Last Updated on June 14, 2022 by melissanreynolds
But how am I supposed to add cleaning to my rather long to-do list? – every overwhelmed mama ever.
As a mama with four small children (all under eight years old), a chronic illness and a business, I rely heavily on systems to manage. Also, lists to remember.
Chores are the worst thing to organise because they have to be done over and over. That lovely little tick must be erased and re-ticked in a few days or a week.
You know you’re a mama when you clean the bathroom and five minutes later it looks like you haven’t cleaned it in weeks.
I have tried and failed to create plans for my chores. The planning is fun. The doing is less so. Also, four children. Under eight years old.
The dishes and washing must be done daily in order to keep up.
But what about the rest of it? I have found the idea of assigning a room to a day helps me get through the bulk of it.
On a Monday I have the kitchen. Wednesday is the bathroom. Saturday is a whole house dust and vacuum. On a Tuesday and Thursday is an extra vacuum.
But here is the magic — I will do my best, but if we get to the evening and I haven’t done as much as I’d like, I assign portions to my husband and kids. It is a team effort, not mama’s job. Getting more detailed than that just doesn’t help me.
If you want to grab the Paced Cleaning Plan worksheet (and the rest of the Chronically Exhausted Mama’s Planning Kit with all of my five key systems) you can do so here.
It seems to be working quite well. My husband now comes in and asks what room we are on and what we need to get done. So the cleaning is feeling a bit more manageable.
So, what’s an overwhelmed mama to do with the tiny amount of energy freed up by planning well and sharing the load? Create a self-care plan! Why? Because a well looked after mama makes life easier for everyone.
Have you got any systems for getting the cleaning done in an energy-friendly manner?
