even though I like to clean, some jobs just require more effort to start.

I'd love to hear how you make your chores fit into your schedule. Until then, happy cleaning!