Top Time Tip #120
Make Housework (Almost) Invisible

21st May 2009

If you're a parent or caregiver who also works outside the home, my hat goes off to you. This week, as I look after my four oldest grandchildren for nine days while their parents are overseas, I'm reminded just how much work there is in looking after a bunch of ankle-biters. (And they're joined by another two younger grandsons on the weekend - might as well do a bunch of 'grandma fun' in one hit!)

(My 10 oldest grand 'babies')

Cheers,

Lead Article: How To Make Housework (Almost) Invisible.

This delicious whanau time (for my overseas readers, that's a Maori word for 'family') happens to coincide with my final proofing of the second edition of 'About Time'. (And there's a very interesting offer for you about that book further down.)

As I re-read Tip 117 this morning I had to chuckle. It's a great reminder as to why I keep drumming the 'put it away' message to the grandkids. However, in case you think I started out this clever, I can assure you I was anything but tidy when my own six children were young. It seemed like an eternal struggle to keep on top of things. But now I find systems and order so natural it's like breathing and a number of my grown-up children also have very good systems thinking. I can promise you, if we keep at a desired new habit it will finally stick. (Maxwell Maltz, the great psychologist and author of Psycho-Cybernetics, said that it takes up to 28 days to create a new habit). And the benefit is, the good habits outlined below truly do save heaps of time.

So, here's my word of encouragement to all you hard-working parents, even if you feel as though you live in a state of permanent chaos at the moment.Many of your current survival strategies will be of value for the rest of your life. Growth and improvement come best from the times of extreme pressure.

Tip 117 (from 'About Time')

Make housework almost invisible (apart from the serious cleaning). Put things away as you go.

There are so many time saving tips for housework it could be a whole book, but let's throw a few quick keys into this potpourri of ideas. People who have tidy houses, skip over this page. You know it instinctively. If, however, you're still aiming for perfection, there might be one or two ideas here to help.

In case you haven't noticed, the people with tidy homes (as well as tidy office.jpg offices) seem to arrive at this amazing state without any obvious effort. Most of them don't appear to spend huge hours every week rushing busily around with a vacuum and duster. In fact they seem to have more free time than their messy brethren. You won't find them with three days of dishes in the sink, an overflowing basket of washing, and a littered house. How do they do it?

I didn't start out life very tidy but over the years I've learnt the trick to never having a messy house is to develop a compulsion to closure, to finish what you start, and put things away as you go.

Organised people never wait for a task to get too big before they attend to it.

Examples:

Do a load of washing every few days - don't save it for the weekend. If you put it in the machine as soon as there's enough for a load you'll never have a disgusting pile of laundry to deal with.

If you're in an apartment or flat use a clothes horse to dry your washing - one load fits easily. If you use a dryer, fold immediately you unload the clothes - it saves the ironing.

If you've only got a few dishes, rinse them under the tap as soon as you've finished and either dry and put them away, or place immediately into the dishwasher. It's very quick and the clean sink makes you feel good.

Hang your clothes back in the wardrobe as soon as you take them off, or at the very latest the next morning - whilst you're putting clean ones on.

Have pre-cooked meals in the freezer for the nights you're too tired to think, let alone cook.

And here's a radical thought (it kept me sane in the busy child-rearing years and I've lived by it since!). Choose your battles and don't be a perfectionist. Be tidy but not fussy. Dust is not mould. So there are dust curls under the beds? Who's looking? Will it matter in five years' time? Have fun, and don't take life too seriously.

So what are your best sanity-saving tips for parents? Some years ago I asked this question and you'll see a lot of great contributions on our Discussion Board. Feel free to add your own good ideas. (If you want to commence a new subject, just click on 'New Topic' at either the top or bottom of the page.)

Offer to Have a Branded Print-Run of About Time and/or Discount Pre-Sale

Newly edited version of 'About Time'
And yes, it was 'about time' I got around to it. It's 9 years since I first wrote this best-seller and although many tips are the same I've updated some of the computer-based and web-based information.

What does this mean for you?
Thousands of people have had significant breakthroughs in their lives from reading this book and over the years I've had many requests from people to be associated with the book in some way. So, we've come up with the following opportunities for you.

1. If you want your staff to be more effective.
What is more important to you than having staff who are effective? They cost you less if they work more productively. So when new staff members join you, how about giving them this very popular productivity book as part of their induction programme? That way you'll get higher productivity from Day One.

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What better gift or incentive can you give your clients than a book that helps them in their own working or personal life? It's far longer-lasting than a bottle of wine or a hamper of food - and it won't be forgotten. And if you order 500 or more you can have your own logo or branding printed on the cover at no extra charge. Contact Jill at jill@gettingagrip.com to organise this.

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