Part 5: Organizing your chores
Organizing your chores
In this organizing blog series, I have discussed why we should be organized, household organizing principles, finance organizing principles, and meal planning. Today we will be talking about organizing chores. Keep in mind that your children should be trained to help you with all the chores from an early age.
Here are the general principles for being successful at chores and staying on top of them:
a. Plan ahead and watch for what needs to be done- The woman of Proverbs 31 is an excellent model for us of a woman who managed her home well. The Proverbs 31 woman planned ahead. In verse 21 we see that she knew winter was coming, so she made warm clothes for her family while she could. Godis calling us to watch over our household, look for what needs to be done, and make sure nothing is left unattended. I like the story Liz George tells in her book A Woman After God's Own Heart. One day Jonathan Edwards was reading by the fire. He looked up at his wife Sarah and said, "Isn't it about time for us to cut the hay?" Her response was, "It's been in the barn for two weeks." She was a woman who watched over her household and planned ahead. Are we like that?
b. Develop a routine and a schedule-. We know that we are to redeem the time. This means we need to make the most of every moment. One of the most important steps toward doing this is developing a schedule for doing things. In verse 15 we see the woman of Proverbs 31 assigned daily tasks to each servant. This required thought about what needed to be done and it developed a schedule and routine for the household. If you develop a routine and schedule, then things are planned for and done in an orderly manner, instead of done haphazardly, on an emergency basis, or neglected completely.
When I was younger, I made an excel schedule of chores and when they should be done broken down daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, bi monthly, bi yearly and annually, so that I didn’t miss anything. Now, it is so ingrained in me that I don’t need to look at the schedule. A routine and schedule ensures that every task is accomplished and none are missed. If you don’t do things regularly, the dirt and grime pile up and it takes much longer to clean. Before you schedule chores and other tasks, schedule the most important activity-the time that you will have your time alone with the Lord and in His Word. Next schedule the tasks that you need to do at home, and time to spend with those in the home. Once you have a schedule, you can break down the tasks into individual small segments. If you have small kids, you do not have large time chunks. You need to have 10-15 minutes a day to tackle cleaning chores. One way you can organize the chores is to break down the weekly cleaning tasks into three sections, and do them on different days. Each segment should take 15 min to 45 min, with a total each week of 1 - 2 hours, with an extra hour or two once a month for deep cleaning tasks like cleaning baseboards. You can break it down into sections like dusting, cleaning the bathrooms (or parts of bathrooms), and the floors. Every time I clean, I try to do it the same way to make sure I don't miss anything.
c Make the most efficient use of your time. The tasks we have will fill up whatever time we have unless we make a consistent diligent effort to do them in the most time efficient way. This is very important in enabling us to redeem the time. If a task takes longer than it needs to, you are taking away from the other tasks and ministries God has for you, and you are wasting time. Try setting a timer for 10 minutes or so and see how much you can get done in that time. The timer is a great tool to help stay focused and efficient for both you and your children.
Here are some general principles to follow:
1. Be focused. For example, when you are dusting the room, it is not time to look at the photo albums on the coffee table or anything else other than dusting.
2. Try setting the timer to do a task and try to beat the timer.
3. Use the keep moving principle. It is easier to keep going if you don't stop, because of inertia.
4. Use the "work smarter not harder" principle. If there is an easier and faster way to do something and still do a good job, do it.
5. Be master of the telephone and not its slave. Put your phone on silent while you are working. Only answer calls or texts when you are done. Or alternatively, tell someone who is calling you about some problem they need to talk to you about-"I can't give you the time you deserve right now," and then make an appointment to talk on the phone about it at a better time. I often will plan a call I know will be lengthy when I am ready to mop the floor or have a lot of ironing to do.
6. Try to do multiple things at once. When you watch a video, you can do other things like organize recipes or coupons you've clipped out, do crafts, needlework, scrapbooking, mending, address envelopes, do your nails, etc. I like to memorize verses while I am doing mindless tasks. Or iron or dust while I am on the phone.
7. Pray about everything!
I hope this helps you in becoming a better manager of your home and enables you to provide a welcoming environment for your family and guests. For questions or comments, you can contact me at candice@anastasihome.com
In my next blog, I will be talking about organizing children’s activities and chores. That will be my last blog in this series unless you give me more ideas. May you do all this for the Lord and have joy in your home.