In my original blog, which started this “series,” I looked at defining the word housekeeping and introduced the concept of being the manager of your home. I then went into the three main tasks of a manager…planning, coordinating and organizing.
Now we are going to look at the second definition to housekeeping, which is “the routine tasks that must be done in order for a system to function or to function efficiently.” In this blog we will focus on the importance of a routine and in my next blog we will focus on “functioning efficiently” in the home.
The word “routine” can conjure up different feelings for different people. For some people it brings a shudder. This is usually true of those who have more of a free spirit and like to live life as it comes. There are no schedules or plans.
But for others (myself included), the word routine brings a sense of calmness and peace. When I have order in my life, I feel better in general.
Routines are things you do on a regular basis. They become habits. One example I can share is with laundry. For years I struggled to stay on top of laundry. But eventually I adopted a routine of doing wash every single day. Skipping even one day throws me off course. So Sunday through Saturday I throw in a couple of loads of wash (the only reason I have just a couple is because two of my children wash their own clothes).
I didn’t like having to wash clothes every single day. But now it has become such a routine that I don’t even really think about it.
Routines can also help other family members to know what needs to be done and how. They see the routine and they can step in and help, in case mom (or whoever is mostly responsible for housework) gets sick or for any reason is unable to keep up.
When you establish a routine, it makes life predictable (which isn’t always a bad thing). My younger son and husband always know they can expect to find clean clothes because my routine is to wash a load everyday.
There are so many areas of housekeeping where we can establish routines. It may be that a certain day the garbage goes out. Or it may be that certain chores in the home are done by specific people.
Some routines are daily…they are those things you couldn’t start your day off properly without. For instance, making beds is a routine for some families (not mine…I will tell you, we never make our beds).
Other routines are weekly. Vacuuming or dusting may be weekly routines. Yes, these are also chores and tasks but when they are done on a regular basis, they become part of your housekeeping routine.
Establishing routines really does make the household run much smoother. So think about some new routines you can establish this year.