Just Whistle While You Work

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho…it’s off to work we go…

We do chores a little differently in our home…It has worked very well for us and I thought I would share some of the things we do with you this month. We have never paid for chores (well, I shouldn’t say NEVER, but we don’t USUALLY pay for chores). We are all part of a family, each one contributing to the mess and each one contributing to the upkeep. I know there are many different views on this, but we have treated house work with a teamwork mentality. After all, many hands make light work! We do not do all of these every day or week…we shift everything around from time to time to keep things fresh and interesting. The first two ideas I mention are our main ways of handling messes though.

Speed Cleaning – Everyday (well, it should be everyday…) we have three speed cleaning periods. We dedicate 20 minutes around breakfast time, around lunch time and close to Daddy coming home time to work together to clean up the major messes. This is ALL hands on deck time as everyone takes on a particular area and puts it back into shape. This is also time to unload/load the dishwasher and washer/dryer. We may have to do that more often than three times a day, but that keeps things moving when we get caught up in our daily duties. The timer is set and we race around tidying up. This is NOT a time for deep cleaning, this is “get things looking ship shape quickly” time.

For those heavy spring cleaning times of life where the mess is more overwhelming than you can deal with, we do a job jar. Everything gets cleared off the calendar and all the jobs go onto individual slips of paper into a container to draw from. Each of us, one at a time pulls a job out of the jar. We set the timer for 20 minutes and everyone works together on that one particular job. So if we pull out Living Room, we are all working to put that space back into order…including dusting, cleaning windows, etc. If the job is complete when the timer goes off, we throw the paper away. If not, we put it back into the jar. I have found that we can all focus and work well together this way, because the jobs change frequently and we also throw in some surprises…read for 20 minutes, watch TV for 30 minutes, snack time, 20 minute break and things like that. This has helped us IMMENSELY for the big cleaning days.

Room a day is another way we get everything done…well it is NEVER DONE, but you know what I mean. Using this technique, we schedule a particular room on a day and everyone works together cleaning that room. So, this is when bedding gets washed, rooms get vacuumed, etc. When we have worked through all of the rooms, we just start over again. When we use this technique, we schedule about 2 rooms a week (I put them into my Outlook Calendar so reminders pop up on the day of!). Some rooms, like bathrooms need to be cleaned more often, other rooms, once a month is good for me. Some spaces, like the kitchen, are cleaned up regularly, but don’t get deep cleans done often and this is a good way for those things to get done. When we use this method, we do not set the timer, but work together until the job is complete. It does not take very long when you work together like this.

You can also find household planners that schedule in duties for you and just follow their recommendations. I have used this method from time to time, but for it to be truly effective, you need to actually LOOK at the planner. I have enjoyed the planner that Susan Heid created at the Confident Mom. She breaks down weekly tasks into bite sized daily chunks and includes things I don’t think of, like wipe out microwave, wipe down all appliance doors, disinfect trash cans. I really do love this planner for keeping on task for my housework!

Ok, the last method I use does involve money…this is the MOM IS GOING TO PANIC and I don’t care how much it costs me, this house better be clean today method. This is only pulled out RARELY, but motivates because of the bribery element everyone wants to bless mom while she is freaking out. This is usually saved for the days we have Bible Study at the home or company for dinner, or something like that. I pay for these instances, because my children are giving me a gift and helping out in instances where I am caught off guard and super stressed out.

Well, that is pretty much how we handle chores around our home. While what we do really works well for us, I want to encourage you to find the groove that works for your family. Each family has different circumstances, needs and giftings that make certain methods work well for your need

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics