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1.12.11

Getting The Hang Of Things

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Clothes Line


It's been well over a year since we moved into our house, but I can finally say that after living here for a year and struggling with housework it's all finally under control.

We had just become pregnant while we were on our hunt for a house over a year ago. I was deathly ill and couldn't go anywhere without threatening to puke on the driveway. I often did. I was sick and tired and tired and sick and couldn't manage to do any housework or unpacking when we finally moved in. I mostly just slept and stayed near the bathroom.

Fast forward into the pregnancy and I was finally feeling good when my hips started to hurt. I thought it was just normal pregnancy aches and pains but the pain progressed. Because of my car accident years ago, it's difficult for me to carry around the extra weight without the help of a pregnancy support brace. I was put on bedrest and told not do a lot of walking. The housework fell to the wayside.

Fast forward to having a newborn baby. Housework? What's that?

A whole year flew by! Bad habits formed and the house has always been a constant mess in one way or another. And I hate that! Having messy surroundings stresses me out! I needed help.

I needed an action plan!

I created a "chore schedule" for myself to help me keep track of what needs to be done and it's worked beeeaaaauutifully! After a few weeks, I can say that I've been able to keep up with it. I've only assigned a few things each day so that it doesn't feel overwhelming. And it doesn't! It feels totally doable and I feel so... accomplished when I've ticked off everything for the day.

Mondays I bake the bread, vacuum, and dust the house. Tuesday I do laundry. Wednesday I clean the bathrooms. And so on.

It's a beautiful system and I feel in control! I feel accomplished. And I feel like the organized person that I knew I could be with a little help.


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Here are a few tips for creating a schedule for yourself:

1) Keep it simple.: I've only added a couple things each day to my schedule to allow time for mishaps and crazy days. I have a 5 month old with reflux. So my crazy days are basically every day!

2) Know your limits!: It's okay to have limits! Embrace them and don't burn yourself out. Think for the long haul.

3) Assess and Reassess: After you've created a schedule and have worked in it for awhile, reassess to see if it's working for you! Does one area of work take longer than you anticipated? Don't be afraid to rearrange to better suit your needs.

4) Be flexible: So you weren't able to finish folding the laundry yesterday... Don't be too hard on yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you were able to accomplish and carry on!

5) Rest: Resting is important. I've created Thursday to be my "free" day or rest day. It allows me to mentally relax a bit and work on some "fun" projects around the house that I've been wanting to get to. I also use Thursday as a catch up day if I've gotten a bit behind. It feels good to be all caught up.


Do you use a similar system in your home? What works for you?

xoxo
Talia Christine

11 comments:

  1. Yay for finding an organisation system that works for you! I think that's the best way to keep on top of things :)

    I used to have a cleaning day once a week where I would do everything- vacuum, mop, clean the bathroom, do laundry etc. Then I got pregnant and was so sick and tired that I couldn't keep up with it all. I found that if I just picked one thing to do a day that made it easier... and I tried not to look at the rest of the mess in the meantime!

    Now I'm feeling better I write myself a to-do list and work on it over a few days (my days off from work are in the middle of the week). I usually do a few things in the mornings then have the afternoon to relax. The worst thing here is dishes piling up so fast... I wish we had a dishwasher! So I try to do them after dinner each night or at least once a day, sometimes it ends up being every second day. It's my most hated chore so I'm working on it!

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  2. Ok, I visited your house before you had your baby, right when you were in the middle of not being able to do much - and your house was tidy as! I know you're an excellent house wife!

    By the way, I cheat... I have a "haos mere". But when she couldn't come last week, I did enjoy cleaning. I guess you do if it's only two or three times a year ;)

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  3. With the twins and their reflux I have to wash clothes twice a day which I despise! Apart from that I try to do all the housework by 8am and have a bit of relaxation thoughout the day.

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  4. Wow, I'm definitely impressed!! I need to get back on some sort of chore schedule. I used to send myself reminders from my Google calendar... but then I'd get overwhelmed with an inbox full of uncompleted tasks :s

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  5. I love this and will sooo being putting into practice when our baby arrives in a couple of weeks (eeek!) We moved into our new house and found out we were pregnant 2 weeks later, so for the first 4 months, while I was sick until 2pm every day and asleep by 8.30pm all the boxes remained packed (my husband offered to unpack them, but I'm a little bit fussy about where things should go!) We're now on track to get the house sorted by the time the bub arrives thankfully, so next it's getting the housework schedule sorted! xx

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  6. I've just recently found a housework schedule that works for me too. Of course, I imagine it will all change come Jan/Feb when there's a newborn baby added to the mix.

    I definitely live off the flexible nature of it. Some days are just rest days, or work days, or 'me' days, and I've learnt to accept that that's okay!

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  7. You have inspired me to do this! I don't have any children, but I've never been a good housekeeper. This sounds simple and will allow me to enjoy the benefits of an organized, clean home.

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  8. Love this post! I'm so sorry you went through so many struggles but i'm glad you're "there" now. x hivenn

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  9. Oh Talia! I've never commented on your blog before but I have been reading it for a while and kinda wish I had a bub so I could get some of those amazing baby moccasins. I constantly feel like my house is chaos. I love your little system and I can't wait to see what comes out of your craft room!

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  10. wow lady, you are impressive. I just embrace the chaos. We are out every morning except thursdays so I usually go mental on thursdays and, you know, tidy up?!

    xo em

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  11. my little one is almost nine months and i am just getting the whole clean the house AND raise a baby thing!

    but i did what you did ... bake the bread on sunday, grocery shop on monday, laundry on tuesday and so forth. and each week one room gets a "deep" clean, like the whole nine, dust, vacuum, mop, organize, purge etc ... but every week, every room gets a ten min tidy. this way i stay un-cluttered, but i am not deep cleaning everyday of the week.... just once a week :)

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