Short term cleaning routines to keep the long term on track.
I’ve Googled for everything from the perfect packing list to the ultimate grocery guide, and always found myself Frankensteining lists to get what I want/need.
For cleaning specifically, especially in my 4 years away at college, I was constantly trying to find pre-made lists that would help us not live in dumping zone. Eventually, I got fed up with having to do work even though I was trying to be lazy, so I just started from scratch. But, I never saved or shared any of my process — until now.
Because everybody’s lives and houses and needs are different there is no one specific list that will universally work for everyone & I get that. So, instead of being so focused on a pre-made list I started developing inclusive templates. That being said — There’s no Google doc link to be clicked this time. Rather, I’ve devised (yes another) process of my own.
The first thing you should think about is frequency. You may want to think about this before drafting & laminating all your lists. Frequency, or “the rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a particular period of time” (Thanks Google), is critical when thinking about cleaning.
While some chores can stand to wait, others need to be done on a timely basis. Understanding which chores have similar frequency will allow you to develop more effective chore lists that aren’t ever-changing.
These past few years I’ve worked in food service management with a primarily teenage staff, so trust me when I say many MANY lists will fail before you find one that works most of the time.
The next thing to tackle is the Who, What, When, Where, How & Why of whatever you’re trying to get done:
Who is this list of chores for?
What needs to get done?
When does the list need to be completed by?
Where are these chores located & does that matter?
How long should each chore take? How should each chore be done?
Why do they need to get done (at all/right now)?
Answering these questions will address many of the concerns that accompany making lists like this. Answering “Why” might seem unnecessary — we clean to keep clean. However, especially when writing chore lists for kids, or even yourself, answering the “Why” can be a real help. It may be the explanation kids want or the motivation you need.
Now that we have all the basic we can start organizing our lists. (If you’re not into custom making everything, like me…) There’s plenty of blank templates, but Do It on a Dime’s Katherine has the best (FREE) “printables” on her website. She also has the cutest YouTube channel & posts new videos every week!
Building your very own routines is the only way to live an organized lifestyle.
Now, the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you, may not be right for some. A man is born, he’s a man of means; Then along come two, they got nothing but their jeans. Everybody’s got a special kind of story. Everybody finds a way to shine. It don’t matter that you got not alot. So what?
They’ll have theirs, and you’ll have yours, and I’ll have mine. & Together we’ll be fine….
Because it takes, Diff’rent Strokes to move the world.
Yes it does.
It takes, Diff’rent Strokes to move the world
Neat & Messy 