I'm wondering how many parents plan actual time for organizing and cleaning and either block it out in the calendar or make a mental note that it is a priority for that time/day? OR do you just fit it in when you can? I follow flylady, but have to say I'm not really making time for organizing and cleaning..I wing it and pack the schedule with work and kids then wonder when I'm going to do dishes and laundry and mail and finances and all. I'm starting to think I need to physically write down what I am going to do in the house and when it will happen. It's as if I'm putting work, kids activities and their schoolwork way above my own sanity.
I'd love to hear how you handle getting your own stuff done. The finances, exercise, organizing, scrapbooking kinds of things that seem to get pushed down to the bottom of the list each day and you never get to them.
I guess I need to start saying No more and commit to getting my act together. So my overall question is, do you plan actual time to get things done?
I feel like I should explain that I work from home full-time. So all of the hours the kids are in school are eaten up by work, unless I specifically set aside a few minutes here and there to throw a load of laundry in or do the dishes. Most of the time, it is non-stop work though. No doubt it wouldn't be as challenging to get it all done if I had those 6 hours during school to do household stuff and personal hobbies and things. That's unfortunately not the case with my schedule. So, that is why I'm asking. I have friends who keep their house spotless and have it all together, but my husband reminds me that they don't work, so I have to keep it in perspective. Of course, everyone is busy. This same friend I mentioned volunteers her time in lots of ways. So, I'm not saying she has endless free time at all. In my case, my time is either occupied by work or kids all day, so I really am starting to think adding "appointments" for myself might be the way to go to get some time for organizing the garage, sorting through the kids clothes that are getting small, cleaning the closet, getting caught up on finances, etc. My daily stuff usually gets done, even if that means doing laundry at 10pm. It's the extra stuff that seems to fall through the cracks and I feel like I'm in survival mode all the time, barely keeping up with the day to day. I have noticed that I start focusing on these kinds of things when my work/life balance is out of whack and I have too many work projects going on. I'm sure that is the case now too. Way too busy!
I love the idea of a list that covers a few things I want to accomplish this week and this month. Then maybe I'll block in those daily appointment slots in order to actually find the time to do those things. Thanks all!! I appreciate the insight and perspective.
I'm sitting here wanting to cry.
I don't know the answer. It seems like anything "I" plan gets over ridden by cranky kids or a hubby inistent that what he is working on takes precident. Tell me how not to adapt to what everyone else needs.
No I do not plan usually. I think to myself "wow I need to get that done this weekend". But I am lucky that my kids help out a lot and my husband does too when he is home. I might give my kids a task or two a day and then on the weekends one big task, such as vacuuming the whole house or cleaning a bathroom. That's the only way I can get it done!! And yes I have had to start saying "no" sometimes and that does help too.
I have 2 kids, I am a SAHM but work part time.
I clean/organize/cook, everyday, as a PART of my entire day. DAILY.
And then yes, the kids have their homework and their activities too.
I am constantly on the fly and always on the go.
I have my daily routines and I know what to do. I do it everyday. It is like autopilot. But yes, it takes TIME for each single thing that I must do every day. And then there is night time stuff.
And I also do "my" stuff too.
Sure there are things that get pushed aside. But I itemize things/priorities.
Yes, I actually plan time to get things done.
So far today I have:
Made breakfast and coffee and ate and got the family fed, done laundry, washed dishes twice, cleaned out the fridge, watered the yard and garden, did some insect control outside, got my son and daughter ready for their weekend activities and got them to it and back, made my grocery list and menu, got some billls done, made a couple of appointments for next week for the family, checked my calendar for next week and updated it, checked my e-mail and responded to my friends, came on here to Mamapedia because its fun, cleaned the family room and kitchen and bathrooms and shower.
And it is not even 10:30am yet, in my State.
So I can take a breather now.
But in a bit... I have to do errands, get ready for a party later in the afternoon, get a potluck dish made, and the entire family will be at a party in the evening, and clean the other rooms. Oh and vacuum and mop and dust.
My Husband does help. And my kids too. But I am the most efficient one.
LOL
*Adding This: then at other times, I do nothing.
I flylady, and thereby spend 15-45 minutes every day cleaning. Dishes are never left dirty in my sink, and the main bathroom is always wiped down in the morning before the day starts. I then use whatever remaining time I have to do something --dust the bedrooms, etc. I also run the vacuum in the kitchen and living room about 5x a week after dinner.
I do our finances and my email, etc. in the early morning before everyone is up, and then when I am done with my tea, I will then move on to "projects." I am currently doing a massive reorganization on my office. So I spend 15 minutes every day working on that. I tend to do the finances in the morning on the weekend, and allowing myself a day or two to skip cleaning.
I was exercising religiously 5x a week in the morning too, but I've stopped recently because my belly is getting big (i'm pregnant) and I can't do kickboxing anymore ;-(
If you really flylady, then you know that you need to just do 10-15 minutes a few times a day. You work from home, so after breakfast, before starting working, do 15 minutes of cleaning. Then, after lunch do another 10-15 minutes, and then again after dinner. You'd be amazed at how clean and organized your house can be just with those 10-15 minute blocks a few times a day.
If you don't have a schedule, then you need one --this is at the heart of the flylady system. I deep wash everything in the house during the first week of the month. On Mondays I dust, on Sundays and Thursdays I wash floors. During the second week I deep clean bedrooms, organize books, etc. The third week I focus on the playroom, clearing out unnecessary toys, etc. The fourth week is seasonal stuff ( I took our window screens down the other day and cleaned the windows. You'd think this would take tons of time, but it took less than an hour!).
And like I said, I wake up early and do 15 minutes of "project" cleaning, reorganized that closet that is a nightmare, etc.
I could commit all over the place, but I am never going to get stuff done like S H! Not in my genes!
Organizing and cleaning are part of my daily routine, as are exercising and eating and sleeping and showering and getting dressed, so your question is one that I have never had to ask myself. When do you do dishes? After you eat, of course. When do you do laundry? Whenever the hamper is full. You fold while you watch one of your DVR'd shows and everyone puts away their own. This site makes you realize how different everyone is...I have never realized people wonder when to do these things. :)
I do like to make lists, but list are for the things that don't need to be done every day. I usually have a list of "extra" projects/tasks that I want to have done by the end of the week or month.
But, if you are more efficient when you plan an agenda that specifies blocks of time to do all the every day things, then go for it. Everyone is different.
I'm taking my daughter to playcare this afternoon and cleaning my house while she's there. It's so hard to do it after work and while she's awake, and I don't have the energy after she's in bed. I generally try to have a cleaning service come in to do major housecleaning, and I do picking up. And, it's also a bit of prioritizing. Spending time with my daughter ranks higher than a spic and span house most of the time. I'd hate to think my chore schedule meant that we missed important moments and fun time. The good thing is that she's old enough now to help me do some chores, so my helper does make it easier to get some things done than it was a year or so ago.
I'm a planner, and so is my husband. Sometimes he is off on Wednesdays, and if he is, he cleans the house then, and I will touch it up on Saturday mornings. Lately though, he's had to work on Wednesdays, so I've planned to clean everything on Saturdays, and touch up on Wednesdays when I get home from school (I teach). We do laundry and dishes throughout the week as needed, but it never piles up.
As for other things like organizing, yes, I plan for that, too, just not as often. I am naturally a neat freak, so the house stays pretty organized, but I will do cabinets and closets about once a season, and I plan for it. Also, I put my personal plans on the calendar, dinner with friends, hair appointments, shopping with my mom, etc. That way I won't plan something for the kids during that time that would conflict with it. I need "me" time. It makes me a better mom if I take care of myself, too.
I schedule it. My workouts happen on specific days. That way I have it "scheduled." It helps to do that.
As far as cleaning, we have a housekeeper come once per week. I realize that this is a TOTAL luxury and that it can be too expensive for many families. My husband really likes having her come once a week, so I'm not going to argue ; ) He likes a clean house and I think he knows that I'm not a consistently motivated cleaner =) I do love a clean house but I'm not good at the timing of it all.
