"Whenever I get behind on cleaning and organizing, I revert to making things as simple as possible to avoid becoming overwhelmed. In trying to reclaim some type of order after the holidays, I wanted to ease myself into the new year by doing a little bit of tidying every day, rather than lump it all into one exhausting time frame."
"I have tried to minimize the stress of cleaning the entire house at once by working on one room a day with great results. But I wanted to try something a bit different this time. In one of my favorite childhood books, Little House in the Big Woods, Ma mentions her housekeeping schedule - one task for every day except Sunday, a day of rest. Here it is:"
"Many productivity experts tout task batching as a way to get more work done faster. I agree, but Ma's tasks were woefully outdated. I didn't need any part of a Thursday to churn butter. My work-from-home wear does not need any ironing, and although I'm handy with a needle, I haven't had to mend anything since reattaching a button on my husband's coat last winter."
A simple daily tidying approach replaces overwhelming marathon cleanings. The household follows a one-task-per-day model inspired by a traditional schedule: wash, iron, mend, churn, clean, bake, rest. Some tasks are outdated, such as churning and frequent ironing, so the schedule is adapted to modern needs while keeping Sunday as a rest day. Mondays begin with laundry, and modern appliances make this large task manageable. Task batching remains a productivity principle, but the schedule favors reasonable, focused chores on separate days to ease into consistent maintenance without exhausting concentrated cleaning sessions.
Read at Apartment Therapy
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