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?!

Ive recently started TOMM and although I don’t follow it religiously it has helped me focus and doing a little bit everyday is so much better than trying to do it all in one go.

Level one jobs just get done through out the day and sometimes I even split the 30 minutes up if I need to.

April make my own multipurpose spray. In an empty spray bottle I put half white vinear and half water then drop in whatever essential oils to make it smell nice.
You have to shake it before use to disperse the oil but it works well.

it is assumed that you are doing some (if not all of them) already … these jobs come with the territory of being an adult!
That's got my back right up

I do clean the toilet daily though Fuck me. Ours gets cleaned once a week. No one's got dysentery and I haven't been reported to Environmental Health.

I already hate it for being called "the organised MUM method "
That pisses me off too. Where are the dads doing this, or beating themselves up because they don't do it?

I prefer Mrs Hinch myself. Each to their own though.

She called it The Organised Mum Method because she was a struggling mother trying to keep her house clean with a new baby.... so she’s a mum and it’s her method hence The Organised Mum Method. It’s nothing to do with being sexist against men

I love Mrs Hinch too :0)

Thanks Brioche! I’ll try that

The 'organized mum' put me right off. Why can't dads clean?

Because no dad has needed to write 'A Organised ..... wait???

She reckons if your house is messy, you need to take 1 day to sort it all before starting the organised mum method If it was easy as just doing in a day the. I'd be an organised mum already and not need any help

I hear you. I have a preschooler at home and wouldn’t be able to blitz the house in a day either. Have you considered, like, blitzing the house over a longer period of time? I think the sarky-face is a bit unwarranted. What TOMM says is right even if her suggested timescales don’t work for you. So you adapt it.

And basic household tasks DO come with the territory of being an adult. Why are people so tetchy about that. Even when my mental health has been at its worst and NONE of that shit got done, I would still have readily agreed that “it comes with the territory of being an adult”.

I've been following it for about 3 weeks now and my house has never been cleaner/tidier and I'm actually spending less time on it and spending more time working which is much more productive for me! (I work from home).

A huge part of Gem's method is that we don't need to over clean. So if I see something that needs sorting in the living room on a Friday, I can just tell myself that I'll do it on Monday which is 'living room day', rather than always doing everything that needs doing all the time.

As pp have said, it is called 'mum' method because that is what Gem is. It was set up by her 12 years ago. Her husband helps her a lot. The jobs are to be done by whoever is available to do them. Men, women & children. But it is a method thought of/written down by a mum.

I have missed days, and just pick up where I left off. It works. Thank you Gem!

Level 1 jobs take me approx 10 mins and make a huge difference.

Gem is a real, and very down to earth person. I think some of the comments here could be a bit upsetting to her. If you don't like it, don't follow it.

I am not related to, or linked to her in any way. I am just a follower! Although I'm sure if we met, we would be bff

The 15 minute level one is easily managed: watch her video. Beds means gold back to air, not make in the traditional sense. Kids do own. 30 seconds for ours.

Whizz round downstairs main bits with cordless vacuum, 3 minutes.

Shove a load of washing in. If you're a clever bugger you've preloaded the machine at night and put it on times finish so that's easy.

Chuck cleaner in the loo. Wipe round the bathroom sink whilst doing your mouthwash, in my case.

Putting laundry out/folding takes a bit longer.

That said my kids aren't tiny. Toddlers have a habit of undoing everything, so just be realistic. Do the daily washing, because that makes a real difference, but maybe rotate the vaccing and loos/bathroom swipe to one a day.

It's not perfect BUT it's adaptable, and my god, I feel so much more in control of the house with a bit of a routine.

I've been following it for a bit and feel much more relaxed. I didn't boot camp and I do 30 mins a day and that's it usually
Yesterday I had a photoshoot at home so the house is v v clean! So nothing to do tonight except a load of laundry and washing up
I've adapted a bit so I don't always think right Monday is X room. But I do "right 30 mins, the microwave needs a clean, I want to hoover and mop, and the kitchen needs doing"

Hi everyone and hi to everyone on here who follows TOMM ...

Someone told me about this thread earlier today and that I was being called sexist. So I think its only right that I came on and state (for the record) that I am not.

I created TOMM when I was in a bad place with my mental health 12 years ago. I was over cleaning because of anxiety after I had my first baby and my first marriage was breaking down. I needed a way to keep the housework under control without it consuming me. TOMM gave me a way to get everything done and put a full stop on it so it didn’t leak into the rest of my day, meaning I could get on with being a mum and enjoy my new baby. I condensed it into small daily chunks with no housework at the weekend.

I called it The Organised Mum Method because I was a mum and I was desperately seeking a way to regain control at what was a difficult time for me. I later went on to become a single mum and I have followed TOMM ever since. I never thought it was going to turn into a blog. I am now happily remarried with three children and a couple of years ago on New Year's Eve my kids encouraged me to set up an Instagram account. I never thought anything would come of it (mainly because at the time I didn't know how to use Instagram and I thought people would laugh at me for talking about cleaning). The blog came later.

So why The Organised Mum? The name stuck because I had been doing it for 12 years, nothing more sinister than that. I was a mum, trying to get myself together.

Now that I am remarried my husband and I split the housework equally and the kids help out too. It is a team effort.

TOMM is 100% free to follow along, you don’t have to be a mum or female to give it a go. Loads of men follow along and are part of the TeamTOMM Facebook group.

With regards to the level 1 jobs these are totally tweakable, as someone has mentioned upthread everyone’s home is different so what I need to do daily with 3 kids and a dog might be different to you.

For anyone reading this please before you judge, spend a little time reading about my story or have a little look at my Instagram. I think it is unfair to judge without the full facts. TOMM helps thousands of people daily who are struggling with their mental health, PND, cleaning anxiety and also people who need the motivation to clean.

I hope this helps to put the facts out there and if all fails at least I have found the penis beaker thread, so we will always have that
Gem

TheOrganisedMum my new hero.

Thank you so much for coming on and setting the record straight. As a wife whose DH doesn't do as much as I do at home the title at first glance threw me. Your post makes total sense and you sound awesome.

The irony of slagging off a blog for having ‘mum’ in the title.... on mumsnet.

Btw I've been a mum trying to get my shit together for 7 years. Still not there and yes I sent a link of your site to DH and told him to take a gander.

Fair play Gem

@TheOrganisedMum

You shouldn't need to explain yourself. It's in no way offensive or sexist. You are an organised mum and it is your method!

And it's helped me more than I can tell you!

So thanks

@Littlechocola exactly!

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

Really, fuck that. OK, yes to the laundry, but the rest of it is just bollocks.

Ah right, sorry seen your update and you have a cleaning issue. Not the same for me.

I have OCD surrounding cleaning and order aswell as anxiety and severe fibromyalgia.
It's a real struggle when your mind is telling you to clean and your body is telling you to rest.

I have got a lot better with medication and treatment for my OCD but have got into a bit of a mess ( for me ) and people always comment on how clean my house is and it really isn't.

So... I'm giving this a go. Really am intrigued by it. I don't do instagram, is there another way to access TOMM?

Good luck everybody

@Yikesisthatmeinthemirror
Actually I think it’s you who may have a dirt issue.

Zoflora
https://theorganisedmum.blog

Thank you so much Ollivander