TOMM - is it realistic?

[gentlemum]

I've got the book for The Organised Mum Method and admittedly I haven't yet read it all but I'm starting to lose hope and wanted to know if it actually works and is realistic.

I've lost hope at the level 1 jobs - so your daily jobs that are supposed to total 15 minutes. This includes one load of laundry (washing, drying, and folding and putting away), vacuuming, quick clean of bathroom, keep on top of the kitchen throughout the day. What on earth?!? Am I missing something? How in any world is that possible within 15 minutes? Those jobs alone would take me maybe over an hour, if I was being quick! And that's outside of the 30 minutes of housework each day. And where's the washing up, and cooking and making lunches?

Please enlighten me before I toss this book away!

I agree with you I don't get it at all

Nah, not realistic. But I did still take some things from it. Like doing a load of washing every day, including putting it away (not always the same load, it takes so long to dry indoors!). Cleaning a room at a time on a rota is also pretty good, it means you get to the weird jobs more often. I've fallen off the wagon and need to get back on.

I have followed it for years and I’ve got 9 kids and a 7 bedroom house 🤷🏻‍♀️

you have to remember the idea isn’t that you get everything done in those time limits, it’s that you do as much as you can, and when you go back to do it again tomorrow it will be a bit quicker because you’re building on it bit by bit.

it really does work, you have to stick with it and you’ll notice a massive difference around week 3.

The only day I struggle on is bedroom day, but I still try and stick to 30 mins and concentrate on the priority jobs.

Washing up, cooking etc are just part of life, it’s not housework.

I use the concept but not the jobs. The idea of doing a bit a day on a rota works really well. But some of my house takes longer to clean / I think it’s harder if you have a bigger house.

The washing doesn't include hanging out, bringing in, folding or putting away. It just putting the load on.

On the app there’s something called tomm rocks where she actually talks you through it, so she starts by saying go and make the beds, then 4 minutes later she’ll say go and clean the toilet etc, it really is possible but I definitely rely on the tomm rocks episodes.

I like the app. I haven't managed to stick to it yet due partly to illness, but listening to the level 1 / level 2 jobs, rather than reading about them, makes it clear that it's a "do as much as you can" rather than "aim for perfection" approach. The times I have stuck to it, I've noticed a big improvement around week 3 as a PP said.

ita not, it’s anything laundry related.

Yes and no.

Yes if you use a robot vacuum, don’t iron, use a tumble drier and clean the sink using hand wash when you’re washing your hands. I’ve realised the level 1 jobs are the most important to keeping your house tidy.

Her Christmas plan is wonderful.

i love it. It feels like a lot but as PP has said just stick to the 15 and 30 minutes and you will probably notice a massive difference around week 2/3. Some days/weeks depending on work I don’t manage level 2 jobs and catch up with a downstairs clean etc…TOMM ROCKS guided cleans are great for productivity.

I also found the difference around week 3. It's hard at the start but I've found that if I stick to level 1 and 2s it gets easier. There is some days that I do more because I'm in the flow and have an extra 5 minutes. I've got TOMM Rocks where she talks you through it. I love the bitesize cleans! 5 minutes in a room makes such a difference

i love it - toddler and newborn at home

my flat is already very decluttered as we did it before the baby arrived - and I’m super on top of getting rid of the clothes as the kids outgrow them!

so im starting with everything already having a plan which I find a bit easier to manage the cleaning

i potter around doing bits in the day clean bathroom sink after my shower

Laundry into the machine night before and a timer so it starts and is finished before we wake up - I hang it up before breakfast

I find the focus on one room thing a day great - so I proper hoover just the living space Monday , hall Tuesday , bedrooms Wednesday - which I can easily manage with baby in carrier

when I was at work before maternity leave one of us would just blast the room of the day while the other was doing bed time with the toddler in 15 mins

we fold and put away the laundry while watching tv in the evening

Tricky if you work I think. No one wants to be frantically cleaning a toilet in their work wear before they go out for the day. Can't fit it in at night because the DC will wake up with Hoover's going etc.

We tend to just robot hoover a d keep kitchen surfaces clean during the week and do bathrooms and one room properly each week.

No it literally says it includes washing, hanging, drying, folding and putting it away. It says to do it all on the one day so it doesn't build up

Thanks all. I do like the concept of it, the timings just put me off as it sounds unrealistic. But I understand now it's more of a do as much as you can and if you're doing it every day then it becomes easier over time. I will give it a go and follow as closely as I'm able to with a toddler and a baby!

Do you know Gemma who created it’s story. She was a newly single Mum with two very young children and she developed OCD. The time is a upper limit designed to stop herself from cleaning all the time.

That is different from.the app. On that it is ' something laundry related' every day to keep on top of it. Ive never managed to do the Level 1 and 2 jobs becsuse, as you said, it doesn't include doing the dishwasher or tidying up and by the time Ive done that, i can't then do another 45 minutes of cleaning. I have to gobo work. The TOMM Rocks is fantastic though. The concept of doing one room a day on rotation where she talks you through the routine is really great.

If you have the app you can personalise it. So instead of a hallway day I have a 30 min bathroom day and do downstairs hall with the living room and upstairs with the bedrooms.

Once you are at it a few weeks it get easier cos your house is already clean. You aren't meant to do all the jobs just the ones you can do in the timescale.

There is also a full clean to start with on the app that takes longer

I really rate it but I don’t pay attention to the timings. I have found that breaking down the work across the week makes it so much easier to keep on top of it rather than spending hours one day doing it all. I’ve found I do need another day for bathrooms though, doing them bit by bit doesn’t work for me. And I do some weekday jobs on a weekend as it’s easier to find time, and then have the days ‘off’ in the week.

@Seasmoke oh that's interesting, the app must be slightly different to the book, or maybe it's more up to date. That definitely sounds more realistic! Is TOMM rocks in the app?

@ShivRoysPoloNeck can you fully personalise the app? I looked the at the reviews and a lot of people had said you can't edit it or make changes.

@gentlemum yes. You have to pay a subscription but tbh it's the best £3 I spend in a month. I even do the 30 minute meal planning on it! There is much more on it than just the TOMM.

Using TOM Rocks, it's definitely possible to do the jobs in the time allocated. By doing it little and often, the time needed to do jobs goes down, and you can rotate through the priorities, especially the level 1s.

I seem to spend life battling the kitchen rather than following the method truely, but I have learned from it. I can turn rooms around in much shorter times and just make them better rather than ending up in stressy, major rage cleans.

I mainly do what I need from TOM Rocks.

Yes you can fully personalise it, add/remove tasks, change your days, change your focus day.

It keeps track of days you have started or completed. It's also got a checklist for Christmas with tasks to do weekly to be more organised, same for holidays and back to school.

The tomm rocks is good, they are guided cleans. You can play your own music or use their provided and she'll talk to you over it, so in the living room she'll be like you've got 5 mins to tidy away, let you know you've used 2.5 mins then let you know your time is up and we're now doing 5 mins of dusting. There's longer and shorter ones on there, more relaxed ones at a slower pace and lots of options for lots of rooms. It is an extra 3 quid a month but you can try it for free.

I would try the app first and customise your jobs and go from there