Business Meeting: Everyday Checklist to Keep Your House Clean

To keep your home operations running smooth, there are tasks you can do every day to maintain order. If these items are neglected too long (even for two days), they will become overwhelming and cause undo stress. It's similar to the pile of papers that stack up at an office when they are not taken care of properly. Going to work the next day always seems harder when you know the “stack of papers” are waiting for you – much like the dishes in the sink or the dreaded laundry pile. Taking care of a few items every day – most of which can be done in 30 minutes during what we call a “business meeting” with your home – will keep the stack from piling up.

Here are the tasks to do EVERY DAY:

• Make your bed – At least a quick make
• Gather laundry – One load washed, dried and put away
• Open all blinds or shudders
• Do the dishes – No dishes in sink
• Counters – Wipe down kitchen counters and quickly shine sink and faucet
• 10 Minute Pickup – Put toys away, pick up clutter, hang coats, put shoes away, etc.
• Mail – Go through mail, open all envelopes, set aside bills and other important mail, immediately recycle junk mail, envelopes and other unwanted mail
• Trash – Take trash and recyclable items out every day

Conference Call: Week-by-Week Checklist

Your daily “business meeting” with your home (30 minutes dedicated to your house) will maintain the order of your home. Now it's time to add your week-by-week checklist. It's like being in a “conference call” trying to meet the demands of your client. Some weeks you'll be able to make everything happen. Other weeks you'll be lucky to get one done. That's ok. You're the CEO and you get to set the schedule. Just remember the goal: You want to be able to answer your door any time of the day and welcome the un-expectant guest in. What if they need to use the restroom?

Here is the WEEK-BY-WEEK checklist:

• Vacuum carpet and hardwood floors – At least high-traffic areas
• Mop – Kitchen floors and high traffic areas
• Clean bathrooms – At least toilette, sink and counter
• Dust – At least main living areas
• Sheets – Wash and change bed sheets
• Refrigerator – Throw away old food and containers while unloading new groceries
• Stock toilette paper, refill hand soaps
• Check through house and begin shopping list (keep on frig)

Lunch Appointment: Project Checklist

If you are successfully holding your “business meetings” and your “conference calls,” then it's time to schedule a “lunch appointment.” These are special projects that will take larger chunks of time – at least two hours. Just about the same time it takes to order sushi as you wine and dine a client.

Here is an example of a project:

Closets

• Go through clothes and donate what you have not worn in one year
• Box or remove maternity clothes if they are still in your closet and you don't plan on using them for the next six months
• Create a system for winter vs. summer clothes
• Organize shoes, ties, hats and scarves
• Use small clear bins to organize small items and place at top (it's a great idea to have a stepping stool always located in your closet – just take the one from potty training)
• Organize miscellaneous items such as jewelry, extra buttons and loose change
• Have a laundry basket located in or near your closet to make collecting laundry easy