CONTEST!!!

I have been working for a couple of weeks on decluttering and rearranging furniture. I am really excited with the outcome! My home seems so much bigger and it is so much more efficient. I have one more room that I want to work on this week, so let’s use this week to try to finish what we are currently working on.

In February I will start my post on deep cleaning and how I do it in as little time as possible.

While we are catching up and taking a break, let’s start a contest!!! The post I had with “Ain't nobody got time for that!” was one of the most read posts on my blog! I thought it would be great for everyone to share a time saving tip. So pick your most creative short cut for cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, etc. 

You will have two weeks to post your tips. Get your friends to “like” my Facebook page and “like” your tip. At the end of two weeks, February 13, I will pick the three tips with the most “likes”.

Those 3 tips will be voted on and the person with the most likes will win a $10 Amazon gift card. The lucky winner will also be featured on my blog. 

I am linking with Hip Homeschool Moms Give Away Day!!!

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 3)

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 3)

Now the third thing you need to do is create your daily routine. It may take a few weeks to figure out what works for you. Again, don’t stress. You have a whole year to get it figured out. J You will need to tweak it here and there, but eventually this will be a great anchor for your whole day. I know that by having this daily routine, my house will always be clean.

Your routine will help you keep your house clean with very little time or effort. You just decide when a task will be most convenient to do and in 10 minutes or less it is done! Eventually this will become a habit!

This is easy to do even if you have a baby or have a job outside your home. I am going to give you an example of my daily routine so you can get an idea of how this works.

7:00- Wake up and take dirty laundry to laundry room, sort and start a load.

8:00- After fixing my hair and brushing my teeth I wipe down the mirror and counter.

8:15- I unload dishwasher and put clothes in the dryer.

8:30- After breakfast, I clear the dishes from table, rinse then put them in the dishwasher and wipe the table. (This is a good job for kids.)

10:00- During a school break the kids and I get clothes out of dryer, fold them and put them up. * I try to only do one load a day if possible and I don’t do laundry on Mondays or weekends.

12:00- Following lunch, the kids and I clear dishes from the table, wipe table, rinse dishes and load.

4:00- 10 minute quick clean, At this time we run around the house (this makes it fun, ) to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be and we quickly vacuum with a rechargeable vacuum. (Kids beg to vacuum with this.)

6:30- We clear the dishes and wipe the table and counters. I have the kids vacuum the kitchen floor with the rechargeable vacuum and I start the dishwasher.

7:30- During little brother's bath, I wipe down the kids’ bathroom counters, floor and mirror. (Never leave little ones unattended in the bath.)

8:00-During the kids’ bedtime snack , I clean out the sink and get the coffee ready for the next morning.

The best way to set up your routine is to figure out what you want to get done in a day and place it where you can most logically get it accomplished with little effort. Even though my list may look like a lot, it is really not. You get to the point where you don’t even realize you are doing anything. Remember it is okay if something does not get done one day because you are sick or busy. Just continue the next day. Another great thing about this routine is that my children know it, so they will take it over when I need them to. Make sure that you try really hard to do each thing on your list, because they build on each other. Example: Taking a few minutes to clean the kitchen after lunch means a clean start when you make supper.

  

 Don’t forget- if you are still trying to declutter add in a few minutes a day to accomplish that.

“Ain't nobody got time for that!”

“Ain't nobody got time for that!”

 “Ain't nobody got time for that!”  This quote has been on my Facebook page more times than I can count.  Apparently, it is a video that has gone viral and now everyone is quoting it.

 But it actually got me thinking about the different activities around the house that I really don’t have time for or chores that I don’t like to do. For some of them I have created easier ways to accomplish them.

 I thought it would be fun if I listed different ones every week and gave you an opportunity to post some of yours as well. I will keep a tab at the top of my page entitled “short cuts” so that you will easily be able to 

find them.

My favorite shortcut is using denture cleaner to clean the toilets. You just put one in each toilet at night when everyone is in bed. You can do this weekly for fresh clean toilets. I even found antibacterial denture cleaner at the Dollar Tree.

What is your favorite shortcut?

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 2)

 

 Taking Control of Your Time (Part 2)

Did you get everything in containers and out of sight? Did you decide on a logical place for your things? If not, then take another week to figure it out. Once you have a place for everything, decluttering will be no problem!

The point is to not stress about it. Make it a goal to use this whole year to figure out how you want to organize and declutter.

So I bet you are wondering what you should do with all that stuff that is stuck in your closets. You can either leave it there a few weeks while you decide where it will best fit your needs, or you can start working on it now. 

When you pick up an item, you need to decide whether you want to keep it, sell it, give it away, or trash it. If it is something you are unsure about, you can put it back in the container until later.

If you decide to keep it, put it in the logical spot you have picked for it. If you decide to sell it or give it away, put it in a special place until that time. We have a storage building with things we are saving for a garage sale. If I am giving something to someone, I always put it by the back door so I won’t forget it.

So how do I make the time to work on this? I have decided that I do not like taking whole chunks of days to work on a project. I like to break stuff up in very little bites so I don’t get tired or overwhelmed.  

 Here are some easy ways to schedule decluttering into your day:

1)   Take 10 to 15 minutes a day to put a few things up.

2)   Put a few things up during a computer or commercial break.

3)   Put a few things up while you are on the phone.

It may seem like a daunting task when you look at all that needs to be put up. If you remember you have a whole year to do it and just work on it a few minutes a day it will be done before you know it!

Next Week: Your Daily Cleaning Routine

Taking Control of Your Time

                                      Taking Control of Your Time

I am very excited to get started on this series. It will last several weeks. I am just going  to give you small things to do so you can test them out, see if you like them ,and see  if they will fit with your family’s lifestyle. Be sure to subscribe to my blog and/or “like“me on Facebook to stay posted on all the upcoming topics in the series.

 I started reading and trying different methods of cleaning and organizing not long after I got married, around 14 years ago. Most of them either had a long process in order to implement or took up too much time from my day or week. I get overwhelmed very easily, so I have to do things that are easy to do and easy to carry through from week to week. I finally came up with a plan that for me is quick and easy for me.   In this series I will be giving you different thing to do in small segments so that you don’t become overwhelmed or want to give up. You will probably need to tweak these ideas in order for them to fit your family’s lifestyle.  My hope is that you will continue to  use these ideas,  and that they will help you use your extra time for Bible study, making memories with your family, traveling, and  anything other than cleaning and organizing.

The first step to getting your house organized is to declutter, which is a continuing process. Don’t put pressure on yourself to get it done in a week. This is something that you will need to do continually in order for your house to stay decluttered . 

Since most people like to see results immediately, the first thing you need to do is get everything that does not have a special place and put it in a container.  If you have magazines lying around, toys you are not sure where to put, or nick-knacks that you are unsure if you like, put them all in a container. Now take the container and put it someplace that you cannot see it, such as under a bed or in a closet.  We will do something with the stuff you collected next week.

Tip: Make sure you do not put anything in the basket that is important or that you will need anytime soon. 

I know this activity sounds really weird, but now you will be able to look at your home in a fresh light. Make sure that you look around every room and have everything placed where you like it and where it will be most efficient for you.  If anything needs to be moved in order to work better for you, figure out where it should go and move it this week.

I realized I never use my deep freezer because we had it in the storage room. I moved the dirty laundry to a new spot and was able to get the freezer in the laundry room.  This turned out great because the dirty laundry is in a better place, I use my deep freezer more, and I have a spot on top of the freezer to fold my laundry. 

Your house will run more smoothly when everything is in a logical, efficient place, and you will enjoy your house more when there is not clutter everywhere.

 

Recap: * This week put everything that does not have a place into a container such as a bag, basket, box, etc. Place it somewhere you will not see it, such as closet or under a bed.

*Make sure everything in your home is where it will be most efficient for you.