Wednesday, May 4, 2011

About You Week: Guilt Free Housework

I don't know about you but I am terrible at housework!! I am always behind.  I have tried a million different schedules to keep on top of it, including cleaning a room a day, and just cleaning whatever I see first.  Needless to say nothing has worked.  I always have a million projects that I want to get done but I feel guilty working on them if my house is dirty.

One of my friends has an awesome blog, The Modern Hive, she is so inspiring!  If you get a chance peruse her site, you will love it.  I am always checking it to find out what great ideas she has come up with lately.  She posted about this awesome book published in the early 80's.
 
Source

Just a quick outline, it uses the creation of the world to help you outline your schedule for the week.  For example Thursday was the day of vegetation and beautification, therefore Thursday is the day to work in the yard.  I love the organization of this plan.  There are certain things that you need to do everyday, then there are things that are assigned to Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.  The chores that don't have to be done as frequently are assigned to the first week, second week, etc.  It really stresses how necessary it is to have time with your family.  It also sets aside time for you to work on your projects.  I like how it focuses on being a 'guilt free' approach to housework.  


Here is how I wrote my schedule up.  For now I wrote it on a white board so I can change days around and find out what works for me.  I also added a spot at the bottom of the board for 'ideas' and 'projects'.  That way I can keep track of everything.  

I really like this schedule.  I have had to modify a few things, for example Tuesdays are super busy for me, it is hard to get laundry done on that day.  It is easy to just switch days.

There are also some great ideas for how to get your kids involved.  One of the ideas to get small children involved, is to play games with them.  Let them pretend they have a farm.  They can feed 'hay' (paper) to the horse (trashcan) or cans to the billy goat.  

If you would like a list of what chores are on which day I compiled a list for you here.  Also Heather has a free printable that you can use to set up your chore chart.

Do you have an approach to housework that helps you have some 'me' time?  I would love to hear about it!


9 comments:

Moois van mie said...

maybe it would be good for me, but i doubt that it would work at my place ;)....

Connie the crafterbug said...

Boy do I need this! Thank you again for sharing. I love your blog. I am always here.
Connie

Sommer said...

Well I'm super OCD about having a tidy home so I've gone mad trying to figure out what would work for me. As the kids get older it definitely helps. The main schedules I hold in our home are that my middle child unloads the dishwasher each day and my oldest loads. I cook and all the kids help set and rid the table. Also there are five of us so I have a laundry day for each person. You only get laundry done once a week in this house, so if you want something washed before your day is up, tough! Saturdays are for linens and bathrooms. Unless we have weekend plans I shove it into Friday. All the other stuff like floors and making beds and organizing just gets done when I pass by each room throughout the week or as needed.

nicolette {momnivores dilemma} said...

Erica-

My husband's grandma had a wise saying, "Don't worry about the dust...it will always be there."

I hear you on the housework...I live like Roseanne Barr most of the time!


If you have a moment today, please share this with my readers @Creative Juice Thursday Hope to see yours among all the amazing projects!

Shauntel said...

I love this. When you first posted it on your personal blog I knew I needed to adapt it to fit our lifestyle. I'm not good at following my plan yet, but it has great potential.

Mary @ Redo101 said...

Hi, I "followed" you from Made by You Monday - thanks for information on the chore chart. I've tried various ways to keep things done, too - I now jokingly say, "Who wants to clean (or cook) when you could be blogging?!" :) Seriously, though, I'm going to print off the sample and give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
Mary @ Redo 101

Melanie said...

Not sure how I found you, but I love you! I'm your newest follower!
Smiles,
Melanie
Reasons To Skip The Housework
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nicolette {momnivores dilemma} said...

You have inspired me to do a weekly project list...

Thanks for linking to Creative Juice. Hope to see you back again this week...

Stacey - Elle Belle said...

Great idea... and nice handwriting :)