Do you look around your house and feel so overwhelmed thatyou don't know where to start? Do you try to get housework done,but spend all day working and find you don't have anythingto show for it? Here's a system that actually works, andbest of all, it saves you time!

The key is to plan your housework. Never try to do everything in one day. You won't finish, and you'll just be depressed. It's better to keep on top of things throughout the day. So here's my method:

1. Laundry

Every morning, as soon as you're done your shower, throw a load of laundry on. Make it a routine so you never forget. Bring the load to be folded upstairs, and do it before you make your bed. Presto, you have your laundry and your bed done every morning! Do this each day, and you'll find it takes 10 minutes at a time and that's it. You'll never run out of clothes.

2. Clutter

In an earlier newsletter, I talked about how to purge your house of clutter. If you need some help in this direction, you can see that article here. 

And if your problem with clutter is really your problem with getting your kids to clean up, see here.

But how do you deal with the clutter that inevitably builds up?

Have two times of day when you run through the house cleaning! I do first thing after breakfast, and at 4:00. I start the day neat, and I end the day neat.

But here's the catch: DO NOT LEAVE ONE ROOM UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY FINISHED IT! Otherwise, you'll grab something in your bedroom that belongs in the kitchen, head down to the kitchen, but your bedroom still isn't tidy (see the joke section below). Make a pile for each room, and move on from there. Do this twice a day, and you can stay on top of it.

3. Cleaning

Remember, cleaning is different from clutter. Clutter is tidying; cleaning means getting out the cleaner and a cloth and scrubbing. I tidy everything everyday, but for cleaning I have a specific schedule. I won't give you a specific one here, because it varies for each house (I do go into one in detail in my book, To Love, Honor and Vacuum, if you're interested).

But sit down and figure out what things need to be cleaned every week, what things every other week, and what things every month. Then give each day two things (I usually find this works fairly evenly). And make sure you do it! Likely it will only take 20 minutes or so, but if you do your house will stay clean and neat. Don't try to do everything at once; break it down into manageable bits.

If the house is tidy, cleaning's actually quite easy. We bought a dusting mitt that goes over your hand so you can just run it along surfaces, and now my kids do all the dusting! They think it's fun! The key to a clean house is defeating clutter. Then cleaning's a breeze.

4. Meal Preparation

In a past ezine I told you about the book Saving Dinner, which gives you meal plans you can use, along with grocery lists you can print out and take to the store with you. No more thinking, just cooking easy meals that people love! Planning is key to keeping dinner times low stress. To see that article, click here.

Laundry, Clutter, Clean, Cook in that order. You'll find your life goes much smoother!

I would love to know what tips you have for other moms trying to get organized! Send me a note, and I'll include it next time!

From the January 2004 edition of To Love, Honor and Vacuum newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

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