Tips on KEEPING on top of everything

[RevolvingPivot]

There are probably more threads on this already if anyone can find them.

I'm overwhelmed by the house. I can't get on top of it. What small things do you find help you?

I don't even work so have no excuse but I'm currently under the hospital for various things.

Autism Anxiety OCD Over-Weight Lung / Breathing issues.

Because of my mood / mental health I get down and obsessive with the house but lack motivation. Think what's the point. Want to sit while kids are at school. (Don't we all I know).

Thanks

I think you have to be realistic about not getting everything under control quickly. My house was terrible and I started getting it sorted a couple if years ago, and someone on mn said to me - it took a long time to get so bad, so it will take a long time to get sorted out. I have found that to be true (but is worth it and things are much better now).

What helped me was tackling things one task at a time and prioritising keeping on top of a room I'd sorted before tackling a new room.

I use the Organised Mum Method (the name is awful, but I like the system) where you do half an hour in a specific room each day, then stop. My rooms got slowly tidier and cleaner each week. There are also 15 mins of daily jobs to do like wiping kitchen surfaces, one load of laundry etc. The structure suits me as I sometimes struggle with motivation if I feel overwhelmed.

Is anyone else you live with (partner, kids) doing their bit?

I set off my robot vacuum twice a day. Each morning, I choose one room in the house and let it do its thing. Every night I put it in the kitchen and dining room (after dinner clean-up) it cleans, then mops.

A load of laundry every night. Hung out in the morning, bought in in the afternoon, folded and out away before bed.

Wipe out bathroom sinks while cleaning teeth.

Dishwasher on every night with out fail.

Sheets get washed during the week. The day changes to suit me.

When leaving a room, look around and take out anything that does not belong.

I make myself do the perpetuals before I'm allowed to do anything else (well 95% of the time - I wouldn't keep someone waiting until I had done them for example), and now it is very much an ingrained habit and I actually enjoy it/find it relaxing/relieves anxiety.

By perpetuals I mean laundry - emptying (small) baskets into sorting bags, putting on a load when bag (darks/whites/lights/brights/delicates) have a loads worth, moving wet laundry from washer to tumble dryer (towels, socks, underwear, bedding)/air dryer; folding and putting away; Dishes - collecting dishes/loading/unloading dishwasher/doing hand washing; tidying - everything back in it's place/always look around when moving rooms to see if there is anything to take with you; emptying bins; swish and swipe cleaning - kitchen surface/loos/sinks (if I notice any of those are dirty I clean then immediately).

I haven't mastered doing these jobs frequently enough though - vacuuming/dusting/general cleaning (kitchen cupboards etc). I suspect I need a routine and I need to work on this...

My tips are

1. JFDI (just fucking do it) - ie don't sit and plan, just get up and do it. Use a timer - just do 15 minutes at a time.

2. try to stay on focus with a task. Im awful at that atm. My DS has ADHD and I thought I just multitask but now I realise its more that i flit from task to task without finishing them so end up going round and round in circles

Also work out when you re most motivated. For me its before 11am. So I make myself do stuff then. After I can just relax

The only thing that works for me is to work hard. Which is probably not the answer that you are looking for. I have read every cleaning and organising book going, listened to all the podcasts - A Slob Comes Clean and Clutterbug are a good place to start - but, for me, it always comes back to putting my big girl pants on and getting stuck in, most days.

You only have to work as hard as you want the house to be clean though. Sometimes standards can be lower if I have a lot on, perfect 100% of the time isn't achievable, but doing all the daily jobs and keeping on top of the clutter is the best way to start.

I have a few things I am fairly religious about.

I do a load of laundry a day. I am currently on top of the laundry so I am doing the dog throws.

I also clean one shelf in the fridge a day. I hate dirty fridges and have a habit of forgetting what I have with resulting food waste so I clean a single shelf on a rotation every day. It means the whole fridge is cleaned on a 5 day cycle and I can keep on top of what is in the fridge.

I also listen to podcasts when I clean. It makes the process enjoyable.

Put things away, be organised, don’t make a mess in the first place. Cleaning is easy after that.

Oh yes, I am trying to put things away straight away. It is very against my nature, but has meade a big difference already.

There is a good book called How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis which I recommend. Its quite a short and helps with strategies to cope and about being kind to yourself.
Unfuck your habitat is also really good. You can follow on Facebook and Twitter and there are lots of ideas for 5 minute tasks and help with decluttering or just support on the days you are struggling.
Both are about small changes and baby steps and just doing what you can cope with but also not judging on the days when you can't.

IcedCoffeeMilkshake I like the idea of cleaning one shelf a day in the fridge. I always do mine all in one go and keep putting it off because I don't want to do it.
Your way sounds much better.

I used to always put it off as well and then grimaced and retched my way through it. (DH has appalling food hygiene, so sometimes things got really grotesque). This way really works for me because it keeps everything in really good shape. It also takes approx 3 minutes rather than doing a whole fridge which seems to take ages! For me it has been a total game changer.

@InvincibleInvisibility

My tips are 1) JFDI (just fucking do it) - ie don't sit and plan, just get up and do it. Use a timer - just do 15 minutes at a time.

2. try to stay on focus with a task. Im awful at that atm. My DS has ADHD and I thought I just multitask but now I realise its more that i flit from task to task without finishing them so end up going round and round in circles

JFDI. Yep. You can sit and procrastinate all you like but getting stuck in, immediately and quickly works the best. Who knew.

@IcedCoffeeMilkshake

Oh yes, I am trying to put things away straight away. It is very against my nature, but has meade a big difference already.

This is me too. It feels like hard work right now but future me gets an easier time. I have been known to clean two tiles in the bathroom at a time whilst I’m having a shower. It all adds up!

I focus on one small area. So the coffee table only which I will declutter then give a good wipe. Suddenly looks so much better. Then look for the next small area and do the same. It really helps focus the mind without feeling overwhelming. So in the bathroom, focus on the sink or loo only. Once this is done, you feel motivated to do the next part and the next.
Washing up and washing needs to be done daily.
Setting a ten minute timer is good, there are some good ten minute tidy videos on you tube that are motivational. Think of creating a lovely welcoming home for your children to return home to after school.

Think of creating a lovely welcoming home for your children to return home to after school.
Thank you @SandysMam! I have a day off work and the house is a tip 😩
I am going to keep those words in mind to motivate me to get off my butt and have a good clean and tidy instead of sitting on the sofa all day.

I’d say try and do a little bit every day. To start with set a timer on your phone for say 10 minutes or however long you think works for you - if you have clutter then grab a bin bag and just walk round your house and put as many things in the bin bag that you want to get rid of as you can find. If no clutter then say I will hoover as much as I can for 10 minutes or whatever. You will probably find you achieve way more than you thought you would even in just a short time. Do it the next day too and as you start to see improvement you will be more motivated to do more.

Watch an inspirational you tube for motivation.
Whether that be very dirty/ messy/ hoarder ones or declutter/ clean with me ones.
Whichever gets you ready to roll your sleeves up!

Also I recommend reading "A monks guide to a clean house" to reframe your thinking on the process.

The only way to keep on top of it is to do it daily, there are no magic tricks or shortcuts

If you want a nice clean house you need to spend the time to keep it that way and do laundry daily also.

It's a pain in the arse but only thing that's works I have ever found and I've tried everything to make life easier but actually doing it properly daily is the only way

Get a skip every 6 months to a year and just have a massive clear out. We've had about 3 skips now, (only mini ones and we have had work done on house, dh is a builder). They are worth it because they drop it off and take it away, the small ones cost about £100 I think. Someone was worried about skips on mn the other day, saying it's wasteful. But they sift through it all and recycle everything they can (they have to, by law now). Also you may get people asking for the metal or things in there and I just always say 'help yourself!'. Getting one will motivate you to clear out.

Op- on the subject of your health and needing to rest alot I have chronic back problems. One of the things I try and do when having an episode where I need to sit is that I get up to tidy (upstairs) in the ads of tv if i am watching. You get 16 minutes about of ads in an hour. And I usually do a room an ad break. It is surprisingly effective and has the added bonus of getting me moving when I need to on occasion.

Best tips are simplified Flylady techniques.

5 minute room rescue.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and whizz around tidying as much as you can. Go for big impact stuff e.g. in living area hang up coats that have been chucked on sofas, pair shoes, chuck out newspapers and any rubbish, put stray cups in sink or dishwasher. In bathroom, hang up towels or put in laundry hamper, polish taps and mirror, give loo a quick scrub. I have ADD and often find I have forgotten I was tidying a room before the 5-minute timer goes. If so, I just reset it. Sometimes I do 2 x3 mins if I am having a very distracted day.

You will be amazed at how much better a room looks after ionlhy 5 mins. It's a huge incentive to do it often.

15 mins to 'company ready' Pick one room or zone in the house. Set a timer for 15 mins, In this time you make that one room fit for inviting anyone into it. Empty waste baskets, plump up cushions, dust, hoover the visible bits of carpet give it a quick polish.

I now always keep my hallway tidy via 5 minute rescue and the living room and downstairs loo 'company ready' so that if anyone calls by unexpectedly, they are welcomed into a clean, organised space.

Finally 1-hour 'home blessing'.Get the whole family on board for 30 mins to 1 hour on Saturday or Sunday mornings. This is when you put on loud upbeat music, and everyone has a cleaning job - one person hoovers stairs and landings and their own bedroom. One person does living areas and their own bedroom. One person mops kitchen and cleans surfaces and sink, another does the bathroom. Everyone strips their own bed and puts fresh bedding on. It honestly takes about 30 mins if everyone mucks in. If they don't, just do a 10- minute room rescue in each of six areas,. If you do this weekly, along with 5 min room rescues whenever a room gets you down, you will notice the difference.

After tyhe home blessing do something nice - buy some fresh flowers or light a scented candle or brew coffee or bake a cake so the house is glowing and smells good, and the family can appreciate why it's worth doing. (And always say 'good job' and 'wow that only took half an hour!' to DC to reinforce how effortless it is to keep on top of stuff.

Hi sorry I forgot I posted this. I will read the replies now. Thank you.

Get a firm in to do a deep clean then use the tips here to keep on top