Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed…when it seems like everything is going wrong and you just can’t catch a break? Or does everything just feel hard, like it takes a tremendous effort to just get the basics taken care of?
I have found, in my own life, that when my home is a disorganized, messy disaster, either the rest of my life also feels messy and chaotic, or maybe the messy home is actually the cause of the chaos elsewhere.
I’m not sure if this is a “what came first, the chicken or the egg” situation, but what I have observed is that when I get my home in order and start keeping it in order, the rest of my life seems to fall back into place as well.
But Ashley, HOW??
I get it. If you are overwhelmed, then one of the symptoms of that very overwhelm is just not knowing how or where to start.
So let’s dive into how I handle the home when it gets out of control. Don’t worry, help is on the way.
Plan Of Attack
Step one is to figure out your plan of attack. I recommend starting in your master bedroom. I know that this advice might seem a bit off…the master bedroom rarely gets seen by anyone else, right?
Well, yes. But the master bedroom is for you and your spouse. When you are feeling overwhelmed by everything else, wouldn’t the best thing in the world be to have a clean and tidy oasis for you and your spouse to retire at the end of the day.
Here is a short list of the necessities:
- Fresh sheets
- Surfaces cleared
- Shoes put in the closet
- Dust
- Sweep/Mop/Vacuum
The master bedroom is sacred space, and it should be treated as such. Take care of first things first and get it clean and tidy. Then you can move on to other spaces.
I recommend tackling the kitchen next, but don’t get stuck there. You could probably spend 20 hours cleaning the kitchen and still be able to find more to do…so don’t continue working in the kitchen indefinitely. Make a list of things you would like to achieve in the kitchen, and once those have been completed, move on to the next room.
This should get you started:
- Clear off and wipe down countertops
- Do all of the dishes and scour the sink
- Wipe down the stove top
- Wipe the fronts of appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, oven)
- Sweep and do a quick mop
You can always loop back around later, but right now we want to get the WHOLE house under control.
After the kitchen is tidy, it’s time to move onto living areas. The children should definitely be helping in these areas getting toys picked up, throw blankets folded, shoes put away, dishes taken to the dishwasher…basically all of the things that are out need to be put in their place.
After that, a quick vacuuming or sweeping will finish the job.
And now let’s tackle the bathrooms…tackle the downstairs bathroom first…don’t worry about tubs/showers right now. You’re focusing on the toilet, floors, and sink. Work quickly, but be thorough.
Lastly, let’s tidy up the entryway…after all, it’s the first thing you see when you get home. Again, this is a great place to enlist the children! A younger child can tidy up and line up the shoes. Another child can take anything that doesn’t belong in the entryway to its proper place, and another child can sweep the floor.
So now that you have your plan of attack, let’s talk about tactics.
Use Your Timer
Out of all of the tricks I have up my sleeve, the timer probably works better than anything. The timer helps both you and the children work quickly…probably because of the deadline aspect.
I like to see exactly how much I can get in the time allotted, and I’m in a race against myself.
Now in order for this trick to work, you need to actually set a timer, not just look at the clock on the wall. You can set it for five minutes, or ten minutes…I actually recommend trying out both time increments to see which motivates you more.
Setting the timer for five minutes and working quickly and with focus will give you a much better idea of exactly how much work can be accomplished. Five minutes just doesn’t seem like a whole lot of time, but you will be amazed at how much progress you can make.
So let’s say you have a seriously messy kitchen. It’s a total disaster with not a single clear space. This is exactly how I would approach the mess.
I would first put on some upbeat music, grab an empty laundry basket, then get my timer out and set it for 10 minutes. As soon as that timer starts, I’m going to start working on getting my countertops cleared off.
Anything that is on your countertop that belongs somewhere else needs to go in the laundry basket (you will take that to its rightful spot later), trash goes into the trash can, and dirty dishes go into the sink.
You may only be able to get one part of your counters cleared off in 10 minutes, that’s okay!
So at the end of your 10 minutes, if your laundry basket is full, then quickly put everything in it away…if it’s not full yet, then leave it where it is.
Now you are going to take a 10 minute break doing something you enjoy. This can be scrolling Instagram, watching something on TV, or sitting outside in the sun. But make sure to set your timer so that you don’t lose track of time.
Continue this process of 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off until your kitchen is back under control. I promise this will make it as painless as possible.
Laying Down New Habits
Now here’s the thing. Getting the house cleaned up and under control is one thing…but KEEPING it clean and under control is another beast altogether.
This is where I struggled for years and years. It was boom and then bust. I would throw all of my energy into getting the house clean, only to then go weeks without doing anything else.
I didn’t understand how to maintain a clean home. And it’s all about laying down new habits.
Housework is habits…that’s all.
You want the things you do to keep your home tidy to become so habitual that you don’t even have to think about it…you just do it.
Your daily maintenance housework needs to become as automatic as brushing your teeth!
I’ve created a whole challenge with just this purpose in mind…laying down the habits that will keep your home tidy day after day, while spending as little time as possible!
Because really. Who wants to be cleaning all day when there are books to be read (or whatever other hobby you prefer!)
So let’s recap. If you are completely overwhelmed by your home and don’t know where to start…first of all, you need a plan. You can use the one I laid out above, or create your own, but you do need a plan.
Use your timer. You will not regret it. A timer will change your life if you let it.
Once your home is back in order it’s time to focus on creating some new habits so that all of your hard work isn’t for naught. If you want help with creating these habits, the Freedom Moms Challenge is currently open!
