Time To Clean: Who Has That?

by April Welch on November 8th, 2010 | No Comments »

Recommendations for Time Management this time of year are clearly about delegating, but with a struggling economy hiring a cleaning service may not be in the cards. So how can you both create a little time and delegate? I find myself discussing this with clients on a daily basis. Come November and December the attitude changes drastically.

"April, this is crazy! I don't have time to clean my house and I have guests arriving for the holidays!"

The first recommendation I have is to take a "time-out". Really! I want you to just think about your situation.

When and How does your house normally get cleaned?
What is stopping that regular schedule from happening?
Where are some opportunities for adjustment?

Let's take a look at some ideas

The Holiday Chore List:

Partner with a friend or neighbor

Both of you clean your house, then both of you clean her house
Bulk shop, one of you does the errand while the other is ready, waiting at home for the delivery {then share the groceries and the bill}

Reach out to Teenagers

Have them run your errands for you
Or pay them to do some of the more labor intensive chores
Hire them to entertain toddlers while you accomplish your task list

Cut back on commitments

Yes, you heard me.
Just say NO to one thing a weekend and spend the time keeping house.
Or, consider one evening a week the I'm home night and spend it cranking up the tunes while you mop those floors!

Break up the "to-do" list

Make a "task list" based on room
- Guest Bedroom: laundry, change sheets, dust, decorate
Tackle rooms instead of areas of labor
- complete the Guest Bedroom before moving on to the Living Room
Assign tasks to family members
- Susie: dust, take out recycle, put out fresh towels
- Johnny: empty all garbage cans, vacuum, sort laundry

Remember, a clean house is only part of the equation. Holidays are meant for spending time with loved ones, celebrating life and relaxing!