After all, you’ve only got so much time and energy every day to get things done…nobody wants to spend all day on housework so it’s important to be efficient with the time that you do have available.
Here are a few tips to help you design a home management system that’s right for you:
Begin with a list
Think about tasks that you need to do around your home. Write them down as they come to you, then separate the list into daily, weekly, monthly and annual tasks.
Don’t make it complicated…if you feel overwhelmed narrow down the tasks to just the bare minimum.
This list isn’t just for cleaning tasks…it should include anything that needs to be done around your house to keep things running well.
This means things such as laundry, baking, cooking, paying the bills, running errands, etc.
Simplify your life with routines
When you think about it, you already have routines in your life. But if they’re not serving your needs, it’s time to adjust them to help you make the most of the time you have for home management tasks.
The best way to create a routine that will serve your needs is to make small changes over time. When you establish a regular routine by doing something small, every day, over time you’ll see a big difference in your home.
When you follow regular routines you’ll notice that the tasks that were so overwhelming to do before are much easier to do.
For example, think about washing laundry.
Instead of walking into your laundry room (or dragging everything to the laundromat), dreading the hours you’ll spend washing, drying and folding the laundry, now you know that you only have one or two loads that need to be done because you’ve created a routine for doing the laundry on a regular basis.
An effective evening and morning routine should form the backdrop for everything you do to manage your home.
Organize your process
There are a lot of organization methods out there…from apps an electronic spreadsheets and lists to printed binders and planners.
You know yourself best…choose the method that you will use. If you’re unsure, try several of them out and modify to suit your personality and your needs.
After time you may not need the organizer as much, but it’s a useful tool to have for those times when someone else may need to help you maintain your home.
Have a place for everything
When all of your belongings have a home, it makes home management tasks that much easier.
Make it easy to put things where they go and you’ll have less of a struggle getting the entire family on board with keeping your home tidy.
Think about those things that cause you the most grief.
For example, is your kitchen table cluttered with papers, bills or backpacks strung all over it?
Something as simple as a basket on top of your refrigerator or magnetic bins on the side can make finding things – and putting them back when you’re done – that much easier.
Finally, don’t worry if it seems like you’ll never have your house in order. It takes time to make changes…especially when you have others to pick up after besides yourself!
Just take your time, slowly focusing on building routines that work for you and over time those routines will become second nature and your home will always be the warm and welcoming place you want it to be.
