When my kids were toddlers, I thought when they were older I would have so much time to get things done. This was definitely a huge misconception on my part. Instead of changing diapers and picking up toys, I’m shuttling teenagers from one activity to another.

This schedule allows for little time to complete tasks at home. Those things like laundry, cleaning toilets, meal planning & preparation  have taken a back seat to our schedule.

I recently decided I needed a change. I was tired of being concerned about what needed to be done instead of just doing it . Many years ago, I used the Flylady system to clean and organize my house and it worked great. I knew I needed a modification of this system. I didn’t want a system to work me, I wanted to work the system.

I know my personality. I am a starter and for me to stick with this, the plan needed to be easy and start off small. This is not rocket science, it is very simple, but works for me.

In the morning when I get up:
Wake up
Make bed including all the pillows
Brush teeth
Get ready
*Wipe off the bathroom counter with a wet wipe (2X a week I use a Clorox wipe)
*Wipe around toilet & toilet seat with wet wipe (every other day-2X a week I use a Clorox wipe)
*Take toilet bowl brush and scrub inside toilet (every other day-once a week I use cleaner)
*Wipe out shower and tub with a wet wipe including walls of it (every other day-2X a week I use a Clorox wipe)
*Sweep bathroom floor (every other day)
*Empty the trash- I keep little grocery sacks under my sinks for this
Take any dishes or glasses out of bedroom
Put on one load of laundry to wash
Decide what is for dinner and make prep now. If you have a menu follow the menu.

Turn on dishwasher.

*Do the bathroom items for each bathroom you have. I am training my boys to wipe out the sink with a wet wipe after they brush their teeth.

Afternoon: while making dinner or before
Transfer laundry to dryer
If dishwasher was turned on in the morning, empty dishwasher & set table for dinner.

Before bed:
Sink emptied and scrubbed
Counters & appliances wiped down and everything put away
Pile on counter where mail lands, cleared
Pillows put on couch & loveseat in den
Stray dishes or glasses collected and put in dishwasher
Stray items returned to their homes
Kitchen floor swept
Clothes ready for tomorrow
Kitchen table wiped off and nothing on it.
Bath taken

I may delegate some of these items, but I try and make sure they are done each day. I am not perfect and some items may not get done every day, but for the most part they are done. This has made my life so much easier.  I am not trying to do more than these things right now except once a week I dust, mop and vacuum.

I am making these items habits in my life before moving on to really organizing anything. My house really isn’t out of control. I just needed a system to keep it clean. You can check out Flylady for more information.

Recently, I read a series of post by Kerri Weems on cleaning.  Her post on cleaning and her routine are superb. God went a little deeper with me on this topic. It may be simple but it is amazing if applied.

In her post, “It Works for Me: The day before”, she makes a statement:

But one very practical thing I do is try to have nothing to do the next morning that ties me to yesterday.

The phrase “nothing that ties me to yesterday” rocked me hard. How many times have I carried things from today into tomorrow? What if I dealt with the issues of today and didn’t push them down deep? What if I really trusted God with today? What if I didn’t worry about tomorrow?

Sometimes, I get so caught up in planning tomorrow or next week that I forget to take care of today, to really trust God with everything for today. God isn’t asking me to accomplish everything on my own. On the contrary, he encourages me to trust him and be on a quest for his righteousness.

In Matthew, Jesus shares how important it is to trust him and how much energy I waste when I am anxious about anything. I’m thinking I should put these verses somewhere prominent. I may need to pull out my window markers again and mark up my bathroom mirror.

Matthew 6:25-28, 31-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,

³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.