Getting a Routine, Part 1 – What and When

Before I set off on the road to an immaculate house, there were a few things I needed to have set up. I did this a day or 2 before I wanted to start my routine.

The first step was to get my chores in order. The hardest part (for me at least) was prioritizing them. But figuring out what takes precedence over what really isn't too difficult.

First I figured out how often different chores need to be done. I made some basic categories to file my chores into. I started with just Daily, Weekly, and Monthly categories, but you can have any categories you want.

Now it was time to sit down and make a list of things that need to be done routinely. Washing the dishes, litter box, laundry, etc, etc. To start, I concentrated on just the chores I do (or at least try to do) all the time. I can add “fancier” things like alphabetizing the bookshelves later, after I've gotten the day-to-day stuff under control. And I can always change things later on. Since my laundry hamper looks like this at the beginning...

 *blood-curdling scream*

And yes, that is my real closet.

...then I should start of with “Laundry” in the Daily column. Once it's under control, I can move it to something more appropriate. And, vice versa, if the category I picked for something just isn't often enough, I can move it.

If you're somewhat OCD like me, then you may want to have sub-categories as well. My “Daily” chores have 2 sub-categories; “A-Daily” and “B-Daily”. The “A” category has things that absolutely cannot be skipped; medications and the litter box. (Trust me, you don't wanna skip the litter box even once in this house.)

 Their revenge is a carpet served at body temperature.

With all the chores now in their most appropriate categories it's easy to prioritize them. I just put the categories in order from most to least frequent.

I use a database program, but you could easily do this with a clipboard and separate papers for each category. Either way, the chart prioritizes for you.

So, once I've gotten all my duckies in the right categories and the categories sorted I'm ready to clean, right? Almost. To make sure nothing sidelined me when I began my mission I needed to do 2 more simple things.

One was to check all my cleaning supplies. Do I have enough for a while? Nothing's worse than starting a chore (or even just being mentally prepared to dive into it) and not having what I need to get it done. Major motivation buster. So just do a quick inventory to see of I needed anything before my next regular shopping trip.

The other thing I did was get some music ready. Especially if you dread housework as much as me. It makes the time go by much faster when I'm belting out “I Will Survive” than to do it in silence. And, for me at least, the music is a bit of a reward in itself. In general, I only get to listen to it when I'm cleaning. Plus, dancing to “If I Were A Rich Man” is something I only have enough guts to do when it's just me and the toddler at home.

I've got moves like Chaim Topol. (credit)

The next post will go over the last preparation for starting the routine; Delegating and Imperfection. I didn't make the mess on my own, so I'm not cleaning it up on my own!