Do you have a cleaning routine in place or do you just do what you can, when you can?
Do you know exactly what needs to be done and when, or do you wait for motivation to strike or some extra time to magically appear?
Maybe you just wait until the house is a total mess and can't handle it any more?
One of the ways that you can make managing your home easier, is to have a cleaning routine or schedule in place .
A cleaning routine clearly outlines household cleaning chores, the days on which they need to be done and who will do them. ( I'm a firm believer in everyone in the house contributing)
I know this sounds like a lot of effort and organisation, but with a little upfront time and energy, you're going to make your life easier in the long run.
So why is a cleaning routine so important?
When you have a routine in place, you know exactly what needs doing and when, which means you don't have to consciously think about it or make any decisions, you just follow the routine, The more you do it, the more you operate on auto pilot. You'll find you get quicker at getting things done and become one of those 'tidy people' you envy.
The mess never builds up, because you have a daily and weekly routine in place, things are always tidy and get a good clean on a regular basis. This means no more dedicating hours or a whole day to getting the house back in order
Your family are able to help out more. How often do you get annoyed that your family don't pull their weight? But without communicating your expectations clearly, it's unlikely they will know where you need help or voluntarily pick up more chores. When you don't really know what needs doing or when, it's harder to delegate tasks.
When you have a routine in place, you don't need to wait for motivation to hit or extra time to magically appear, the routine becomes part of every day life, just like brushing your teeth
Your home will be cleaner. This one kind of goes without saying, but hear me out. When you leave your home to become a mess, the time you have to clean can really only be used for tidying and putting things away, but when you have a daily tidying routine in place and a weekly cleaning schedule, you'll actually get to those deeper cleaning chores like changing bedding, cleaning the toilet and washing the windows.
There's no one size fits all approach when it comes to creating your routine. In my opinion a good routine should:
Easily fit into your day-to-day life
Be broken down over a few days, to reduce the amount of time needed each day
Include chores for each member of your family/household
Be written up and put on the fridge for everyone to see
Be flexible and allow you to change things up, when life get's busy
If you need some help creating a personalised tidying, cleaning and laundry routine, take a look at my Well-Run Home Online Course and Toolkit. You'll be running your home like a domestic goddess, in no time.
Happy cleaning!