To think the secret to success is “little and often”?

[elprup]

I neglected my garden for a year and it became overrun with weeds that have taken several days to sort out. Likewise I don’t keep on top of the housework and the house gets really messy and cluttered, before I do a two day blitz and it looks good again.

It’s got me thinking - is the secret to organization to do little and often? So maybe one hour of gardening a week and two hours of housework, rather than leaving it all for ages and ending up with a huge job on your hands?

I’m a busy working mum, but I think it would be better to fit in three hours a week on the house and garden than just leave it for weeks or months and end up with a huge job on my hands. But if it was that easy, why haven’t I managed it before?

I am a STAHM, but my work is still never done. In a previous life I qualified as a secondary school Headteacher, and so I find myself craving the systems and level of control which my life used to hinge around. My home is far from perfect, but I enjoy finding ways of trying to do things better, and more efficiently.

I tell myself ‘less is more’. Declutter. Everything you own should be useful, or something that brings you joy. If it’s neither, then get rid.

Secondly, ‘a place for everything, and everything in its place’. This makes it easier for me to find things when needed, and tidy away quickly. I bought a little labelling machine which really helps. And lots of boxes and other organisational bits from Ikea 😆

I think you’re right that ‘little and often’ is the ideal approach, especially when it comes to sorting kids clothes and other things they are rapidly out of. There’s loads of hacks online and blogs from mums trying to achieve more with less time.

Again- my home is far from perfect. But these are the principles I strive for! 😅

Thanks @MyGentleNavyTiger

I do think little and often is the best approach. My concern is, how have I never been able to achieve it? Perhaps because it’s unrealistic - or requires a certain amount of discipline that I don’t seem to have?

Not 3 hours a week for you, it's 1.5 each for you and your partner!

I think that yes, discipline is required. But we all struggle with that. I found that streamlining my ‘stuff’ made being disciplined a bit easier because there was less to tackle. And I felt able to succeed a bit more.
Also, it’s about knowing what to start with, and breaking it down into chunks, to slowly cover everything. There was a good website I came across called “15 minute projects” which are ideas for things you can achieve in small amounts of time. Eg: “sort through your sock drawer”, or “wipe round the bathrooms”. Can’t find the website now, but it’s an excellent principle.

All the systems like TOMM, Fly Lady, Clean Mamma etc have a little and often approach.

It's not something natutal to me 😂

I have had a lot more success since using the Guided Cleans recorded by TOMM which while I struggle with the regularity of bedrooms on a Tuesday approach, I can now play short, structured session as I need to, make it 10mins bette and avoid huge multi-hour blitzes and burn out.

Pre-DCs I used to do a lot of pottering in the garden after work and that kept on top of the weeding.

I think it's overwhelming when jobs build up and then it's hard to know where to start! Gardens get overrun really quickly, so I definitely believe in doing small amounts more frequently. DH fills our green waste bin every two weeks with weeds and from trimming overgrown ivy, which keeps the garden looking okay.
In the house I tend to do bits and pieces as I go along, rather than huge blitzes, so it's really only a few minutes here and there to keep up.
Decluttering is key - I've pretty much got rid of nearly everything I don't use or value. This has been hard because I'm swimming against the tide of my entire family's natural inclination to hold onto stuff! But I've just done a cupboard at a time, recycled old clothes gradually sorted bookshelves, regimes excess furniture and it really does make cleaning much easier.