Where to Start When You are TOO Busy to Clean

Moms everywhere say the same thing, "I'm too busy to clean". With just a few minutes each day, you can keep your house looking neat and clean without spending all day deep cleaning every weekend. Busy moms can make it work with a few simple routines.

Hey, Y'all! I am not sure how I got to be almost 50 and NEVER learned how to keep my house in order. That is probably not true, I just never learned the mindset it took to have a clean house. The whole thing overwhelmed me. Please tell me that I am not alone in this!

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The Problem: I am overwhelmed and not sure where to start.

I work all day and when I get home I am too tired to clean. Not to mention I need to figure out dinner and give baths to the kids. There just are not enough hours in the day.

I agree 100%. There are not enough hours in the day for busy Moms. However, there are a few things that if made a priority each day will pay off with less stress and less time on the weekends "catching up".

Focus on tasks that make a big impact.

Take a minute and look around your house. As a busy mom, I know there are a few things driving you crazy.

Where are the biggest issues?

For me, I spotted a sink of dirty dishes, piles of laundry-both clean and dirty, and my bed looks a mess. You may have toys from little ones scattered everywhere or a kitchen table piled with clutter. Don't look for everything that's wrong, just the major things that make the whole house look and feel cluttered.

Here are a few things I have noticed that makes a house instantly look dirty even if it was cleaned yesterday!

• Dirty Dishes

• Piles of Laundry

• Backpacks/shoes/coats piled on table or by door

• Towels in floor of bathroom

• Dirty clothes in bedroom floor

• Unmade bed

Don't try to fix a years worth of clutter in a day!

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Don't try to fix a years worth of clutter in a day! 〰️

Focus on progress. Every day do small tasks that take 15 min or less to complete.

Many of my daily tasks take less than 5 minutes. For example: Making my bed takes 3-5 minutes and that includes throw pillows! This small block of 5 minutes makes my entire house look cleaner...from the living room, it looks clean even!

Plan when you can do the tasks.

Many times I say I am going to start doing things (like exercising) but I never actually put it in my daily plan. So every day comes and goes and still no exercising.

Take a look at your day and plug in things so that it makes sense. Maybe putting away the clean dishes while the coffee is brewing or cleaning up dishes as you cook so that when you finish all you have is a pot and the plates-spices are put away and cutting boards are already cleaned and put away.

Read this next to get started with a plan.

Instead of dropping the mail on the counter and walking away, quickly go through it and toss the junk mail and put bills in a designated bin for bills to be paid. This keeps your hotspots from piling up and only takes a few minutes every day instead of a huge stack that can take 30+ minutes to weed through.

Set a timer.

When you are not in the mood or too tired to clean just set a timer so that you get a little done AND get to relax.

I remember before I found Flylady that I would play a game with myself. During the commercials, I had to get up and get something done.

It is so easy to sit down and not move but it also leads to weekends of guilt and stress trying to catch up on the housework.

During your tv time make a plan and spend 5 commercials cleaning up your living room or kitchen.

• Commercial 1: Load the dishwasher and turn on.

• Commercial 2: Pick up toys/shoes/blankets that are laying around and put away or tidy.

• Commercial 3: Declutter your hot spot (where you like to drop things when you walk in the door).

• Commercial 4: Grab the laundry out of the dryer and hang/fold while watching tv.

• Commercial 5: Put away laundry..

During your tv time make a plan and spend 5 commercials cleaning up your living room or kitchen.

• Commercial 1: Load the dishwasher and turn on.

• Commercial 2: Pick up toys/shoes/blankets that are laying around and put away or tidy.

• Commercial 3: Declutter your hot spot (where you like to drop things when you walk in the door).

• Commercial 4: Grab the laundry out of the dryer and hang/fold while watching tv.

• Commercial 5: Put away laundry..

Now, sit back and enjoy the rest of your night knowing how much better things are already looking.

These may not be your problem areas. My daily routine is a bit different.

Check out my video if you want to see what I do every morning to keep my house looking overall clean. Don't be afraid to mix and match things or move things around to work for YOU and YOUR family! No one plan fits everyone.

“Progress, not perfection! You can do anything for 15 minutes.”

— The FlyLady

If you are lost as to where or how to get started, I have a series of videos over on YouTube that may help.

When I started following a set cleaning routine, my home became a blessing and not a curse. Now, my family notices things and pitches in to help keep it looking nice. Is there still a ton to do, YES.

However, the daily messes are controlled and now I am working through the deep cleaning and decluttering that is needed when blending two households, four kids, a dog, two birds, and a horse (he lives outside but ALL of his tack is currently living in the mudroom.

There will always be times when life is crazy and you cannot do things according to plans but the daily routines SAVE me because they are the key to keeping the house looking decent.

Conclusion

The FlyLady says to just start where you are. Don't overcomplicate things. Look around and decide what is the biggest pain point, set a timer for 15 minutes, and attack it. Repeat this process every day to chip away at the mess. It is consistency that solves the problem!