Recently, I received a question that I thought was worth an entire blog post.
She asked, “After kids, I attempted to find a balance by doing a little bit each day. I stay on track for a few weeks and then it goes out the window (kids are sick, hubby works from home). Any tips to staying on schedule?”
YES! I have tips for sticking with your cleaning schedules. So let’s jump in.
When your season of life changes, your routines and schedules should too.
Don’t try to make your life fit into your routines. Instead, make your routines fit into your life. Routines should make your life easier, not harder.
If you are finding it difficult to stick to your routines because different things come up in your life, that means something got to change. Your cleaning schedules should be flexible enough that you can move things around and readjust when your season of life changes.
Also, remember that seasons of life may be for years, months, or even change from day to day. You may experience a season where your kids are in school or you may have a season of pregnancy. Or maybe your husband is home one day and at work the the next. All of these factors will affect your cleaning routines.
Keep your routines flexible and be willing to change them to fit your life.
Know what is a priority in your cleaning schedule.
Even though you have a plan of things you want to clean each day or week, not everything is of the same importance. Make sure you determine what absolutely must get done each day, and make a plan to get those tasks done. Then when there is time, you can add in those other less important cleaning tasks.
For example, since COVID my husband has been working from home more often. The weeks he is home, our house doesn’t get vacuumed as often as I would like because he is often on the phone. That’s okay! Vacuuming isn’t a priority. Instead, I focus on the 2 things that are most important: laundry and dishes. My family has to have clean clothes to wear and clean dishes to eat off of.
When you are going through busy seasons or a time of sickness or a work schedule change, focus on doing only the most important tasks. Then as the season allows, add in those other tasks like scrubbing the shower and mopping.
Remember your cleaning routine is simply a plan of what will get done. You don’t have to wash the dishes at the exact time each day. Sometimes in the evening I will do the dishes and clean up the kitchen right after dinner. Other nights I wait until after the kids go to bed because we have a busy evening. It doesn’t matter so much when it gets done, as long as I know it WILL get done.
I hope this has been helpful if you are finding it difficult to stick to your cleaning routines when life happens. Remember to 1) Be flexible and 2) Stay on top of the most important tasks.