Make Automatic Cleaning Part of Your Life

I mentioned last week that staying on routines would help me meet my goal to "survive" the year. One of the habits I already have in place is for household cleaning. Life gets busy and it’s easy to get off track and then overwhelmed with the amount of chores it takes to keep a home running smoothly. When we moved in together, my husband and I decided to split the home maintenance tasks. You can read about why and how we divided up the cleaning chores here.

But regardless if you go it alone or you have someone to share the tasks with, you can still divide up your chores into daily chunks or implement a weekly routine to make maintaining a clean home automatic. I also find having a set cleaning schedule helps me get things done even when other areas of my life get busy. Keep reading to see how I came up with my weekly routine and a few tips to help you implement your own routines.

Creating a Plan

A few weeks after we moved into our house, and after we divided up the chores, I thought about what a typical week looks like for us and answered the below questions. Once I had a baseline of events for my week, I took all my tasks and plugged them in on days that made sense.

1. What days are busiest for you at work, school, in your social life?

Mondays are my busiest days at work. I'm usually there a little later than usual, and I know I'll be mentally exhausted and just want to chill out when I get home. So keeping Mondays chore-free are ideal.

2. What events within the week are out of your control?

I can't move my trash pick up day, or the day my favorite yoga instructor teaches the evening class. Those events are out of my control, and I need to plan around them.

3. What tasks make sense to complete on the same day?

For me, It makes sense to clean the bathrooms on the same day I launder our whites. This way, I can wash our towels, bath mats, and cleaning cloths in the cycle following the whites. If there is any residual bleach left in the machine, I'd rather it discolor my towels than our everyday clothing.

Other tasks that I prefer to do on the same day are grocery shopping (or in my case grocery pick-up) and meal prep. When I bring my groceries back to the house, I can wash and cut veggies and fruits before they ever hit the fridge. I can also divide out larger amounts of meat for dinners during the current week and freeze the rest. I make my mason jar salads for lunches and our week's worth of apple cider vinegar drinks.

Sticking to Routines

After you have your plan laid out, how do you stick to it?

• Complete a specific task on the same day each week or follow a cadence: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday , for example.

  In writing out your plan, you most likely already identified certain days for specific tasks based on your responses to the questions above.

• In addition to picking a specific day, you should also complete these tasks at the time each week.

  I choose to complete my daily duties immediately after I get home from work, including cooking dinner. Get it done before you get distracted by the comforts or craziness of home. For weekend chores, choose the same day, and use an event to trigger your task. For example, I wash our bedding on Saturdays. When my husband and I get out of bed for the day, we immediately strip the bed and take everything down to the laundry room and throw in the first load.

• Set alarms or reminders to complete these tasks until you've done so many times it becomes automatic.

A Look at my Week

Monday - That first day back to work from the weekend is brutal, so I keep it easy. My only chore on Monday is to cook dinner. And most times, I make a larger amount of dinner on Sunday, leaving us with leftovers for Monday, giving me time to relax and recharge for the rest of the week.

Tuesday - I clean our bathrooms and wash the whites, bath mats, shower curtains, and towels (bath towels, dish towels, cleaning cloths, etc.). I throw in a load of whites in the morning before heading out for the day. I use the delay start on my washing machine and set it to start an hour before the end of my workday. When I get home from work, the load has recently finished. I can throw the whites into the dryer and toss a load of towels into the washing machine. One load of laundry halfway completed, and I didn't even break a sweat. By the time I finish cleaning the bathroom and starting dinner, I can switch out another load.

Wednesday - I cook dinner and plan meals for the next week or two. I use the meal plans to create a grocery list for pick up on Sunday. I also folder my whites and towels Wednesdays after work. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but with only myself and my husband, I can fold and put away Tuesday's laundry in less than ten minutes.

Thursday - My trash pick up is Friday morning, so we use Thursday to clean out the refrigerator, empty all the trash cans, clean the cat litter boxes, and vacuum the floors. Then my husband takes all the trash from our house out to the curb before dinner. I also use Thursdays to wash blankets the cats lay on throughout the week and their window seat covers. Then I run a cycle to clean the washer before Friday's laundry. Again I try to cook enough on Wednesday to have leftovers for Thursday.

Friday - I use Friday to wash our clothing. Again I throw in a load before work and set the delay start. Change out the loads as soon as I get home and then start dinner. I keep Friday easy as a treat for surviving the week.

Saturday - We wash our bedding and fold and put away clothing from Friday's laundry. Saturdays are usually less routine, so dinner can be anything from take out, going out, or making something quick and easy from the freezer.

Sunday - I lounge in bed until I have to go pick up groceries. Then I come home to unpack, wash fruits and veggies, make a week's worth of jarred salads and ACV drinks, cut up vegetables for meals that week, and portion out any meat. I also cook a larger dinner to have leftovers for Monday. Sunday is a great day for a crockpot meal.

When I can stick to my routines it’s much easier to maintain a clean house and eat healthier. My routines work for me, and I've been doing them since we moved into our house four years ago, so they are automatic at this point. But my schedule may not work for you and your life. Your routines should make sense for your life. The good news is if you try something out and realize it doesn't work, no big deal, take another look at your typical week and move around your tasks until you find something that does work.

Do you have any tips for making cleaning easier in your life? What are some of your tried and true routines?

2020 Goals ... Better Late Than Never

Hi Everyone!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but life has had me on an emotional roller coaster these last eight weeks. I tried to use January as a reset month to get back on track with health, fitness, blogging, and setting goals for 2020. But life had other plans, and none of that happened. So here we are halfway through February, and I'm just getting around to sharing my 2020 goals. But before I share my 2020 goals, I wanted to let you in on one of the reasons I haven't been so consistent with my blog posts.

We're having a baby!!! And it's a boy!!

I won't go into too much detail except to say I am currently 21 weeks pregnant, and we confirmed a few weeks ago our little boy has Down syndrome. I don't want this post to be super long, and I want to give proper care, and attention to the topic of Down syndrome and my feelings about this pregnancy so keep checking back, or better yet, subscribe to my email list to get notified when a new post goes live. I plan to write about my first-trimester experience, how we found out about the Down syndrome diagnosis, and my initial reaction and current feelings about his diagnosis. Not to mention the fun stuff like nursery reveal and registry must-haves. Now on to my 2020 goals.

2020 Goals

#1 goal for 2020 = Survive the year

Ideally, I would like to come out of 2020 more than just surviving, but I also don't want to have unrealistic expectations. Having a new baby, especially one that may have medical complications and additional needs, is a huge undertaking, and I'll be happy to end the year with everyone still alive and bathed and fed at regular intervals, hence survival.

I started thinking about how I could put myself in the best possible position for survival once he arrives. I kept coming back to the word "healthy. Not only physically but emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and creatively. And for me being healthy in all these areas means better choices for meals, getting in 30 minutes of activity (almost) every day, reducing stress levels, maintaining relationships, and doing activities I enjoy. So my other goals for 2020 are focused around being healthy to ensure survival.

Goal #2 - Maintain/refine routines & Get back to habits that have gone astray

I am not naive, and I know that I will be at the mercy of a tiny human and his schedule in the back half of the year. BUT I thrive on routine and structure. So I know the habits I can put in place today or in the next few weeks will help me keep some structure in my day post-baby. This goal is an overarching goal with a few sub-goals.

#2A: Maintain Current Routines

A weekly cleaning routine - I already have a system in place to ensure my household chores get completed and have started thinking through what additional tasks I'll need to add to my week (or pass off to my husband) once little man is here.

Bill paying routine - The same goes for paying bills. I pay bills twice a month and in two-week chunks of time on the same day of the week both times. During my second bill paying session, I also review spending for that month and move funds into other "buckets" for household projects, savings, etc. I know I could take it even further and set most of my bills to auto-pay, but then I lose sight of what bills are due when and wouldn't pay too much attention to our spending. Sitting down for 30-40 minutes to review the balance of each invoice, schedule a payment, and move around the remaining budget gives me a sense of peace and control. I like to know where and when our money is coming and going.

A morning routine - Monday - Friday, I wake up about an hour earlier than necessary. I have some quiet time with my cats, do a 20-30 minute workout or some easy stretching if my body isn't feeling it that morning, a 10-minute meditation using my Calm app, and some journaling or reflecting on an oracle card if there's time left.

Having this time to be quiet and get centered before the craziness of the day makes such a difference in my outlook, mood, and energy levels. I'm more positive, friendly, and flexible at work, and I can make it through the day without an extra cup of coffee, no problem. It also makes a difference in my relationships with co-workers, friends, and, most importantly, my spouse. When I feel mentally and physically ready to take on the day, I am more loving and kind to the people in my life.

#2B: Get Back in the Habit of Previous Tried and True Routines

Meal Planning & Prepping - Before October, I had a routine of meal planning, grocery shopping/order pick up, and meal prepping. But the first-trimester exhaustion and then the holidays completely threw this routine out the window. I want to get back to having a meal schedule and prepping lunches and dinners ahead of time. Even if it's just chopping veggies and knowing what protein to take out of the freezer and when. That will be a huge help to cooking clean meals and spending less money eating out because something didn't thaw out or I don't have an ingredient for a recipe.

Goal #3: Put New Routines in Place

Blogging a.k.a. my creative outlet - The one routine I can't seem to nail down is for blogging. I've tried to set aside time after work for blogging tasks, but I don't have the motivation to sit in front of a computer after I've spent all day in front of monitors. Also, my evenings (after cooking dinner and doing my daily chore(s))are for spending time with my husband and cats, and soon my son.

I've also tried doing blogging on the weekend. But other activities, usually at the request of my husband, or an unexpected day of beautiful weather, take priority over blogging. So again, I end up not sticking to my routine or plan, which is why I haven't posted consistently since November. Life always seems to get in the way. The main objective of this goal will be to figure out how blogging fits into my life and how much or how little time I can truly devote to maintaining my site.

Goal #4: Plan for baby and educate myself on Down syndrome

I think planning for baby's arrival is everyone's goal when they find out they are expecting, especially their first child. I need to create my registry, decorate the nursery, sign up for the newborn and labor classes, and ensure we are financially in a comfortable place. These are projects all on their own, and if I think about them too much, I quickly become overwhelmed.

On top of the projects I just mentioned, I have quite a lengthy list of tasks to prepare myself for a child with Down syndrome. I want to read as many books as I can get my hands on. I have to attend the additional medical appointments. I would like to get in contact with local support groups, research early intervention specialists, and learn what financial assistance is available versus what we will need to plan for financially. Serious overwhelm thinking of ALL THE THINGS!

My Top 3 Priorities

I know I said survival is my numero uno, but when I go back and look at the goals I’ve laid out, planning for baby, meal planning and prepping routines, and figuring out what works best for me in terms of blogging are my top 3 priorities over the next five months.

I know meal planning and prepping will be the easiest of the three since I did have a solid routine for quite some time. And I do some meal prepping Sunday mornings already.

Blogging will come down to better planning and scheduling specific tasks to work in 15-30 minute increments rather than trying to hammer out a full post in one night...much like I am doing now.

The baby planning, well, I know that project will reach a finish line sooner or later whether I'm ready or not. I'd rather be prepared, but if I'm not, I'm pretty good at learning on the fly. And like I said, as long as we all end 2020 alive, bathed and fed I'll consider this year a win!

Advice, Tips, I’m All Ears

Please. I want to know. How did you plan for your child with or without additional needs?

Do you have a blog or a creative hobby? If so, how do you find time to work on it?

Any other tips that would help me survive in the months after our child is born?

January Reset

I am so happy to have said goodbye to 2019. Last year was rough physically, emotionally, and mentally. But now that we have officially started 2020, I also realize I am in no way prepared to start a new year, let alone a new decade.

I don't know how anyone had the time to complete a postmortem of the last year. With Christmas being so soon after Thanksgiving, all the holiday parties and activities and for my family, birthdays. So much happened in my life the last few months, while they went quickly, they also felt like a year all on their own. Before I can commit to new goals and a fresh start to the new year, I have to take some time to sit with all that's happened these last twelve months: the struggles, the lessons, and the achievements. So, this year I'm taking a fiscal year approach to 2020, and my fiscal year isn't going to start until February 1st! I'm going to use the 31 days in January to hash out my feelings about 2019 and set my goals for 2020.

A January Reset

I've drafted a rough plan for January's "reset." I want to start by journaling, something I've let slide in the last few months, about the lessons I've learned, the events which made me stronger, and the accomplishments I've achieved. I also want to examine my habits and routines and evaluate what worked and what didn't work.

Once I have my thoughts on paper, I plan to update my Life Pyramid document. I first read about creating a Life Pyramid on The Simple Dollar blog. I built mine three or four years ago, so it will be interesting to go back and read through my Purpose/Principles, my Vision for the next twenty years, and the Projects and Goals I set for myself to reach that vision. Once I've updated my Life Pyramid, I'll know what areas to focus on in 2020 and can create a Vision Board for 2020. I'm not trying to rush this process, but I'm hoping to have these activities completed by mid-January.

Finally, I'll focus my attention to solidifying my 2020 goals and writing out my action steps. I haven't decided if I'll break down my goals into quarterly chunks or get more granular and create monthly milestones. And I'll have to spend some time thinking about what will work for me when it comes to reviewing my progress. I've been great about setting goals in the past, but not so great when it came to keeping a date with myself to review my goal progress and course correct. No one likes to hear where they're falling short, even if you are only talking to yourself.

I hope to document my progress on Instagram throughout January, but I haven't been the best at posting on IG, so.... we'll see. Who knows, if this experiment works for me in 2020, I might make this January "reset" an ongoing practice.

Have you already set your 2020 goals? What is your process for setting new year goals?