HOW TO GET AHEAD & STAY AHEAD OF DAILY CHORES

Does anyone ever wake up excited about chores? I don’t. I hate them. Chores are a powerful thing. They have the power to control my mood and influence my life. They steal precious memories because I am cleaning instead of living.

If the house isn’t clean, it feels like someone has taken a fifty pound weight and put it on my shoulders. It ruins my day. I feel out of control which leads to eating out of control, and then the whole day spirals.

I lived life with these feelings for years. Somehow I was never on top, I was always in the middle of the storm; cleaning but never satisfied because the kids were right behind me making the next mess for me to clean up. I was exhausted, stressed, angry and somehow cleaning more than I ever had.

I knew I had to find a way out. After a brainstorming session with my friend, we came up with a system. I’ll admit, I was doubtful it would work or that I could keep up with it, but I was ready for change. Finally, after implementing my new plan, chores are no longer ruling my life.

How I Started

I started by writing down a list of daily chores that bogged me down. I think most moms can agree with me that laundry, dishes, and general kid messes are the day-to-day things that easily get out of hand. In order to not clean in the middle of storm (when the kids are awake), I knew I’d have to start getting up before them.

This is part of growing up, and as much I hate early mornings, they are a mom’s best friend. The whole plan hinged on one basic principle: self-control.

To start this process, I decided to get completely on top of all housework. Ideally, this is accomplished while the kids aren’t home. If you have the available resources, have someone watch them for a day. This step is VITAL for success: get your house completely clean. After that, it’s time to implement a plan for maintenance, and you will be shocked at how easy it is once you are no longer behind.

Once the daily house chores are all caught up you are ready to start maintaining. I start my maintenance schedule in the evening. While this might seem like a strange time to start your chores, it sets you up for success the following day. Here is a sample schedule of how I conquered the mess.

Evening Family Schedule

5:30 Dinner
6:00 kids play. You stay in the kitchen despite how much it kills your soul, and do all the stupid dishes. Sweep, mop, load and start dishwasher.
6:30 kids get ready for bed. You walk around and get all the dirties and start the day’s laundry. Once the floors get picked up, vacuum. We vacuum daily, but feel free to adjust this to once or twice a week.
7:00 family time: read books or have a family devotion, snuggle, and pray. The T.V. is off, and we enjoy each others company with no screens.
8:00 switch the laundry over. You can fold before bedtime if that will help you stay ahead the following day, or you can just fluff the clothes in the drier and fold them in the morning.
8:15 p.m. Now is your time to unwind! Take time to recharge your batteries for the next day.
10:00 p.m. Mom’s bedtime

Daily Family Schedule

5:30 a.m. Wake up, have coffee, eat breakfast, read the Bible, go over your schedule/ plan for the day
6:00 a.m. Unload the dishwasher, fold the laundry if you didn’t do this the night before. When the kids wake up, have everyone put their clothes away.
6:30 set the table for the kids breakfast
6:35 a.m. Get ready for the day
7:00 a.m. Kids wake up
7:15 a.m. kids put their laundry away while I fix breakfast
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
7:45 a.m. While I clean up breakfast, everyone gets ready for the day and makes their beds, picks up bathroom mess, and brings dirty clothes to laundry room
8:00 a.m. Free play and your regular day takes place

Starting Out

In the beginning of implementing this schedule, you will use your time between breakfast and dinner to be in the same place as the kids. I would do my own thing and then keep an eye on what the kids were playing with. When they would walk away from the toy or mess, I’d call them back and make them pick up the mess before moving to a new toy. I did this for a solid month, and now my kids do it without being asked. If the kids are contributing to picking up during the day, the house does not get nearly as messy.

The Result

Once you create these new habits in your family, you will notice you have more time on your hands and less stress in your life. Now that daily chores aren’t so burdensome in my life, I am figuring out a deep cleaning schedule and a way to simplify meals. Once again, making one good habit has led to more good habits. I feel in control, my kids fight less, I fight less, and I am finally enjoying life.

You Can Do This Too

If you can relate to how I felt at the beginning of this post, try out these suggestions. Change the schedule to make it work for you and your family. Living in a constant mess brings a burden to life that wreaks havoc on all aspects. Now that our chores are under control, I feel like the mom I wanted to be all along.

What chores do you struggle with? How have you conquered it? I would love to read your suggestions on ways you have gotten the mess in your home under control, or if my method above has helped bring peace and freedom into your home!