Not much gives me more of a sense of accomplishment than reaching the end of my day with the house in order, the “to do” list complete, and my family happily fed and clothed. Problem is, we all know as wives and mothers that our homes don’t stay that way for long! Ah, the joys of being a courageous homekeeper! There’s always something to do.
You might be a young mom, or perhaps you’re just struggling to find a rhythm. Whatever your case, the wise advice of my brilliant mother which was passed on to me (probably from her mom) will help you get from chaos to order and from frustrated to peaceful.
“Shelli… just remember: Go, Do, and Call.”
Like my mom, I’ve learned the value of order to keeping my housekeeping chores under control. There are so many things that we as wives need to get done, even though some may seem insignificant they’re all important. Making a schedule for the day, weeks, and months is paramount to our success. You might live in a two story house or a ranch, but either way you have a certain number of tasks to get complete every week, and the only way to get through them is to make a schedule and keep to it.
Over the years I have tried numerous cleaning schedules to keep our home clean in a thorough yet efficient way. I think after twenty years I’ve finally developed the habits that not only work but are crucial to keeping the family running smoothly.
The first place to start is to make your EVERYTHING list… make it big. It should contain everything you could possibly do in or to your home. Obviously, some of this stuff you do every week, even every day; wash clothes, clean toilets (yuck!) or make dinner. Some things you might only do once a month like cleaning blinds or baseboards, just make sure you know what you need to accomplish and how long it takes so that you can use it to make your GO, DO, CALL for each day.
After you’ve completely overwhelmed yourself with the vast list of tasks required to keep your home running, be sure to share it with your husband. He needs a reminder of how hard you work, right?
Next, use this list to make a weekly schedule so that your develop a consistent method for getting all the way through your list. ALWAYS be sure to start your day with time in the Word and in prayer. Apart from HIM you can do nothing.
Now for your daily schedule, and here’s where the wisdom from Mary (my momma) comes into play. Each day should have the following three sections to it. GO, DO, and CALL.
GO
This is everywhere you need to GO today. Pretty simple huh? I bet you can even guess what DO and CALL are all about? Be sure that you don’t put too many things on your GO list or you’ll end up running around like a crazy lady. Also, it’s a wise idea to plan your GO’s so that you accomplish them all in the same trip by planning a route that doesn’t involve backtracking. This is one way to save money, save gas, and care for the environment, just by being efficient with your GO trips.
DO
Next on your list are the DO items. This contains the things you want to DO today, of course. However, there are some things you must do each day, where other things are should do. Use stars, highlighters, ALL CAPS, whatever works for you, just make sure that you know which things need to get done first and do those, well… first. Remember that everything list you made earlier? Every week you should pick one of those items that only needs done every once in a while and pick a day to work on that. This way, you can tackle a big list by breaking it down into smaller bits that don’t feel so overwhelming.
CALL
Last, but certainly not least, is the CALL list. All of us have phone calls that must happen during the week. My Call list is usually light, but a needed reminder to not drop the ball on important tasks. This can be as simple as calling a friend to ask her about a recipe, or calling the gas company because you smell a gas leak.
Lastly, a reminder to not sweat the small stuff. Some days come with gremlins built into them that are reminders from God that we depend wholly and completely on Him. Sometimes you’ll start with a call, only to drop in on a friend who desperately needs an ear and suddenly hours are gone. Those are predestined opportunities to minister the Holy Spirit to somebody who needs it. The warning comes with this reminder though… Oprah is not one of these opportunities.
Finally ladies, this post is in no way to make any of us feel guilty or ashamed of failing at keeping a clean home. We are all fallible human beings who blow it on a daily, weekly, if not hourly basis! God is faithful to get us through each and every day no matter what your tough season may be. The above is a system that I have used and it works well for me. Because God created us all as uniquely and as individuals, your cleaning schedule might look quite different than mine. Point being, there is no right or wrong way in cleaning a home, but rather the calling and passion behind desiring the clean home in the first place! Just remember that the way to tame the beast of chaos is to bring it under submission to the will of order.
Now GO, live as unto the Lord. DO all things as unto Him. And CALL on the Lord and he will answer you.
Another great post Kristi; it not only is an excellent idea for gals but guys could use the same idea for their todo lists!