Having a routine is essential, and it means saving time and money. Also, having a planned way gives you the freedom to do other activities and even time to do nothing. Keeping up the routine at home makes the days more pleasant, avoids stress, develops a sense of organization, and encourages good habits. See how to maintain the performance of the house.
1- Start organizing
Before even thinking about a routine, it is necessary to organize the house and get rid of the mess because an organized home eliminates 40% of the housework. You can start by finding a place for everything in your house or apply the KonMarie method that promises you’ll never have your messy house again.
2- Create routines
The key to keeping the house in order is to create routines throughout the day. So make each day as predictable as you can and try to stick to the same schedule every day like reading or anything. “Habits, say scientists, arise because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. If left to its own devices, the brain will try to turn almost any routine into a habit, as habits allow our minds to slow down more often.” The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg.
3- Write the routine
When you plan and write the routine, the chances of staying on schedule increase considerably, so note the house routine, create a menu, and create a cleaning routine. The morning routine can include making beds and organizing messy spots around the house. The afternoon routine might consist of preparing dinner and helping the children with their homework. The evening routine may include managing the kitchen and washing up for dinner.
4- Have a checklist
Having a checklist is great for planning, organizing, and keeping everything under control.
5- Establish a cleaning schedule
Start by implementing a home diary system or keep your routine noted in your cell phone calendar or Google calendar. The key to daily organization is having a daily routine, a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual plan, and organizing all your tasks in one place.
A house with a routine is always organized. Find the best day of the week to do each chore around the house. It can be just one day of the week, or a period during the weekend, or split into several nights of the week. Try different ways and find what works for you.
6- Request help from the children
There are things we adults need to do, like laundry, heavy cleaning, or grocery shopping. However, to keep a house always organized, you can and should count on children’s help in the housework. You can define the tasks according to the age of each child, teaching the little ones to be responsible with their things, such as putting the dirty clothes in the hamper, hanging their pajamas, storing toys, and organizing the backpack the night before. Tasks can increase with the age of children. They can contribute to the routine of the house, such as setting the table for meals, taking the dishes off the table, washing and putting away the words, hanging out on the clothesline, taking out the trash, vacuuming, etc.
Establishing a helping routine will not only help keep your home clean and organized but teach children the importance of performance.
7- Get ready the night before
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Regardless of the answer, prepare everything you need for the next day, the night before, to save time. Check the weather forecast to choose your clothes and keep your bag organized. Even if you have time in the morning before heading out, keeping everything organized frees up your time for reading or exercise.
8- Have a system for handling paperwork
Dealing with paperwork is boring. If you don’t have a routine for the filing system, the paperwork will take over the house and be scattered everywhere. In addition to the bills, we also need to deal with other types of paperwork such as schoolwork, certificates of completion, art projects, notes, etc. An organized house has a filing system for all papers and does not needlessly keep articles, in addition to regularly reviewing expired documents.
I dealt with the paperwork to choose to receive the invoices via email, pay them via internet banking, and store vouchers or consultation documents in my email or Google docs. For notes, I use a mobile notepad or task control apps. As for schoolwork, I like to do a screening and stick with what makes me happy.
9- Keep the worktable clean
It sounds obvious, but taking 5 minutes of your time to organize your desk at the end of the day doesn’t seem like a big deal, but making it a routine will make a difference. You will be preparing for the next day and be more productive. Plus, if you have an archiving, storage, and management system, it will help streamline things while you work.
10- Keep the pantry organized
Another trouble spot in most homes is the pantry or food closet. This is because it is an area that all the residents of the house frequently visit. Consequently, it is a point of mess and accidents like opened and spilled packages, dropped cans, and eventually expired food. To keep the pantry in order and make life easier for everyone, group similar items, keep an eye on the validity of the food and place those that will expire in front, try to organize the food in rows, store the contents of the open packages in airtight jars or pots with lids.
