Nicole

Mornings. My former long-time foe. From dirty dishes to kiddos pulling at your clothes, finding time to clean just countertops in my home use to be an issue. Each and every morning. This was until I created a plan that helped me to not only tidy my home in under an hour each morning but to reset the way I considered cleaning my home in total. So today I wanted to share with you again one of my current cleaning goals, and that is to create morning and evening Cleaning Zone Chore Lists. 

For me, a cleaning schedule is basically just a daily, weekly, or monthly plan for how you will clean your house.  It can be as simple as one main task per day or as complex as a spreadsheet that accounts for every single housekeeping task that needs to be done over the course of a year.  It really is up to you, and what will work best for your family, not this week, but every week going forward. 

If the idea of creating any sort of cleaning schedule sounds overwhelming, no worries—I promise it is not as bad as it sounds.  In fact, as you will see below, you can do it in three easy steps! The point of a schedule is to relieve guilt and to create a routine that gives you less stress; a schedule for cleaning will be a lot less overwhelming in the long run.

So,  do here’s how to it:

Step 1:  Create a Master Chore List:

Before you can decide when to clean you must first know what to clean, and how often.  Create a cleaning schedule that works for your life and your schedule, you need to assess your own home and cleaning needs. 

You can start with the following master list and then customize it to fit your own home’s needs, my suggestion is:

Step 2:  Pick the Best Plan for YOU:

The next thing you need to do is figure out what sort of cleaning plan will work best for your life and your schedule. 

• Are you the kind of person who wants to do a little every day?
• Would you rather tackle it all at once so that you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week?
•  Do you work full time or are you home during the day? 
• Do you have young children at home whose chores can be incorporated into this system?

There is no one “right way” to keep house, and so no universal cleaning schedule that will fit every household’s needs. Just sit down, take an hour, and create a system that will work best for you!

Also, I’m going to share with you my true cleaning secret, you will want to consider creating a master list, and then smaller, daily and weekly lists, too! 

If you are like me and have a hard time functioning when your house is messy, this may be the best option for you.  I have personally found that my home runs best on a daily morning and evening zoned routine, in addition to my master list.

Each morning, Monday-Friday, before work I complete my Zone 1 Cleaning Project:

1. Make all beds in the home.
2. Empty the dishwasher.
3. Start one load of laundry.
4. Wipe down my kitchen countertops. 
5. Wipe out my bathroom sinks and vanity tops, and clean off a mirror.
6. Sweep my entryway and front porch. 
7. Start a crockpot meal, marinate foods, etc.
8. Feed my fuzzies.
9. Put a load of laundry in the dryer.
10. Spray and squeegee out shower stall, after your morning shower. 
11. Check out your to-do list, for the day.

I will typically spend about 45 minutes cleaning morning, between the daily tasks, and do 1 or 2 weekly tasks each day; these morning tasks helps to keep deep cleaning projects at a minimum in my home. This also allows me plenty of time for walking my fuzzies, take a shower, have breakfast, take my medicine/vitamins, read from my daily devotional, all before heading into the office. 

Each evening, Monday-Friday, before bed I complete my Zone 2 Cleaning Project:

1. Pack lunches and snacks.
2. Set your home up for the next day; set the coffee maker,  re-stock paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, napkin holder, wipes) in home, check briefcases and back backs for anything you might need the next day, pack gym bags, pre-harness pets for morning walks before being crated, and layout morning outfits.
3. Clean your kitchen: Be sure to wipe down counters, load and run your dishwasher, sweep the floor, lay out a clean dish towel, scrub the kitchen sink (if needed), and remove trash. 
4. Pre-treat any laundry, as needed.
5. Plan your morning meal: Plan your breakfast, and layout utensils/settings, if needed. You can also set-up clean, sanitized pet food/water dishes, placed in the fridge for the morning meals, too. Also, lay out your medications/vitamins. 
6. Five minute pick-up: using a basket, take 5 minutes before bed, walk around your home, lightly straighten the house, and anything that is in the wrong room can be placed in your basket, to be sorted as you go from room to room, so items can be put back in their proper places! 
7. Check for piles: Sort any bills, mail, and paper piles to their proper places, daily.
8. Create a to-do list for the next day. 

I will typically spend about 35 minutes preparing my home each evening; I typically take my nightly melatonin and can complete all Zone 2 tasks, prep my face for the night, read a few chapters of my current book selection, in the time it takes for me to become sleepy! This also allows me plenty of time to both relax each night, and to efficiently start my next day.

So, today I am challenging you all to accomplish three tasks:

1. Create a mater household cleaning list.
2. Establish a morning cleaning ritual (Zone 1).
3. To establish an evening cleaning ritual (Zone 2).
4. Consistently use your newly created Zone Cleaning Methods for one month!

Now, while this list seems extensive, depending on the size of your home, should only take one hour daily, and in the long run, should greatly help you not only today but in the future. This week is not only about creating long-lasting cleaning solutions in your home but establishing routines that will help you not only keep your home cleaner and safer but to shave the time it takes you to do so, in half! 

So, as you can all see, my mornings running as smoothly as possible are VITAL to the overall success of my businesses and home life, and for that reason, I also have another secret weapon and that is simply getting enough sleep each night! This gives me the momentum to get up each day, help my family off to school and work, and then finish my chores quickly. So that I can get on my own day too!