I took this picture the other night of the "how to" cleaning books that sit on my shelf. How nice would it be if just having these books would make my house stay clean. Of course without reading the books and applying the techniques and ideas that are written on their pages this will not happen.
What is the number one way to keep your house clean? Are you ready for it? Ok, here it is... My Secret and the number one way to keep your house clean is....
ROUTINES
Yep, that's right - Routines. I know to some of you this may sound too easy or silly but to others of us it makes perfect sense. About 11 1/2 years ago in an attempt to get a handle on my housekeeping chores and make them easier I searched the Internet for ideas. A dear friend of mine helped in the search and we found an awesome web sight to get us started.
We were fly babies way before it was cool. lol Anyway I am almost ashamed to say that I have worked my way through Fly Lady's steps more than once or twice. In fact it seems that every time I feel like I am losing control of the order in my house I fall back to her and her system of doing things. The one thing she stresses the most out of everything is establishing ROUTINES and habits.
Are you starting to get the picture of what is important?
Having a consistent established routine is important in everything we do. Bed time with our kids and their daily routines, our Bible reading, housecleaning, etc...
We are "creatures of habit" and most of us work better when we are following some type of routine.
What should your routine look like?
This will look different for different people depending on your own individual family needs. There is no right way or wrong way it just has to be something workable that you can do and keep up with. Start small and simple. Take "Baby Steps" and build from there.
I am writing this post on this subject because as you probably can guess I am feeling a bit out of sorts with my house work - AGAIN! My house is not a disaster area but it is not where I want it to be. So I reevaluate my old routines to see where I need to adjust and attempt to make things better.
Start with a simple "Bedtime Routine". Think about the things that you would like to have done when you wake up in the morning. Flylady suggests shining your sink which basically means that all of your dishes are done and table and counters are wiped off before you go to bed. If that is important to you then maybe that is a great place for you to start.
Let me stress (because this tends to be my problem) that just writing down what you hope will turn into habits and become a routine for you will not make it be so no more than the books sitting on my shelf on how to clean my house will make my house be clean. You have to actually get up, get moving and make it happen. It will get easier the more you do and the benefits from having a neat and tidy house will be a blessing to your whole family.
I break my Bedtime Routine in 3 parts. Join Me tomorrow and I will break down my Evening/Bedtime Routine for you and we will get started on establishing good habits.
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Note:
There are many websites, blogs and books that can help you and inspire you to get your house work in order. Fly Lady is just the one that I personally like the best. It can be a bit overwhelming if you do not follow her steps and do them one at a time. Trust me, trying to skip ahead will only leave you frustrated.
Yes, routine seems essential. There never seem to be enough minutes in a day unless I follow some sort of routine.
ReplyDeleteAnd
I Must do my Bible study and prayer time at either 9 or 10 pm
no other time has the same impact...
LOVE! How familiar this all sounds! Revelations that aren't new....lol! Here's to routines, love! Take 12....yeah, it's been that many years! ;)
ReplyDelete12, ok I was being conservative in saying 11 1/2. haha
DeleteVery True! Routines are so important! I know that is how my home runs smoothly :)
ReplyDeletewww.gratefulwithtwo.blogspot.com
My house falls apart whenever I get off my routines, lol! I love those Don Aslett books, by the way. The Clutter's Last Stand one is a fun one! ;)
ReplyDeleteRight now my house is not where I want it to be either. I am pretty much off the "official bed rest" and only need to lie down a few times a day instead of most of the day, but I'm still having trouble catching up.
It's mostly because when I'm on my feet I'm doing other things that need to be done (or running errands or helping at church or babysitting a friend's daughter, etc.) and then after being on my feet so long, my back is dying for some bed rest.
But, if I do just a few routines a day (like I'm keeping my kitchen clean) I can at least keep things from getting worse and slowly get caught up! ;)
I would love it if you'd share your series on my blog this Monday for "Making Your Home Sing Monday!"
Thanks for your comment. I would love to link up with you this week. May I ask, why are you on bedrest?
DeleteYou are so sweet to ask! I injured my back a few years ago, so it's been weak ever since, but I've been careful. At the end of January I re-injured it. Only THIS time all I did was bend over slightly while getting dressed but it was just enough.
DeleteThe pain was pretty bad and it was pretty upsetting because I didn't do anything, just got dressed and how am I supposed to prevent if from happening again? So I was concerned. I had to go to physical therapy from the end of January to the middle of March.
But my PT said that the bending over was probably the finally straw, that I might have had several things (such as vacuuming, lifting, etc.) align all at once to cause the final injury.
So I graduated from PT and am continuing my exercises in hopes of strengthening my back. I still am living with pain every day but I am able to be off my pain pills, and I'm praying that eventually I will be pain free. At least the pain is less.
I still can't sit for very long without pain, and can't stand in one place for very long without pain, but it's getting better.
Right after I read your blog post it inspired me to remember my routines and I went and finished cleaning up the kitchen for the night! I'm so happy that you joined us! Thanks so much for linking up to "Making Your Home Sing Monday" today! :)
That stinks but remember God is our Healer. I will be praying for you. By the way - I checked out your blog and LOVE it! I am a new follower. Can't wait to read more. Just wandering, Where abouts r u located?
DeleteRoutines are good~and often when we see how quickly something can be accomplished it makes us long to do it again. WE used to call the quick clean~pulling an Aunt Edna~take 20 minutes divide up what needs to be done between all of us and it is amazing how much can be cleaned! Great books...
ReplyDeleteKeep up the God work
Thanks Lori. Like I said I am a work in progress. I am believing that one day I will have it down. lol Team work is great, you are right.
DeleteI love the Fly Lady! I need to pull my book out again!
ReplyDeleteTonia, I put my Fly Lady stuff away then pull it back out and have for many years now. I know that one day I will have this stuff licked. lol
DeleteI have a huge need for routine, and I think id does help me keep my house in order...MOST of the time. (Don't look at it now, however!) My kitchen sink is the one thing that HAS to be clean before I can go to bed! I just feel like I'm starting the day "behind" already if the dishes aren't clean!
ReplyDeleteI would love for my kitchen to always be clean before bed but that is my biggest problem area. I am not sure why but it is. I am working my way thru 21 days of making sure it is clean though so hopefully I will break my bad habits. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteTruly inspiring. You motivated me a lot.
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gray hair