The Power of Routine
The devil is in the details with housework! You can polish silver until your dinner
guests are blinded by their cutlery, but the big issues in most homes are everyday
chores like dishes and laundry. How do you complete these mundane tasks
without letting them take over your day? Routines!
There are several reasons to have routines. First, they make sure the most
repetitive chores are done regularly. If you are washing dishes three times a day,
they will never pile up enough to overwhelm (or disgrace) you. Second, routines
provide speed. You move from point A to B to C, and your house is clean before
you even realize that you're cleaning. Last, they make your day run smoother by
providing a transition time between different activities.
I've found that my household runs best when I have four routines: one each in the
morning, noon, late afternoon, and night. My routines include dishwashing,
laundry, meal preparation and the basic, minimal activities needed to run my
home. Developing routines will be the first step in streamlining your home. You
may need to tweak them a little to suit you, but you definitely need them. Here are
my routines:
Morning Routine:
Make bed
Straighten bedside table
Shower, dress, and get ready for the day
Straighten and wipe down bathroom
Start laundry
Take vitamins
Plan for dinner-split pea soup
Prayer
Noon Routine:
Reboot laundry
Clear off kitchen and dining room tables
Make lunch
Wash/load dishes
Clear and clean counters
Clear and clean stove
Take out garbage
Sweep and spot-clean kitchen floor
Exercise
Afternoon Routine:
Reboot laundry
Wake up small children from nap
Fold and put away laundry
Pick up in main living areas
Unload dishwasher and drainer
Set table
Start dinner
Correct schoolwork
Evening Routine:
Clear table
Put food away
Load dishwasher
Wash pans
Wipe table, stove, and counters
Check calendar for tomorrow's activities
Lay out clothing
Pack lunches and bags
Get coffee ready
Pray
Sound like a lot? Most of my routines take me less than 15 minutes. When you are
used to doing the same motions in the same order, it's like clockwork!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to develop routines. If this is
a challenge for you, work on one routine every week, being sure to complete every
task in the same order. When you have incorporated routines into your life, it will
be time for next step: simplifying.
Check back next week for the latest installment in the
Sage Home 2008 Series!
The devil is in the details with housework! You can polish silver until your dinner
guests are blinded by their cutlery, but the big issues in most homes are everyday
chores like dishes and laundry. How do you complete these mundane tasks
without letting them take over your day? Routines!
There are several reasons to have routines. First, they make sure the most
repetitive chores are done regularly. If you are washing dishes three times a day,
they will never pile up enough to overwhelm (or disgrace) you. Second, routines
provide speed. You move from point A to B to C, and your house is clean before
you even realize that you're cleaning. Last, they make your day run smoother by
providing a transition time between different activities.
I've found that my household runs best when I have four routines: one each in the
morning, noon, late afternoon, and night. My routines include dishwashing,
laundry, meal preparation and the basic, minimal activities needed to run my
home. Developing routines will be the first step in streamlining your home. You
may need to tweak them a little to suit you, but you definitely need them. Here are
my routines:
Morning Routine:
Make bed
Straighten bedside table
Shower, dress, and get ready for the day
Straighten and wipe down bathroom
Start laundry
Take vitamins
Plan for dinner-split pea soup
Prayer
Noon Routine:
Reboot laundry
Clear off kitchen and dining room tables
Make lunch
Wash/load dishes
Clear and clean counters
Clear and clean stove
Take out garbage
Sweep and spot-clean kitchen floor
Exercise
Afternoon Routine:
Reboot laundry
Wake up small children from nap
Fold and put away laundry
Pick up in main living areas
Unload dishwasher and drainer
Set table
Start dinner
Correct schoolwork
Evening Routine:
Clear table
Put food away
Load dishwasher
Wash pans
Wipe table, stove, and counters
Check calendar for tomorrow's activities
Lay out clothing
Pack lunches and bags
Get coffee ready
Pray
Sound like a lot? Most of my routines take me less than 15 minutes. When you are
used to doing the same motions in the same order, it's like clockwork!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to develop routines. If this is
a challenge for you, work on one routine every week, being sure to complete every
task in the same order. When you have incorporated routines into your life, it will
be time for next step: simplifying.
Check back next week for the latest installment in the
Sage Home 2008 Series!
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