As I was on a phone call with a mom last night coming up with some new solutions for her home management dilemma and I realized that there a lot of things that I suggested to her that could be helpful for other moms.
I mainly work with moms on parenting concerns in the coaching I offer, but I also help with home management using realistic plans of action. Balancing these two areas are challenging – you have to be intentional, purposeful and organized!
I wanted to share with you the top things you could start today and start seeing big results in your home.
Change is never easy, but pick one or two of these items on the list and make it a habit, then move on to another strategy. On to the list!
Never leave dirty dishes
This has got to be one of the biggest struggles/complaints that I hear from moms.
“I hate coming home or waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes!”
Amen Sister! That is the worst feeling – feeling defeated before you even begin.
So starting today, right now……do not leave dirty dishes in the sink – PERIOD! I have gotten into the habit of setting my dishwasher to start a few hours after we all have gone to sleep. Then when I wake up in the morning the dishes are all clean and ready to be unloaded.
I am an early riser, so I can empty the dishwasher before anyone comes down to start their day. That way everyone can put their own breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and my kitchen begins its day clean, tidy and ready to use.
We use to start the dishwasher at different times of day and then would have a full washer of clean dishes that needed to be emptied at the most inconvenient times.
This just did not work for us. As a family of six, we go through a lot of dishes and I need to be able to cycle through the process smoothly and efficiently. This just works for us!
Do a load of laundry a day
There are many different ways to do laundry and if you have a system that works for you, then by all means keep it!
But if you don’t try this one on for size – do one family members laundry per day. Right now I do each person’s laundry on a different day, they know their day and things run like clockwork. Now the timing of when you do your load will vary and finding the right time for you is key.
For me, starting a load first thing in the morning is how I manage to keep up. The child whose day it is brings their laundry down either the night before or early in the morning. I start a load, set my timer (so I don’t forget about it) when I hear the timer I break from what I am doing and toss it in the dryer and set my timer again and finally come back to take it out of the dryer.
Here is the other KEY part – when it is ready to come out of the dryer you MUST finish the process.
Stop whatever you are doing and take the 5-10 minutes to fold and hang the items so you complete the entire process and are not just left with a big pile of wrinkly clothes.
If you cannot do this final part, then you need to find a different time to do your load. It could be after lunch or right as you start dinner, so that when it is ready to be folded it is after dinner and everyone is watching a TV show or relaxing and can help out.
Find a time that will work for you!
Deal with the mail daily
How do you typically handle your mail?
Do you pick it up and then bring it into your house to drop it on a side table or your kitchen counter?
Then you just continue to pile more on top of it until you have a huge overwhelming heap?
When you are unable to take the time to go through right then, you are most likely looking at significantly more time to do the task then if you had taken the 5 minutes to go through it immediately when it was brought in.
As soon as the mail comes in your door do something with it OTHER than place it on your counter.
Open all your mail and put it where it will be dealt with. If you have junk mail, put it in the recycle or shredder right then. You have other items, take the time to find the appropriate place for them. Complete your task.
If you wait to deal with a huge pile, the chances of you missing important information, bills or invitations is highly likely.
If you incorporate these three changes into your daily routine I can guarantee you will feel more satisfaction during the day, less stress due to less ‘stuff’ laying around and clean clothes in your family’s closet rather than a huge pile on your sofa!
Do you have other tips that help you? Please share!
