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Post by creativechaos on Apr 13, 2015 15:52:40 GMT -5
needmorecoffee; this is such a great thread; thank you for getting it going. i like coming here and reading people's wise tips. so glad Lioness's thread helped you too. i go back and read that regularly. it's sort of my "bible" of how to get through any neglect and it pulls me back to home base and reminds me why i am doing all this work. all who posted here so far have important pieces of this puzzle - so thank you! dtesposito ~ i love your idea of the priority list and 'due dates' - prioritizing is so helpful. @serenity ~ pick up stuff and not step over it (how did you KNOW?) papermoon ~ night time PEEPing with the timer - yes! brilliant! wind ~ the big 3 - sink/counter, laundry, and trash (clogged sink full of dishes and clogged counters = unworkable kitchen) razy ~ a list of regular things, done regularly. (will have to check out kanban flow) @7sweetbabiesgranny ~ having things in the right room definitely helps! when things are more sorted its' fun to make what i call "activity centers" and store what you use for those activities in those areas. wow sauberkite; thanks for that post - your routine and your thoughts - very clear and helpful. love the shower squeegee idea! will be looking out for one of those at thrift or yard sale. and then, the 15 minutes more of something you notice that jumps out that needs doing - because you notice it.
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Post by needmorecoffee on Apr 15, 2015 7:52:19 GMT -5
At the moment, I feel like I'm two steps forward, two back, one forward, three back, five forward one back... ugh barely making progress in my habits. But it is a bit better I guess. I had a good read of some blogs today and some guides for teaching your kids! so that was agood as well, by helping them take care of their areas, it stops it encroaching into the areas that are fully my responsibility.
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Post by Di on Apr 15, 2015 12:19:08 GMT -5
My daily must do's. (Note that not all must be done by me.)
Bed made as soon as I wake up (each person makes their own)
Upstairs laundry carried to laundry room. (Kiddo usually does this)
Dishwasher either loaded or unloaded.(in a perfect world it would ALWAYS be unloaded) This is done while waiting on coffee.
While Kiddo is eating breakfast I try to sort the clothes and dump one load in washer.
By the time I leave I have spent probably 15 minutes on morning routines.
I try to find another 15 minute block to fold living room throws, straighten pillows, toss clean load into dryer or hang to dry and start another load.
I cook dinner and try to finish kitchen then.
While watching TV I fold clothes. People put their own away on their way to bed.
Everyone keeps their own bathroom reasonably sanitary.
This keeps the house tidy and only adds a few minutes at a time and I no longer even notice then. Because the house IS tidy, I can easily see things that need to be done. I tackle THOSE things when I have time and energy. They do get done because they are glaringly obvious.
Of course, you can fudge a bit...if you notice the floor looking a bit grungy, you can toss down a damp towel and kick it about to buy a few days before giving in and actually mopping.
If you don't have a trash can in every room, hang handle tie tall kitchen bags on a doorknob and get in the habit of immediately tossing. Keep a small hamper or basket in each bedroom for stuff that lives "elsewhere" when the basket is full, take the stuff to its home.
I am a total scheduling failure. Lists stress me out. Keeping the house always tidy let's me see what needs doing and eventually it gets done. I call my system puttering it may not go fast but it gets the job done.
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Post by creativechaos on Apr 17, 2015 1:34:25 GMT -5
your "puttering" method is brilliant, di! lists and schedules freak me out and i get demand resistant or paralyzed with overwhelm. lists can help in a crisis or deadline but i often just do my own thing. i still struggle with my neglectful habits but in a perfect world my idea of maintenance would be:
bed made every day
stuff PEEPed daily
dishes done every day
if it takes less than two minutes, do it.
if i get it out, put it away.
get in habit of swishing and swiping kitchen and bathroom
hang, fold, put away clothes
self care and hygiene
clean up spills or accidents right away
mail and papers - deal with daily
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Post by needmorecoffee on Apr 26, 2015 1:34:15 GMT -5
The "take it with you!" method is really helping. I try and take one thing with me out of every room I walk out of if it doesn't belong there. A cup, mug or piece of clothing. If it's a toy I'll remind a child to come get it. If it's junk it's going straight to the bin. So that's really helping with maintenance. Insisting to myself that I vacuum every three days is keeping the floors looking good so everything looks better so I'm more inclined to defend the progress I made!
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Post by Jannie on Apr 26, 2015 7:45:01 GMT -5
I try to start each day with a clean kitchen and clean bathroom. I gather up household trash a couple times a day. Also scoop the cat box in the AM. Other stuff can wait. I never make my bed because hubby is disabled and spends all his time there. I don't vacuum floors all that often. I cannot use lists-I always fail. Just do the minimum needed to keep the house from being a smelly pig-sty. When things get bad, I'll pare down to basics- The Three D's- Dinner, Dishes, Duds. Feed myself and hubby, keep the kitchen sink empty and clean, and do laundry "as needed"'. Sometimes it's daily, sometimes less. I need to be flexible. If the dog poops or the cat pukes, it gets cleaned up immediately.
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Post by anewleaf on Apr 27, 2015 18:19:33 GMT -5
I'm with wind: when I was in maintenance mode, trash, sink/counters and laundry were the most important areas to keep up. I would actually rate getting rid of trash/rubbish as #1 because that was my starting point. After I reached maintenance, I would go around the house most mornings and gather it for the s.o. to take to the dumpster at work. I'll also add in: having a working dishwasher! I just need to pull on the rubber gloves, scrub out the sink out with bleach and get DOWN TO IT! But I would rather be shot! And laundry? Oy. It's endless. But I remember when I finally got down to the very last load...I never imagined being completely done. It was a great feeling! And I'm with Jannie: cat pukes are to be picked up immediately and preferably cleaned with a special cleaner. Even though I'm not currently in maintenance. |
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Post by creativechaos on Apr 28, 2015 0:27:39 GMT -5
that is an excellent report, needmorecoffee! the take it with you method- i'll need to use that a lot to regain what i have already lost due to physical exhaustion and neglect at home while trying to put out other fires. thank you Jannie for posting your methods too - with a disabled husband, you have come up with creative ways to keep the house manageable and in maintenance without losing your sanity. thank you for that. anewleaf, thanks for the reminder of the basics - trash first, and sink/counters - that is where my kitchen falls apart first. first i neglect a few dishes, they end up in sink, rendering it useless, etc...  i guess i would rather be shot too! but if you can do it, then i certainly can without kids or a s.o.! i am glad this thread is staying alive. now to practice... but first i need to get back to where i was before losing ground. then i can add to gains again. |
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Post by anewleaf on May 1, 2015 5:53:51 GMT -5
You CAN do it! ![]() |
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