Time Management for Bloggers Part 3-Household Responsibilities

We’ve all been there, we have spent the day writing great blog posts and sharing them all over social media and oops, we forgot to plan something for dinner, or the meat is still frozen or the laundry didn’t get done. It happens. When we are in our happy place working away it is easy for other important, but not as fun things to be overlooked. I know that when I have done this, I just feel bad. I haven’t done my other job as a homemaker, wife and mother and in turn I have let my family down. Today I am going to share the plans and systems that I now have in place so that I forget to take care of my chores less often.

Time Management for Bloggers-Schedule

In my first post in this series, Time Management for Bloggers-Writing, I shared my daily schedule with you. In that schedule I include 2-30 minute blocks of time to get my housework done. Yes, the bulk of my housework gets done in a total of one hour a day. Keep reading and I will show you how. I also include dinner prep in my schedule.

As I have said before, having a schedule is crucial to managing your time. If you don’t know what you are supposed to be doing at any particular time, you will probably end up wasting that time.

Time Management for Bloggers-Housework

Over my 22+ years of marriage I have tried several ways of organizing my housework. When the kids were between the ages of 8-17, they did the bulk of the housework, and it was wonderful! Now that Aaron is working 60+ hours a week and Jordan is on the mission field the housework has shifted back to being my responsibility. I have found that for me I need a not-too-strict schedule that will help me get everything done without making me feel stressed out or upset when something doesn’t get done. I am pleased to say, I have finally found that balance.

I came across a wonderful daily cleaning schedule at FrazzledJoy. She was even awesome enough to make FREE printable forms so that we can all organize our housework. The idea is that we have daily chores that must be done and then other chores that can be done 1-2 times a month. I used her template and created my own list which I even colored to match my kitchen. This list hangs on my refrigerator so that I see it often. I also made an arrow from a post-it note flag. I move the arrow every time I complete a box so that I know what the next day’s chores are.

Our homes and needs vary but this is what is on my list…

Daily Chores

make the bed
wash the dishes
wipe the kitchen counters
wash one load of laundry
sweep the floors

Rotating chores

Kitchen counters (deep clean), stovetop & microwave
Master bedroom sheets, clean out refrigerator
Bathrooms-mirrors, toilets, sinks & floors (2x)
Dust living room and clean off kitchen table
Mop floors in kitchen, hall & living room (2x)
Fold laundry & clean laundry room
Declutter any area for 30 minutes (2x)
Wash kids’ sheets, clean out refrigerator
Clean desk, pick up master bedroom
Scrub bathtub & shower walls (Aaron’s chore)
Clean out car, wipe down kitchen cabinets and appliances

Some chores are done twice during the 14 weekday rotation. On one Saturday each month we try to plan a day to do some deeper cleaning that needs to be done but as you can see, the basics are covered by my schedule. If you are looking for more organizing tips and tricks make sure you follow my Organization board on Pinterest.

Time Management for Bloggers-Meal Planning

I have been on and off the meal planning wagon many times over the past few years. For the last 3 months, I have found a schedule that works for me and my family. I plan 4 dinners a week and schedule them on days that at least 3 of us will be home. For us Sunday we eat with our small group and we each contribute to the meal. Monday the kids go to church so it is just hubby and I so we usually do something light or leftovers. Tues-Sat there is at least one night where hubby is working or the kids or I have plans so planning 4 nights a week works for us. I found this great FREE printable that I use from Life in Yellow that works perfectly for me.

How I Meal Plan

I have a spreadsheet of all of our favorite meals separated into basic groups: Beef, Chicken, Pork and Pasta. I plan a month at a time.

I print and date 4 meal plan sheets and I add 3 meals to each list rotating between the 4 recipe types. I write all the ingredients under the recipe title.
I fill in the 4th box with a new meal that I have pinned on my Recipes I Want to Try board on Pinterest. This way we try something new each week and we decide it it gets added to our master meal list or not.
I file the upcoming menu plans in my household notebook.
I take the current list to the kitchen and cross off ingredients I already have on hand.
I look at the family calendar and decide which night we will be eating each dish and not that in the appropriate box.
I add other needed items to the list.
I check for coupon match ups for my list and I pull or print the coupons.
I put the list in my AnyList app which auto-syncs with my husband’s app and include notes about coupons.

My husband does most of the grocery shopping and he goes 2x a week. We are both self-employed with no guaranteed paychecks coming in regularly so we shop with cash on hand + coupons on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

I hope these tips have helped you get more organized and better manage your time. Next week we will talk about making sure we spend time with those we love.