As a wife and busy mom of eight children, my home can easily become a source of overwhelm. When things pile up, I have a hard time starting anything without a bad attitude. If I let a day go by without keeping up with the mess…it is so hard to find the motivation to dig out from under it! Over the years, I have gone through different periods of thought, ranging from “Why bother, it is just going to get messy again” to “That’s it, no one is allowed to breathe until every speck of dirt is cleaned up!“

Obviously, neither of these are healthy thoughts…

If you are like me and have a hard time functioning when your house is messy, but you get easily overwhelmed, I may have a solution for you.

I have personally found that creating simple routines I can actually stick to is the key to keeping my house running smoothly.

I have read books, listened to podcasts, read blog posts, scoured Pinterest and more, all in the hopes of stumbling on that magic recipe that will keep my house tidy and organized. Through much trial and error, I learned that I need to simplify as much as possible and create my own routine for running my household.

I created a cleaning routine for my daily and weekly chores that works best for my family. I find that keeping up with these chores gives me the best possible chance at keeping my home tidy. Notice I am not saying perfect…my house will never be in a magazine. I am realistic, and believe in being present for my family and having a well lived in home. However, I feel better knowing that I can open my home to that unexpected neighbor and not feel completely embarrassed.

My children and I each have morning, afternoon and evening chores. Then, once a week we do a more thorough clean of our home prepare for the following week. You can read my top tips for effective homemaking here if you need more inspiration. We probably spend about 15 minutes, three times a day, on our chores and about an hour or two on the weekend. I use the following printable daily and weekly checklist to help me stay on track. My children each have their own checklist… I will have to share that in the future.

***DOWNLOAD HERE***

I hope this checklist helps you simplify your household chores! When you break it down into manageable tasks, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can stay on top of the mess a little each day.

Take the Overwhelmed to Organized Challenge!

If you are a busy mom and feel like you are constantly juggling too many hats, this challenge is for you!