I enjoy organization as much as the next person. The thrill
of a desk drawer where everything is organized in file folders, the kitchen
drawer where tongs can easily be found, the sock drawer with 2 together
absolutely delights me! I have learned the key to organization is maintenance.
We all get rushed and one day those tongs or that pile of bills and invoices
and those stray socks are mocking us once again.
I just saw a headline in my newspaper, “Organizing Your
Housework”, that I had to read. The column broke down housekeeping chores that
need to be done daily, weekly, quarterly, and annually. It went on to give the
time needed to complete these tasks. I don’t think the article was written by
some one who actually does household chores because the byline was “staff’.
Daily chores were
listed as: “Make bed, sweep kitchen floor, load dishwasher, put in a load of
wash, pick up main living areas, pick up clothes. All in 30 minutes. “
Repeat in 23 hours and 30 minutes.
Weekly chores
were listed as: “dusting, vacuuming, empty trash, clean mirrors and television
and computer screens, change bed linens, scrub bathroom and kitchen, mop
floors, put out recyclables. All in 3 hours. “
Quarterly, the
list is extensive including ”shampooing the carpet, clean out cabinets and
drawers, vacuum underneath and behind furniture.”
Yearly the list includes but not limited
to: “ wash walls, windows, and inside cupboards and closets”.
No talking, taking breaks, getting side tracked, preparing
food, eating, walking the dog, exercising, or checking email.
I am exhausted! Where are the kids, the spouse, the pets,
the coffee, the friends, the hobbies, the yard care, the car care, the food
shopping the food preparation or the job????
I would like to be this disciplined but I am realistic. I
know many women say they just don’t clean and hire. What about you???
