Since moving into our new home last month, I’ve been focusing mostly on unpacking boxes, getting the fridge and pantry stocked, and hunting down second-hand furniture to fill our living spaces. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun — I’ve never had so much space to transform into our family’s own sense of place and comfort, and I’m excited to blog about each step of the way!
In the meantime, however, I recently realized something about our moving-in state: It doesn’t mean the day-to-day tasks go away! Eager as I am to find the perfect bookshelves for the perfect price, there is still laundry to wash, meals to cook, and bathrooms to clean. I found that if I didn’t get organized soon, the house would fall into disarray. I couldn’t wait to be “done” moving in to focus on the ordinary responsibilities of each day and each week. To keep my home clean and comfortable, I needed to strike a balance between home decor projects and ordinary homemaking tasks. I needed a plan.
Why schedule household tasks?
For generations, running a household has been all about routines. Jane Austen novels and shows like Downton Abbey give us a glimpse into not just the formalities but also the complexities of the homes of yesterday. With so many rooms, gardens, and people to care for, households had entire staffs dedicated to keeping things running smoothly, and the only way to manage that was to have a schedule. A day for washing, a day for marketing, a day for sewing and mending, etc.
Today, our households are not nearly so large and complex, but the value of a schedule is still priceless. Without one, it’s all too easy to leave things undone until we can’t function otherwise — running out to buy milk after we’ve run out, mopping the floor only after a spill, doing laundry only when we have nothing left to wear. We might get by with this approach, but it’s hardly a peaceful one. Not only does it allow the house to get unnecessarily dirty or disheveled, but it also makes household tasks dreadful, like a time bomb waiting to explode only when disaster strikes. Yikes! Who could enjoy that kind of homemaking life?
When it comes to household tasks, I’ve found that keeping a schedule not only keeps my peace of mind but also gives me a sense of purpose of professionalism. In any other academic or career setting, I would never like leaving things to the last minute but would want to be on top of my game so that I can support those around me and be proud of a job well done. The same principle applies to my work as a homemaker, and it reaps the same reward of satisfaction. And of course, keeping a schedule ensures that my home stays clean, comfortable, and pleasant for everyone in it.
Where to begin
Thinking about household chores can be overwhelming. Off the top of our heads, each of us could probably name several: cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping — and if kids are around, that adds a whole other dimension of responsibilities! (Because childcare is its own category and is so personal, I’ll focus just on household chores here).
With so many things to do, it was difficult at first to wrap my head around organizing the pile of tasks. But to tidy a room, you first need to lay everything out on the floor. So I started off by writing down everything.
In one of the opening chapters of her homemaking guide Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendelson lists household tasks by frequency — daily, weekly, monthly, and so on. Using her lists as my template, here’s what the (unorganized) daily and weekly lists looked like:
Daily Household Tasks (unorganized)
- Put soiled clothes in hamper and hang up other clothes
- Check soap, toilet paper, other supplies in bathroom; change towels if necessary
- Prepare meals and clean up afterward
- Clean floors in high-use areas (kitchen, entryway) by sweeping, damp-mopping, or vacuuming
- Air and make beds
- Tidy up (put away newspapers, magazines, and similar items)
- Do interim shopping, when necessary
- Load, run, and unload dishwasher
- Empty trash and garbage containers
- Set the table for tomorrow’s breakfast (a homemaking hack that makes mornings less stressful!)
Weekly Household Tasks (unorganized)
- Shopping (groceries, household, and personal items)
- Menu planning
- Clean kitchen
- Clean bathrooms
- Dusting
- Vacuum couches and floor
- Mop the floor
- Odd jobs (answering letters, paying bills, darning socks, etc.)
- Laundry (clothes, sheets, towels)
- Ironing
- Tidy home office
- Outdoor chores (lawn care, sweep walkway, garden, etc.)
Whew! There’s no denying that homemaking is a big responsibility, and it can easily take up the space of a full-time job. But remember, this just step one, laying it all out there. Next, I needed to analyze and shape the list to make it most productive and practical — not for “the perfect household,” but for my own home.
Setting priorities and goals
I won’t lay out every household task in Mendelson’s book, but I can tell you that the lists were extensive. Home Comforts is a reference book, not a rule book, so it was important for me to tailor her guidelines to my own circumstances. A helpful quote from the book discusses the importance of setting reasonable expectations:
Yes, you can always think of something else that could be done, and yes, you will do more tomorrow, but in fact there really is an end to what your routine calls for this day or week or year. You, however, are the one who sets limits. Beginners should recognize the importance of setting plausible and explicit goals in housekeeping so that they know when they are done. In my experience, the most common cause of dislike of housework is the feeling that the work is never done, that it never gives a sense of satisfaction, completion, and repose.
Cheryl Mendelson, “Easing Into a Routine,” Home Comforts
How true! It turns out, the secret to having a sense of accomplishment in homemaking is to set priorities and goals. There will always be one more thing I could do to improve the household (such as dusting the ceiling fan), but if I’m to stay sane and happy in my family life, I need to focus on what matters most, ensure that those things get done first, and consider my goals achieved. So while I might not dust every nook and cranny of the house each week, if I can have meals planned and prepared on time, keep the laundry cycle running smoothly, and keep the living spaces sanitary and comfortable, I’m getting the job done.
Need help setting priorities?
How do you pick what’s most important? Think first of the people at home to take care of. If everyone is well fed and has clean clothes and sheets, you’re doing well! For those who also have a career outside the home (or for anyone who has a lot to juggle on top of homemaking!), I recommend this article that focuses specifically on household tasks as a working mom. It could help distill and organize priorities and goals.
Getting organized
With this sense of reasonable priorities and goals in mind, I took a close look at each list. I cut out what did not apply to my circumstances, added a few of my own, and moved some tasks that did not need to be done as frequently. For my daily tasks, I organized them by time of day (morning, afternoon, and evening) and simplified the wording.
For my weekly tasks, I considered what days I preferred to do more manual labor (i.e., cleaning) and what days I wanted lighter or off completely (weekends, especially Sunday). I found that the order of tasks revealed itself rather organically — for instance, I like grocery shopping at the start of the week, so the natural day to plan my menu and shopping list was the end of the week, a few days before going to the store.
In the end, here’s the daily and weekly schedules I created:*
As for the less frequent tasks, I followed a similar approach of combing through Mendelson’s lists and straining out what suited my circumstances and priorities. Each month, my plan is to consult this list and schedule my monthly tasks as well as a few of the less frequent ones. This removes the need to do one or two massive cleanings each year (which are much harder to carry out, given the busy lives most of us lead!).
I’m a big believer in giving routine responsibilities a sense of dignity, professionalism, and appeal, so I love organizing my lists with attractive colors and fonts. In a small way, it makes my daily to-dos seem like less of a burden and more like a noble mission. Printing a list like this and having it on the fridge is a great idea to keep it visible and memorable.
Living the routine
So after a week of following my new schedule, how did things go? All in all, pretty well! I’ll admit, there were days, when I did not check off every single thing — on Wednesday, the laundry got done, but only some floors got vacuumed (as my 13-month-old danced around the vacuum and tried to unplug it…), and none got mopped. But I could still check off most, if not all, of my tasks, and that gave me a sense of accomplishment. And of course, as time goes on, I can adjust my schedule as needed.
Chores with Children
This is a topic I will continue to learn (and blog!) about, but there’s no denying that cute, cuddly babies shape the homemaking schedule. Above all, they take priority! Every task that has to do with people, especially the most dependent ones, comes first. In addition, I plan my tasks based on what I can and can’t do while baby’s awake. (For instance, I can vacuum while he’s up and turn it into a dance party! But ironing and sewing is reserved for nap time.) At the end of the day, if nothing gets done expect keeping the kids happy, healthy, and safe, job well done, mama!
Overall, having the goals built into my schedule kept me going, and the house ended up much cleaner and calmer than it was without my planned routine!
*Update: Revising the plan
After a few weeks living my schedule, I realized I needed to make some adjustments. And that’s ok! It turns out that my original Wednesday layout, laundering clothes and vacuuming/mopping, was too much for one day (especially with a toddler demanding constant attention), so I rearranged some tasks to suit my circumstances. I expect this isn’t the last time I’ll do this, which is why I keep my schedule saved in a Google doc (visible here), always available to be reviewed and edited. Having ownership over my schedule and going with the flow helps keep me organized, sane, and satisfied with getting things done from day to day, week to week.
Resources
“Easing Into a Routine,” Cheryl Mendelson (Home Comforts)
“Easy Printable Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms,” Erin (The Incremental Mama)
