Trying a New Routine

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.  Head on over and see what other tips are being offered.

I’ve been making a bigger effort to schedule my time lately.  Amy over at Raising Arrows recently wrote a great post about scheduling for large families.  A lot of her tips would apply to individuals as well.  She mentions 2 basic types of scheduling:  a basic routine or a more formed schedule with set times for each activity.  I would hate a schedule with times on it because I would fall behind and give up.  Instead, getting in to a routine works really well for me.  This is the week Brian’s work schedule changed back to 4 days a week for the summer.  I took advantage of that to start my new routine.  Here’s a general idea of how I go through the day:

• Get up around 6 AM as Brian’s leaving.  Then we don’t crowd each other in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Round 1 of cleaning: get the automatic cleaners going.  This means I put in a load of laundry and run the dishwasher if either one needs to be done.  I also dust and tidy up one room and start Roomba going in there.  This is NOT the time to do other labor intensive chores, I just get everything started so the machines can work while I do other things.
• Do chores.  This means feed and water all the animals.  I usually do one or two other jobs too such as add bedding, clean out the chicken coop, scrub the water tanks, sweep the barn, etc.  Whatever needs to be done that day.
• Check my plants in the basement, water if needed.
• Round 2 of cleaning: this is where I do more hands on work like put away laundry, hand wash dishes, clean the stove, etc.  When I’m done I set Roomba up in a second room.  I always try to dust and tidy up the room before I turn on the vacuum, that way it can clean up the dust and hair all at once.  Doing 2 rooms per day 6 days a week means all the floors get done twice a week.
• Work out.  We’ll see if I stick to it this time.  I’ve been doing the 30 Day Shred again.  Exercising really gives me a better attitude throughout the day.
• Shower/dress/brush teeth/do hair/etc.
• Eat breakfast while reading blogs or a book.  I also make grocery lists, balance the checking account, etc. during this time.  Plus, I get out dinner to thaw and make sure things are as ready as they can be.
• Pack my lunch and head off to work.  I should start packing my lunch the night before like Brian.

Since I get most of my cleaning and housework done in the AM I don’t have to do it all after work.  Brian usually does PM chores while I make dinner.  Then I’m free to relax, read, knit, pay bills, or help him with whatever he needs.  This works out really well for me since I don’t  have to be to work until mid-morning but get home a little later.  I have to be flexible on the days that I’m scheduled earlier but I just flip flop things with work earlier and other stuff later.  As long as I keep a rotation going the house stays looking pretty good.  I do our entryway and kitchen on Tuesday and Friday so it looks good for the weekend when people usually visit.

Do you have a routine or a timed schedule?  Does it work for you?  What about cleaning house: do you have a method to your madness that helps you stay on top of it all?

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