The best thing about my new part-time work life, is that I can get to the small tasks that just never got done. Things like vacuuming the stairs. Of course, now that I got to that, I realize I need to actually clean/shampoo the carpeting. I did this task in ten minutes after work today.
I pick up the clutter on the coffee table and straighten the blankets on the couch -- every day. Today, I even vacuumed them (on low), to get up extra lint. That gets done probably twice a week now. Five to ten minutes.
Each day, I pick up any junk on the dining room table. I give it a quick dusting while I am at it. Same thing with the coffee table. Five minutes!
Every day, I put away the dishes that are drying on the counter. They used to sit for a couple of days before and it was a precarious pile. Now I clear the counter every day after work, putting everything away. Since it's already clean, it's easier and more motivating to put the dishes away at night. That means sometimes I have no dishes to put away the next day! OK, this can be 10 to 20 minutes, depending on whether the dishwasher needs to be emptied or not, and how much mail we've gotten.
I wipe down the bathroom daily. We always squeegee after our showers. I wipe down the walls of the surround with vinegar and water, then squeegee. That gets done every day. I also make it a point to take that sponge to wipe down the sink and around the toilet. Each morning before I leave for work, I make it a point to clean the mirror to wipe off toothbrush spray. I also dump some baking soda in the toilet, brush it around and let it sit all day. Five minutes. I do hate this task!
The only thing that doesn't happen on a daily basis, is a floor mopping, which we need -- and I will do tomorrow with my new mop. But other than that, my daily ritual in the bathroom means I don't have to do a big clean-up on Friday.
All of these tasks together takes less than an hour, some days even half that. Keeping up on it has made a difference. There isn't the stress of an overwhelming encroaching mess. We don't spend our weekends cleaning. If we have guests, there is no crush to pull the house in order. These are all small things I never got to on a regular basis and it's nice to be able to fit them in.
I've found the same thing since I retired. I'm not pristine neat and tidy but it's an awful lot better than it used to be. :-)
ReplyDeleteJ x
I used to push myself too hard on the weekends and then still feel badly that our house was so messy when I worked full time. Now I understand that it is impossible to keep on top of things, eat right, get exercise, etc. when both of you work full time. I'm fine with it not being pristine too! Neat is fine be me :-)
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