Here’s a big ol’ dollop of honesty from me right now: I stink at staying on top of chores. I can usually keep up with dishes and I try my best to go to bed with an empty or nearly empty sink each night. And washing clothes usually isn’t an issue if I do one load each day. Sorting and putting them away? That’s a whole different ballgame I haven’t mastered.
When I heard about this course from Stacy at Humorous Homemaking I practically ran (if that were possible on the internet) to her site to sign up. For real. I was so pleased that it’s not the typical “here’s how I manage my home and why you should do it my way” type of course. Nope! She completely understands that every home is different and what works for her would completely fail in Susie Sweepsalot’s home.
If you have never ventured over to Humorous Homemaking you need to spend some time poking around and getting to know Stacy. She is HILARIOUS and so incredibly honest and down to earth. She tells it like it is but with absolute grace and kindness. I love following her on Instagram and hearing her wonderful southern twang in her Instagram stories.
But back to this course!
Home Management How-To: A Guide to Daily Success is split into eight lessons. The first lesson asks you to take 24-48 hours to complete because Stacy wants you to pay attention to everything you do in a day and how long each task takes. The following lessons include a short video, usually about 15 minutes, and actions to take to implement the ideas into your home.
Included in the course are printable materials and note pages so you can have all the same resources Stacy uses in her own home. And this course has LIFETIME ACCESS which means you can access it FOREVER. That means if your schedule changes down the road and you need a refresher on how this plan works you can go back and watch all of them again, or only the one you need. Whatever. It’s yours for life.
One day to focus on each area of homemaking. It’s not a crazy concept but it took Stacy spelling it out for me to understand how it can all work. And she tells you to plan a day for catch up/get ahead and a day for rest! That means there are only five days for actual work. She also has tips for people that work outside the home or have atypical schedules as well.
So how has this course helped me?
I got through the course videos in one day. I was eager to make changes! I set up Tuesday as my kitchen day and I made pizza sauce, two loaves of banana bread, two loaves of cinnamon bread, cut up a bag of carrots to keep in the fridge for easy snacking, and cleaned several parts of the kitchen that were being ignored. Plus I made dinner! I was focused and knew exactly what needed to get done.
Thursday I deemed cleaning day and the kids helped me by wiping down the walls in the living room and hallway. I also wiped down bathrooms. Not super productive but certain toddlers were extra cranky so lots of cuddles were had – no biggy.
Monday is now our laundry day. This does not mean spending all day washing every item of clothing – nope. Clothes are included every day as part of general maintenance. Instead laundry day got me to focus on other things that needed to be washed. This week I did our bedding. I also cleaned the laundry room because it was gross. Really gross. How is a room that is meant for cleaning so dirty? Blech. But now it sparkles. And it took me a whole 30 minutes… maybe?
I’m making small changes because I figure they will have a better chance of sticking around and becoming habits. Overhauling the whole house would mean a crash and burn of possibly epic proportions. Small changes that lead to bigger changes. I can do this.
I know I haven’t been using this system long term. Heck, I haven’t even completed a week! But I can see how easily I can make this work for us. I will say that I don’t agree with doing all this in order to keep our home “company ready” because that’s not how we roll. I’m fine if people come over and there are dishes in the sink and crumbs on the floor. That’s life. I simply want a way to manage the chaos in my home because I don’t want it to manage me! If my home gets tidier as a result, great! I’m using this method because I tend to ignore certain tasks until they get out of control and that needed to change. However, if you do have a goal of always having your home “company ready” then this will absolutely help you reach that goal.
What are you waiting for?
Here’s an update after using the course for four months. It’s almost a year later and we are still using this system for controlling the chaos in our home. I swap days on occasion as our schedule deems necessary but this system has made a big difference in what we accomplish each week.
How to do you stay on top of your household tasks? Do you have a schedule or do you wing it? Are you looking forward to taking this course? I’d love to hear your thoughts after you do!
Don’t forget about the weekly #ClutterBusterChallenge I’m featuring here every Tuesday! Clearing out the items that are no longer wanted, needed, or useful to your home is a great step to making organizing and cleaning easier.
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