Adding Simple Tasks to Other Routines to Minimize Chores

Somehow when I was younger I thought that cleaning was such a chore. Certainly it can be. But I have learned that there are simple things that can make cleaning easier and can be done in the course of one's daily routine in such a way that it hardly seems like time has to be taken to clean. Just a few of these ideas follow:

When you finish eating breakfast, unload the dishwasher and put the dishes away and load the breakfast dishes. Throughout the day add any other dishes that get dirty. This will minimize having to stack dishes and having to "load the dishwasher." When the dishwasher is full, run it.

When getting ready for the day, take an extra minute to do a little bit of cleaning. For instance, Monday, Wednesday and Friday you could spray and wipe down the sink, counter and mirror, and on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you can wipe down the toilet, and spray the shower; also put some toilet cleaner in the bowl at the beginning of your routine and it will be ready to scrub and flush by the end of your routine.
Then all that's left is to sweep and mop the floor which can be done easily enough at any time.

Start your supper preparations when you are preparing breakfast or finished eating breakfast and it will be easier to have supper ready when suppertime rolls around. Also, by starting early, it gives you the chance to make a run to the store for any ingredients you have run out of, or time to think of any simple additions to the meals. For instance, if you put chicken and gravy in the crock pot in the morning, you may think of making biscuits later in the day and still have time to have it ready when dinner is served.

Keep an accordion file for mail to be filed or for bills to be paid. For bills to be paid, put dates on the tabs to tickle your memory to pay them in time. Even simpler is to file mail as it comes in if there are no other actions required. This will keep you from having to handle the same papers twice.

Just a few tips. There are certainly many others that are helpful. Use the library or internet for cleaning, storing and organizing tips. You will be amazed at the number of helpful ideas you come across that you may have never thought of before.