"brain box"

Many of you have been curious about the "brain boxes" that Jill and I made last week, so I'm posting my notes from last week's organizing class, as well as some photos of my box that might clear up some of your questions.

*Move toward housecleaning by mood to housecleaning by method. In other words, don't perform cleaning tasks when you feel like it. You might never feel like doing certain chores, or you might never feel like cleaning at all! When you have a method to keeping your home clean and organized, all needed tasks get done eventually.

The beauty of this idea is that once you have done whatever jobs you need to do each day, you don't have to think about cleaning anymore. You are free to do something else that you enjoy more.

That right there was the clincher for me. Normally I don't allow myself to do something that I want to do unless all my other work is done -- but all my other work is never done! With this method, I don't have to worry that I haven't changed the beds yet or that the fridge needs to be cleaned out, because I know I will get to it -- soon -- on its appointed day. This is so liberating to me.

Now, if I have accomplished all of the cards I have assigned myself for any given day (and I don't have to drive the kids somewhere, etc.), I will be free to do something for me, just because! Sewing, reading, knitting, learning Illustrator, writing notes, organizing my studio... all pleasing possibilities!

Here's the schematic:


Get a 3x5 index card box and some dividers. (Colorful, striped index cards are optional, but they make me happy.)

Label the tabs on your dividers as follows:

daily
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

*Order should be restored daily.
*Cleaning should be done weekly.
*Scrubbing should be done monthly or even less often.

Divide your household tasks among things that should be done daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonally. Make one card for each task and file accordingly.

Evaluate your schedule, and pace yourself. Don't assign yourself many jobs to do on a day that is busy with non-negotiable items such as kids' lessons and activities or work schedules. Alternate tasks and plan according to daily rhythms.

Some of my daily tasks include:

make beds
tidy family room
tidy bathrooms
plan dinner


some examples of weekly tasks:

Monday: laundry, grocery shopping
Tuesday: file bills/paperwork
Wednesday: dust
Thursday: vacuum, mop, bathrooms
Saturday: supervise kids' chores, purge fridge, finish up Sunday lesson


My monthly chores include:

change furnace filters
pay bills
vacuum furniture
clean stove hood
clean grout
prepare Conference activities/baskets (March & September)

and some of my seasonal tasks:

clean baseboards
clean out pantry
clean oven
flip mattresses

Obviously, this would be different for everyone. The idea is to figure out a schedule that works for you. I have a feeling that this is going to be a work in progress, and things may get shifted around. That's okay.

Some general notes on housecleaning:

-Housecleaning is not about keeping a house clean, it's about creating a little bit of heaven on earth.

-The Spirit loves to reside in a place of order and cleanliness.

-When we have an orderly home, we are all much more pleasant.

-Let your children duplicate your motions as much as they are willing and able.

-Quality is important with cleaning tools -- don't buy them at the grocery store. Check places like Home Depot or janitorial supply stores. Don't keep what doesn't work.

-Microfiber cloths drastically reduce the need for cleansers. Get as many things in microfiber as possible. (She had an awesome-looking mop with a microfiber head that I'd like to get my hands on.)

-White vinegar is the best thing to clean off hard water deposits. Use it to clean your shower heads, run it through an empty dishwasher or washing machine to clean.

-Use Old English lemon oil to get hard water spots off of a glass shower door. (I bought some, I'll let you know how it works.)

-Simple Green is the best kitchen de-greaser. (I have looked at Target, Walmart, and Harmon's and haven't been able to find it!)

-Scrubbing is not as good as soaking.

-A grout scrub brush is useful for all sorts of crevices and corners.

-You can buy handy disposable adhesive remover wipes at a medical supply store.

-Homemade Windex recipe:

1 t. ammonia
4 drops dish soap
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
1 drop green food coloring (to distinguish it from water or other cleaners)
Put all in a spray bottle and fill with water. Also good for carpet stains.

-Biz will take out anything organic in the wash.

Marie has a website that has lots of useful information: www.houseoforder.com.

I'm excited about my new method! But I have to keep reminding myself that having the box all set up is not going to keep my home clean and organized. I have to actually do what I wrote on the cards every day...

**Edited to add:

- You are supposed to take out all the cards that you will work on for the day, then put them back in the appropriate spots once you complete the tasks. (For instance, if I work on a monthly task, I will file it under the March tab once completed for February.)

At first I thought I didn't need to take out the cards. I just looked at them to see what I needed to do. But then I found it was all too easy to just not do them. Today I took them all out and I am finding it is satisfying to complete a task and then file the card. Whatever works, I guess.

- Jill also suggested that it might be satisfying to date the cards each time we accomplish a task.

- If you don't get to a job as planned -- not because you didn't feel like doing it, but because you got sick or something unexpected came up -- skip that task and tackle it the next day, week, or month as regularly scheduled.