In this March MAIDness series, I have been sharing about my best routines. The things I return to which make my home run smoothly. Notice I didn’t say they make my home run effortlessly? It takes a lot of work to maintain routines! In fact, in the midst of all the business of life, I have a hard time keeping track of my household routines.
Generally, I use a bit of a mixture of paper and digital planning, leaning heavily toward paper and pen planning. But I also rely on some digital resources, which have revolutionized the way I am keeping track of my household routines.
Today we are going to talk about some of the tougher tackles around the house: the monthly, quarterly, and seasonal chores. Since these are the tougher routines to manage, I use a digital resource to track them.
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Tough Tasks for Homemakers
I have serious problems with the monthly, quarterly, and seasonal chores. It is not necessarily because they are difficult or time-consuming; but because I don’t have a very good memory on the timing. I generally tend to forget if I did it last month, if I have already done it for this quarter, or if I even something in the last year.
These types of tasks are so easy to go by the wayside, because they are usually behind closed doors or under the surface type cleaning. Projects like decluttering and deep cleaning are generally not done every day. But even if I want to participate in a cleaning or decluttering challenge – I need a little help staying on track.
My Monthly and Quarterly Household Task List
Here are some things I have on my to-do list:
Monthly:
- vacuum or wipe down window treatments, dust/vacuum out casings
- sanitize remote controls, light switches and doorknobs
- wash out trash bins/liners
- flush sink drains
- dust ceiling and stand alone fans
- launder comforters/blankets/duvet covers
- vacuum couches and rotate cushions
- clean out freezer compartment of refrigerator/pantry
- run clean cycle on your washer/dishwasher
Quarterly:
- clean out closet (remove old, worn out, outdated apparel)
- clean shower heads
- wipe out cabinet shelves throughout home (de-clutter while you are at it)
- wipe down walls
- clean and treat leather furniture
- flip/rotate your mattresses
- change air filters (more frequently, if necessary)
- clean oven
A Digital Soution – Cozi + a Calendar
So, here’s my solution.
I went digital with my reminders and calendars.
I love a good paper planner just as much as anyone. I still get a student one every back to school season. But, if I never open the planner, it does me no good. I am more likely to login to my email, so it is the perfect place to receive updates about my home.
Since the advent of apps and smartphones, this solution is even easier to implement because I can receive notifications of my tasks on my phone. I make sure I don’t delete the notification until I have completed the task it reminds me to do.
I take about an hour at the beginning of the year to fill out a household calendar with tasks that need to be done monthly or quarterly. There are options to repeat the tasks however often I choose to set it.
For example, I can remind myself to run the clean cycle on my washing machine and dishwasher each month on the 2nd Sunday.
Then I set the reminders to be emailed to me and notified on my phone. With Cozi, I can link it to my Google calendar or my Outlook calendar which can also notify me. When my task comes up, I make sure to do it! The follow through is the hardest part, right?
With this simple solution, I will {theoretically} be on track for the entire year! Talk about time well spent!
Monthly Maintenance
As I mentioned before there may be some decluttering challenge I want to participate. Or a Spring Cleaning event, which catches my eye, to join. Those items I can add in as I go throughout the year. If I want to clean like a crazy woman on month, I can fill my monthly calendar with all the tasks.
I have a household planning session each month to make sure I am on track with the tasks I have in my home. During that meeting, I can add to my calendar based on my focus in my home for that month.