The Organised Mum Method - have I misunderstood or am I really slow?

[NameChangeyMcChangerson]

I have a new baby, and my house is a tip. I kept seeing people on Mumsnet recommend the organised mum method and saying it's just 45 minutes a day. This seemed like a great plan, as I find it hard to get much done during the day with DS (and I try to be out of the house as much as possible anyway) but I thought DH and I could take it in turns to look after DS and the other one do a 45 minute blitz each day. However, I've just looked at the blog and been seriously put off by this on the 'level 1 jobs':

These never change and are the same every day. This is the minimum that needs to be done in order to maintain an orderly home. This is supposed to be a quick top-level tidy – It should take no longer than 15 minutes. These are not included in your 30 mins because it is assumed that you are doing some (if not all of them) already … these jobs come with the territory of being an adult!

Quick floor clean of main living areas. This obviously depends on what floors you have (carpets, tiles or wood floors). If you have hard flooring mop at least once a week.
1 load of laundry
Quick clean of bathrooms, this includes a mop of the floors at least once a week.
Make beds
A little word on bathrooms… bathrooms are included in your level 1 jobs but you don’t have to do the same thing in there every day. Make sure you change it up so that all areas of the bathroom are getting attention. So, for example, one day you might tackle the floors and another day you might do the mirror and sink (I do clean the toilet daily though).

I can't do that in 15 minutes! Even just folding and then putting away a load of laundry takes me that long (and that doesn't include putting the load on and hanging it up in the first place). Similarly mopping the bathroom floor or hoovering our living room (which is a living room diner, so quite large) take that long once I include getting out and putting away the hoover/mop bucket. So then I wondered whether I was just supposed to do one of the tasks on that list - but surely not as it includes making the bed?! Can other people do that stuff in 15 minutes and if so how?!

I have this same issue so tbh I don't do all of them every day. I personally think she's a bit ott with her everyday tasks. I do a load of laundry, make the bed and then normally do 1 other task. I don't personally feel the main walkways need hoovering every day or that the toilet needs to be cleaned daily, but I guess this depends on how many people use the toilet!

Just 1 point, she actually doesn't mean hoover your whole lounge etc. She literally means the walkways, so the path people walk between front door/kitchen/lounge etc

I'm not familiar with the method but I agree with you that the level 1 list seems unrealistic.

Then when I read these jobs come with the territory of being an adult! I thought WTF!? I'm afraid I've just gone off the author.

I’ve literally just found TOMM and am planning on doing the one week boot camp starting tomorrow but honestly have no idea how I’ll manage!! I’ve got toddler twins, tomorrow’s task is the living room which is impossible when they’re around. I’ve started doing a 15 minute clean in the last few days, literally set 15 mins on my phone and whizz round and it’s good what I can get done in that time, but it’s usually lots of little jobs and definitely not one whole room.

I’ve put on 3 washings the last few days which is easy, it’s finding the time to hang it, fold the last one and put it away I can’t get done. Had some child free time the other day, took me TWO hours to fold all of the washing and I still only just managed to put the kids stuff away before they came home again, all our stuff is still in the basket.

I think she means put some washing in the machine and switch it on during that 15 minutes. Tbh I can’t even run the hoover around downstairs in less than 15 minutes. I have a small house too, just two children who make an incredible amount of mess and crumbs. Once I’ve started, I have to be thorough!

I like bits of tomm but also can’t do all that in 15 minutes - although I do do things in little chunks so it doesn’t feel like too much - clean bathroom while kids are in the bath, quick hoover after dinner etc.
However what I really really struggle with is the shit that’s too basic to even have a level - the dishes and the hanging up/putting away the laundry. Don’t have a dishwasher or tumble dryer and these things take me ages

Bloody hell, I go months without mopping the floor! Takes bloody ages. I'm constantly tidying, clearing and sorting but I'm doing very well if I manage to clean the loos even once a week! God knows what her level 2 tasks are, I'm flat out with level 1.

It takes me at lest 15 mins to put on washing, shive it in tumbler and then fold and put away.

I think she means put the washing on. Not wash and dry and put away.

Those of you who say mopping takes ages get a Vileda spray mop. Its amazing!!

I had a cleaner and, as she didn't know where everything was kept, she'd stack things neatly, books, papers, jumpers, whatever and that alone made such a difference.
Also just pick up what shows on the floor. Won't work if you have a dog or mud outside the door, but just pick up bits of fluff etc when you see them, especially on the stairs, then magically they don't need hoovered or swept. Bathrooms, I would do the sink quickly, keep a sponge hidden nearby. Once washed you can wipe it with the towel to dry it. And that's it unless toilet pooey. But pick up off the floor, tidy bottles that's it.

The trick with TOMM is that your house gets cleaner & cleaner so there isn't as much to do. I do my 30mins daily clean, my level 1gets done here and there through the day. The level 1 bathroom is literally give the sink a wipe as I clean my teeth. Throw some cleaner down the loo after I've been. Kitchen is the same - quick wipe of work top/sink. I run the hover around every 3days ish but it is just getting rid of the bits you can see, not every nook & cranny. Through a load of washing on just before I go out.
My first living room day probably took me an hour, now its clean last week I did it in 16mins. Have a look on spotify/you tube for the playlists, I just clean until the music runs out.

No, I can't get that all done in 15 mins either! Just do what you can in whatever time you've got. It should get easier. Also in case you didn't notice she suggets splitting it up into 3 x 10 mins lots if you've got a new baby or just stuck with the 15 mins and enjoy your baby.

Agree with last poster. You don't have to do stuff perfectly but it does make a difference day by day. However, you do need a decent handheld vacuum IMHO. I can't be arsed getting the big vacuum out more than once a month. We rotate bathrooms rather than doing them all every day. It has made a big difference to our house.

What's your handheld vacuum Halloumi? I've got a Dyson which is rubbish: battery dies after a few minutes and it takes an ages to recharge. Feel like a new one might help me actually get started.

I’m glad it’s not just me. I was wondering where hanging out/folding the washing came into it. Also all those other jobs that take very little time but add up to quite a lot like emptying the dishwasher, tidying the DCs bedrooms, picking up toys, filing paperwork etc. Not to mention the endless time spent feeding, changing, winding and holding a baby.
But the house is looking cleaner just a week in so maybe it is working. It’s certainly making me tidier because I don’t want to waste my 30mins tidying.

I think there are elements of Tomm that are just brilliant but like anything else you have to take it with a pinch of salt and ADAPT what you need to your own position and then forget the rest. I am at an exceptionally busy time in my life, and thinking about the routines helps me, but I have a messy twenty year old living with me, two under fives, and a DP away a lot. If I did ALL the tomm myself I’d just be taking all the domestic stuff to myself, which I’ve spent five years trying not to do. So dp does most of the laundry at weekends, cleaner does floors, bathroom and ironing once a week for a couple of hours and that has to last, then a couple of times a week i take her posts and her playlist and get stuck into eg a big kitchen clean, or the other night spent over an hour doing bedroom/clothes sort out.

It has to help you, not become a comparison exercise or a too-high bar that makes you anxious.

Agree that the “level 1” list sounds OTT! And the comment about being an adult is obnoxious.

Thanks for all the replies - glad to know it's not just me! I agree she probably does mean just stick a load of washing on as part of my 15 mins - but then that's a bit of a con, as that's by far the least time consuming bit of laundry and the rest still has to be done... I feel like I spend a lot of my day doing laundry, and especially hanging out tiny baby clothes - for a little person he makes a lot of washing!

I've had a look at the rest of the programme now and actually can see how it would be manageable and helpful for us (as I said, the plan would be for one of us to do the 30 mins in the evening - probably mostly me at the moment so DH can have DS time - not for me to try and do it during the day with a baby, as I don't think I can and I also don't really want us to get into habits that are unsustainable when I'm back at work) - it's just that first bit was so off-putting as I was thinking 'if she thinks I can do that in 15 mins what she is expecting me to do in 30?!' - but actually the 30 minute lists don't seem as crazy.

Just do the bits you can. One day you may only hoover the floor, but that's one thing to tick off the list.

I find it really hard to understand how it takes two hours to put laundry away.

I also think that the idea of laundry being in the level 1 jobs is that, if you do one load every day, it helps you keep on top of it so that it doesn't become a huge job clearing your laundry once a week or something.

I don't follow the method fully, but having it in mind at least has made me much cleaner and tidier in general as I'm noticing things more that need doing. The Facebook group is also really helpful for tips and ideas!

The 30 min list probably won't take you 30 mins either. Good luck and congratulations!

I'm not familiar with TOMM, but have realised that 'proper cleaning' takes far too long and isn't efficient.

Scrubbing the sink with a nail brush while I clean my teeth and using a squeegee after a shower (including the mirror occasionally) has made by bathroom feel so much cleaner. I wipe the bathroom floor with the towels before I wash them. I wipe around the hinges of the loo seat with toilet paper when I remember.

I don't actually clean my bathroom as such anymore.

Neshoma "I find it really hard to understand how it takes two hours to put laundry away."

I'm glad you said that, I'm thinking it must be laundry for about 10 people!

No one said putting clothes away took them two hours! april241 said folding and putting away multiple loads took her that which I can see especially as she has toddler twins - a load made up of towels can be folded in five mins, but a load made up of small clothes can take ages!

DS took a half hour nap at 9.30 (which seems to be his new habit - but he's only 11 weeks so I keep having to remind myself that when I say 'he has a new routine' I mean 'he has done the same thing three days in a row') and I took a shower and cleaned the bathroom, so feeling very proud. It's not done as thoroughly as I would have considered 'doing the bathroom' in the past but it does look better.

OP do you have a tumble dryer? I know it's not environmentally great but when mine were babies I just put all their babygros and vests etc straight into the dryer. Saves a lot of time. Even know I just put socks and underwear straight into the dryer as I can't be bothered hanging them up outside.

I do and do use it for some things (eg towels), but I can't quite bring myself to use it for everything when it's dry and sunny outside as it has been. I'm quite worried about our fuel bills as we're already finding we have to have the heating on low in the night to keep the bedroom at the right temperature for DS.