What Can Be Done In A Minute? This list can serve several purposes. First, it can motivate you to do the work you want to do, so that you can feel more comfortable about your home. It is easy to become overwhelmed when our home is in disarray. It may be difficult to motivate ourselves when we believe we have several hours of work ahead of us. My experience, however, has been a that if I stay focused on one thing at a time, most homekeeping tasks can be done rather quickly. If I can look around my house and say to myself , “In Fifteen to Thirty minutes I can have this place presentable or at least looking better” I am more apt to just take the time and do it. Second, with this you can also give yourself permission to put off the homekeeping tasks in order to do something more important or more fun. If I know that I can have my home presentable or at least looking better in a short amount of time, then I can free myself to spend more time with my kids or take advantage of some spontaneous fun, such as, dropping everything and joining them when they run through the sprinklers. Third, this makes it easier to give these jobs to kids. You can make it a game by setting the timer and having them race against the clock. You can also use it to negotiate with teenagers and older children to do some of the housework. If they know that you are only asking for a few minutes, they are more likely to offer their help. Any ideas you have for these lists are welcome and encouraged. 
FOR THE JOY OF MOTHERHOOD: Spend less time on Housework.
If you believe that Any Job Worth Doing is Worth Doing Right, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE!
Ideas by Linda
I made a list for myself of housework tasks that can be done in 5 minutes and tasks that can be done in 1 minute. This list helps me realize that most things just don't take very long. It gives me comfort when my house is a wreck, because I know that when I am ready to clean it up, it will not take as much time as I think.
One Minute Jobs
*scrub a toilet
*scrub a bathroom sink
*clean off one door
*put a load of laundry in
*fold a basket of towels
*wipe off one appliance
*feather dust a room
*clean one window
*sweep a small front porch
*quicky scrub the kitchen sink *vacuum the kitchen floor
*gather papers off a table or counter and put in recycle bin
*take out the trash
*clear off a counter or table top
Five Minute Jobs
*clean a bathroom with "good enough" results
*fold a basket of clothes
*vacuum a room throughly
*vacuum an entire floor of my house with "good enough" results
*throughly scrub the kitchen sink
*clean the stovetop
*wipe the baseboards in one room
*sweep the kitchen floor
*vacuum the stairs
*unload the dishwasher
*gather toys, shoes, clothes into a box and set aside for kids to put away
*polish furniture with "good enough results"
Please share your ideas with us:
COMMENTS or Linda@amothersminute.com
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