Today's work world requires that employees be connected 24/7, which leaves little time for household chores such as laundry, dishes, and dusting. Many households are single parent families, or families where both parents work to make ends meet - having a stay-at-home Mom who takes care of the house is a thing of the past in those households.
Yet home organization becomes even more important for these families, as children need some stability and the working adults need to have clean clothes for work and a peaceful place to call home.
The FlyLady
A site created by the author of the book Sink Reflections, Marla Cilley, is The Flylady.com . Members of this site receive daily emails reminding them of morning, evening, and daily routines that are standardized to the needs of most. The book and site encourages members to customize the routines to their personal needs, but the basic morning routine includes doing one load of laundry, swishing out the toilet, and emptying the dishwasher. The basic evening routine includes making sure where your keys are and what clothes you are going to wear in the morning.
The Control JournalAnother central tenant ofThe Flylady's program involves keeping a control journal; a notebook where all your routines, key phone numbers, and cleaning plans for each part of your home are organized. Members are also encouraged to keep a disaster or emergency plan here as well, so that earthquakes, tornados and other natural disasters don't catch them off-guard. Routines should be kept in shiny notebook organizers, so that a dry erase marker can be used to check them off every day.
Habits Create SuccessAccording to the self-help experts, our daily habits take 30 days to become engrained and second nature. They determine our overall success in life. Poor habits lead to poor results, but good habits lead to a successful and happy life. It is easy to fall into chaos when our jobs require a 24/7 committment, but establishing simple habits that include basic home care, exercise, meditation, and reviewing a list of affirmations can make the difference between living well or living poorly.
Staying on top of the laundry, basic cleaning, and other household chores can save money also - no more buying new clothes as everything is dirty or buying things you already have but just can't find. Knowing what you are going to wear every day makes getting kids to school on time and getting to work on time much easier, with minimal morning stress and arguments.
PlanningAnother key money saving feature that is encouraged is planning meals ahead of time. A pre-planned menu and grocery list makes impulse purchases at the grocery store much less likely, and means that meals can be prepared quickly. Eating earlier also means less chance of gaining weight, as eating late has been shown to be one reason we gain weight. A well-thought out home routine includes planning meals in advance, one day a week.
Although setting up and sticking to a routine is difficult at first, it pays dividends in terms of overall stress levels, peace of mind, and readiness for the unexpected. Subscribing to The Flylady.com is a great way to gain the motivation to set up and stick to these routines for a happier, healthier home life.
Brenda Keener - Brenda Keener is a 25-year veteran of the Silicon Valley, where she has written business plans for several hundred startups including ...
