Make a Monthly List

Like many women—and some men—I am a compulsive, maniacal list-maker. I make lists for Christmas gifts, weekly and daily to-do lists, wish lists, lists of books to read, movies to see and music to check out… if it can be listed, I have probably listed it somewhere or another.

Making a list for your cleaning chores each month can be a great way to get the job done. Once you have something crossed off, refuse to do it again unless you have the time to do so or something insane happens—a post softball celebration stupor in which everyone forgets to remove their cleats, perhaps?

Start with a weekly list. What could you stand to have done only weekly in your home? Mine includes sweeping, mopping, dusting and vacuuming. (Other items, such as laundry and dishes, are simply daily givens!) This list is kept in my Life Planner, and once I have it finished, I highlight it off—whoosh! It’s gone!

On the monthly list, I have larger items, such as deep cleaning each individual room, scrubbing the refrigerator, washing all the windows and glass, cleaning out the medicine cabinets and closets, etc.

The best way to go through this list, I’ve found, is to break it down into manageable tasks. Don’t attempt to do them all in one day; not only will it likely not happen, it will wear you out! Instead, either set aside a chunk of time each week to tackle two or three of these items, or designate a cleaning day each week where you can do part of the list.

Some people feel that they need things cleaner than I do; when I was a child, for example, my mother would mop the floor every single day because she was afraid of me getting germs on my body! I’m nowhere near as clean as that, and if I for some reason cannot cross off mopping that week, I don’t sweat it; I wipe up any spots really quick and mop the following week. Don’t worry about it—there are more important things in life than mopping!

That said, if your list starts to pile up, don’t be afraid to ask for help. In fact, my husband and I have separate lists (his is labeled “Honey Do” and has hearts and our initials drawn on it!) so we can balance what needs to be done together. If you have a full household, do it the college way—assign chores and rotate them each week. This saves time and sanity while teaching responsibility.