Simply Organized: Setting Up a Weekly Chore Schedule

Almost a year ago, I decided that I had ENOUGH struggling to keep my head above the mounds of laundry, stacks of coupons, piles of dust, and cluttered toys around my house!!  In an effort to try to tackle these tasks in a manageable way, I set aside specific days for specific tasks, creating a Weekly Chore Schedule for myself. This DOES NOT mean that I cannot (and do not) do these tasks on other days of the week also. This just means that if I don't have time to fold the freshly clean clothes that I washed on Friday, I don't get stressed out over it. I leave them in the dryer to fluff for a few minutes on Tuesday and then fold them!

My whole purpose in creating this weekly schedule is so that I can be more organized, less stressed, and feel like I'm managing my household better. I hate that feeling of being too overwhelmed by ALL that needs to be done, to the point of where I get NOTHING done. Here is my personal solution!

•  Monday - Coupon Day:

I clip, sort, and organize any coupons that I have acquired over the last week. I put them all in a drawer in my desk until Monday when I can properly deal with them in an orderly fashion.  This includes newspaper inserts, printed coupons, mailers, etc.  If it is classified as a "coupon", it finds a home on Monday!

• Tuesday - Laundry Day:

Wash, fold, put away, repeat.  Again, I definitely do laundry more than once a week, but I don't stress over it if it starts to stack up or I'm not able to fold it all, because I know that when Tuesday comes; I'll finish it all up.

• Wednesday - De-Clutter Day:

Organize toys, clean off counters, clear off the table, properly put away items that have been so carefully shoved into any random cabinet, etc.  In the beginning, I had hopes of combining this & my cleaning day into one, but we acquire so much clutter each week, that it just seems most manageable to keep it split up into two for my family.

• Thursday - Cleaning Day:

Dust, vacuum, mop, etc, etc.  This day is so much more manageable since I have the other tasks assigned to their own days.  Since I de-clutter on Weds, there is very little prep work to do before I clean come Thursday.

• Friday - Meal Plan Day:

I pull out the recipes and arrange them in my meal plan binder as I plan the meals that I will make for the next week (Sunday - Saturday).  I also make my shopping list of ingredients needed and organize that list with any coupons I may have. All of this in preparation for ...

• Saturday - Shopping Day:

Groceries, errands, clothing, etc. If I need to run to the store, I don't have to stress over the fact that I don't make it there Tues like I had planned (or Weds, or Thurs) - nope, I have Saturday set aside so that I know if nothing else, I will make it out on Saturday!  Plus, because the husband is home on Saturdays, I can get my errands accomplished in less time, knowing that the kids are happy at home with "Dada"!

• Sunday - Rest:

As you all know by now, we "save" Sundays for the Lord. We attend church, focus on our Creator, and rest - 'tis the true meaning of the word "sabbath". Even if you are not in the habit of setting aside Sundays for God, I want to encourage you to TRY IT!! Trust me - you need a day of rest, even if you don't know you do! This day of rest is a two-fold gift - you get a day of rest to enjoy, but it also comes with the expectation that the other six days of the week are for working! So, you should aim to complete all of your "chores" in six days, saving the seventh day for no work. We implemented this rule as a strict policy in our household when my oldest daughter was born (over 3 yrs ago) and it has changed our lives!! So, trust me when I tell you that one of the best things we do all week is to rest on Sundays.

* This is not a one-size-fits-all solution.  Feel free to rearrange days, tasks, add some, remove some, etc. to fit your lifestyle.

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