GET YOUR GREEN JEANS ON: LIST LOVER'S UNITE!

Settle in - this is going to be a long one!

Re-nest.com just published a posting for list-lovers and "TeuxDeux" list creators like me! LOVE this! I have been working on developing "systems" over the last few months and one of my hopes was to stream line essential household functions further by the end of the first quarter this year.

Practice makes perfect. Less is more. We've all heard this time and time again. But truthfully, it couldn't be more true - truly! I love efficiency and 'a space for everything and everything in it's place' - but I also want warm and fuzzy. I think a lot of people equate efficiency and organization with a cold and crisp atmosphere. You know, institution look and feel. It comes down to balance - once again.

My mom had a fabulous cleaning schedule that she's used for years - and has fine-tuned it over time. I asked her for it last summer and have been wanting to put it into practice and tweek it for my own self/home. I'm still having trouble getting myself out of the "multi-tasking mom" habits from years past when I had three kids, pets and commuted to work every day. Now these once necessary routines bug me to no end. They make me feel chaotic and unfocused. I want just the opposite.

I can't help it - there is just something calming and fulfilling about keeping a list. That in your face collage of all the activity going on in your head. Blank books and planners have been my fetish. Books on time management, organization and the like filled my book cases over the years - I'm drawn to them like bees to honey. Why? Unknown still. I've been working the last month on using my "smart phone" to calendar appointments, set alerts, keep my "lists" and maintain contacts. So far so good.

Simpler really is better. Simpler is 'green'. Less really is more.

Re-nest.com has taken the following lists/schedules directly from Apartment Therapy's book, The Eight-Step Home Cure, by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. There is no down loadable version of these, so you may want to copy and paste it into a separate document for easy one-stop access. Items in red are my additions.
Home Maintenance Schedule
Daily:
Morning

Make Bed.
Shower and clean it/wipe it down
Swish the toilet
Pick up all dirty clothes and towels

Before Bed-

Clear sink and counter of all dishes
Put clothes away - set out clothes for next day
Check calendar for next day

Sort mail:

recycle junk or contact to remove from list
enter bills for payment and add to calendar with alerts
respond to all invitations and set out for mail next day

Check on-line banking transactions/statements
Clear answering machine, voice mail messages and text messages
Clear emails and respond where applicable
Clean all kitchen surfaces.
Take out garbage and recycling.
Remove lint from dryer with every load

Weekly:
Monday: Cull through old magazines-recycle/donate
Tuesday: Sweep front porch/walkway
Wednesday: Inventory/straighten pantry & fridge, make menus & grocery list
Thursday: Grocery shop (take list and coupons), Errands (library returns, gifts)
Friday: Clean/wash car
Clear all surfaces (put odds and ends away).
Wash clothing, take in dry cleaning.
Take recycling and garbage out for pick up.
Change sheets.
Water plants.
Clean bathroom and kitchen.
Quick-vacuum all floors.
Monthly:
Vacuum, sweep, or mop all floors-moving furniture and the like
Flip mattresses.
Change/Clean A/C-heating unit filters
Clear out refrigerator.
Every Three Months:
Wash windows.
De-clutter refrigerator, front door, bulletin board, etc.
Change oil in vehicles
Every Six Months:
Spring cleaning (April or May)
Fall Cleaning (October)
Check smoke detector batteries

* Perform deep treatment on your home: clean and de-clutter, change seasonal clothing, clean out drawers, closets, under-sink storage, purge clothing, extra CDs, DVDs, books, and furniture.

Additional Related Checklists: