I really like having a clean house to live in, but lately my cleaning has taken the back seat to everything else. This has left me one step behind, when I would rather be one step ahead. That is why I have made it one of my goals this month to get back into my cleaning routine.

My two biggest assistants in making my cleaning schedule are Flylady and iCal.

Flylady

I have used the flylady’s routine off and on for the past few years. I really like how she splits the different parts of the house up, so you are getting your daily cleaning done but also deep cleaning each week. The email  reminders and tips got a little overbearing for me, so I decided to just use her tips to make my own schedule.

iCal

I have an Apple computer, which I love, and iCal is the standard calendar that it comes with. I think it is very similar to other calendars like Outlook and Google. It holds the key to anything that I schedule.

(Click on the image to see the details of my cleaning schedule. I do not necessarily do the jobs at a certain time.)

Here are the some steps I have taken to make my own cleaning schedule in iCal:

1. Make a new calendar. Having individual calendars for different parts of your life can be really helpful. Right now I have thirteen separate calendars on my iCal! I like that I can pick different colors for my schedules and have whatever calendar schedule open that I need to look at. Make your new calendar, insert a name, and pick a color.
2. Daily jobs. Next I put in the daily jobs I need to get done: dishes, sweeping, laundry, and wiping down the bathrooms. Then I have it repeat daily.
3. Weekly jobs. I then put in my jobs that I do once a week: vacuuming, dusting, mopping, cleaning the showers, and toilets. Then I have that repeat weekly on whatever day I assign it to.
4. Cleaning zones. After that, I put in the cleaning zones (what room I’m focusing on) and what I want to get done each day that week. Then have it repeat every four weeks. For example this week I’m focusing on the bedrooms. One of the days I will be dusting, another vacuuming, washing windows, etc.
5. Plan Ahead. As you are planning the week, look ahead to see what’s going on. If you are going to be out of the house one day, you may want to adjust your cleaning schedule accordingly. Then you won’t get to that day and realize you don’t have time to get it all done. If you don’t get something done, just move it to the next day and adjust accordingly. That’s what I like about the using a digital calendar, I can just drag and drop.
6. Enlist help. Make a list of chores you can ask your kids to help with. I sometimes get overwhelmed and then realize I haven’t been asking for their help or teaching them to care for the home. Make sure you start this young. They won’t be much help at three years old, but they’re learning good work ethic. It also might keep them out of trouble for a few minutes.

Having this schedule has helped me a lot. Do you have a cleaning schedule? What helps you stay on task?

See more about my cleaning at my new blog Above Average Cleaning.