My organization system

I am not sure how all my stuff will translate to a blogpost, but I am going to try.


 I am Michelle, and I have a problem with schedules.  I like making them and I like following them. I don't like FBSP (fly by seat of pants), but I can do it.  I prefer my spread sheets, my detailed junk and most importantly a schedule.  I have told you before I have a strict schedule that I follow.  I am going to post it for you here today so that you can see what I do during the school year to keep my sanity (the little bit that I have left).

I have said before and I will say again, I am not a great housekeeper, but the work gets done.  My motto is, "you know you have to do it, do it now, get it over with then you can do whatever you want later."

First I have my written down chores. I keep these on my computer in case my family ever needs it.

Remember this is my school year schedule.  I don't have to make all the lunches during the summer!!!!


 

Sunday-the fridge is basically empty.  Today I do shopping and meal prep for the week.

Sunday afternoon-make all lunches for the week.   Trevor takes his lunch every day so I make them for the whole week.  Yes, he has 5 lunch boxes. I have a shelf set aside for the kids lunchboxes.

Sunday afternoon is also the meal prep day.  I do the calendar for the week and if something can be made ahead I do it today.  Lasagna, chicken for meals, etc…that can be premade is and either frozen until the day we eat or put in the fridge. I have two shelves to accommodate prepped meals. Trevor has one day a week where he cooks hamburger meat, either for tacos or for hamburger helper. 

Laundry days-Wednesday am, Friday am and Sunday afternoon

Ironing-done Sunday afternoon.  All outfits are planned in advanced and written down so that the pants can be ironed and ready to go.

Dry Cleaning dropped off on Wednesday usually picked up on Friday

Cleaning-Friday am

                Both bathrooms (john uses the daily shower thing in his shower every day….I clean my tub on Tuesday and Friday)

                Laundry room

                Hallway

                Sheets changed on all beds. I change mine  that am.  Kids take their sheets off (they have for years) and turn in Friday afternoon.  I wash them on Sunday.  We make their beds together (Hannah mostly does hers on her own now)

Cleaning-Saturday am-

                Bedroom (kids responsible for theirs)

               

Kitchen is cleaned every day (deep clean on Thursday)

Floors are mopped as needed in between but every Saturday am. I have hard woods this takes a while J

Living room is vacuumed as needed but also Wednesday after work

Lists are made for things that need to be fixed and I try to assign a time to get this done. (usually it is a break from school). I buy the supplies to fix before the scheduled day and then on the day get it done.  Over break I have to change the flapper in a toilet, change a wax seal on a toilet, see what is wrong with leaky faucet, clean out kids closets and touchup kitchen cabinet paint.

We keep the hall closet cleaned out enough so we can store bins. One bin for items to sell, one for donate, one for gifts purchased (I Christmas shop all year).  On breaks (days out of school) I price items to sell and place back into bin until consignment sale time, donate items and the Christmas I don’t touch. I do keep a notepad there to write down what is for what person when I put it in the bin.

Kids have unloaded dishwasher for years.  They put dishes on the counter if they can’t put them away.  I fill the dishwasher after dinner every night. I run it when I get up in the am, while I am exercising.  Kids empty dryer and load dryer. Delegate to help you out! 

I go to bed later than I used to 9:00-10:00 but I still get up around 4/4:30.  I can get up at 5 and get my work done but there is no exercising.  On weekends I sleep in until 7ish, my body won’t let me sleep late.  I don’t do outside work, but do 90% of inside work.

I can miss a day and put it off, but it is very hard.  I do not clean the house before we go out of town because we destroy it within ten minutes of coming home. 

I do not sit down much at home.  I have too much to do.  I like being busy if not fall asleep.  Ha ha

First and foremost, I am NOT a great housekeeper.  It is not a showplace. It is an organized mess.  I find that we can be functional, messy and still clean.  It works. I figure I will really clean the house when they are gone. 

I rarely get the dusting done.  And in recent years  I have limited knick knacks to a minimum. I do have photos/scrapbooks/art things everywhere…I just don’t always clean them. 

I do have laundry rules.

1.     If it’s not in the basket it doesn’t get cleaned

2.     Everyone has a basket in their room, it is their job to turn it in or it doesn’t get done.  Everyone knows the schedule so it is good

3.     There are family baskets in the hall, large bathroom and utility room, they can also put their clothes there.

4.     I have 3 laundry baskets (small) for clean clothes.  As the clothes are folded the laundry goes in there.  Each person is responsible for putting away their clothes and turning in their basket before laundry day.  Often Trevor empties his basket after the Sunday laundry day…no not often 99.9% of the time he does that.  His drawers are a mess!  But I can’t go behind him and straighten them.  He and I do it good over Christmas break and sometime in the summer every year, so twice a year his drawers look good.  He started doing this in Kindergarten.  Before that we did it together. 

I read fly lady when I started but I thought, I am very organized with our trips (we have a rigid schedule at Disney world, but we see a lot), and in my crafts so I thought “I can do this” so I jumped in with both feet. 

I would get the laundry caught up before you start anything.  Unless, I am sick, out of town, or washer is broken. I stick to laundry/cleaning schedule.  I have explained to everyone, once that is done I am free to do whatever.  It is hard, but you get behind if you don’t do it.  If I miss a day, the next day I wash and stay on my schedule all the other days.

Oh and as to storing things or leaving things lying around, I often say to myself “who’s going to pick that up?  Just do it now and get it over with”.  I don’t let piles  happen,  yes, I have to be very disciplined.  I don’t like it, don’t want to.  Get it done now, so you can play later. 

You may do better to do your cleaning at night. I am a morning person so I like to do it in the am. I get up running every day.  My sister is trying my method and she does it at night. 

My cleaning the kitchen means I put the dishes in the dishwasher, clear the table, wipe the cabinets, and general straightening.  Only on Thursday does it get a good clean.  I run the dishwasher every day. I cook meals most nights (most are prepared on Sunday pm I just have to heat/cook). 

The pictures below represent....a Wednesday laundry with the family baskets, a week where Trevor wanted tacos everyday, and my family boards. 

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Lunches (prepare all 5 of Trevor’s lunchboxes for the week)	Clean kitchen	Clean kitchen	Laundry(wash and fold)	Clean kitchen (deep clean)	Laundry(wash and fold)	Clean bedroom (kids clean their own-won’t be perfect)
Laundry (wash and fold)	Declutter living room (make kids put away video games)	Sweep floors (I have hard wood floors they are mopped as needed swept every Tuesday)	Drop off dry cleaning		Clean day (this is the day you clean bathrooms, dust, change sheets….etc…)	Clean kitchen
Prepare supper calendar for the week	Clean hall bathroom		Clean kitchen		Clean kitchen	Mop Kitchen and baths
Make a couple of meals for the week			Vacuum Living room (and as needed)
Ironing
Clean kitchen