Clean, Fit, and Organised: The Schedule That Powers Your Home and Fitness Routine
If, like me, you have an ambition to live in a ‘magazine perfect home’ but never find the time to prioritise your housework read on. “Clean, Fit, and Organised: The Monthly Task Schedule That Powers Your Home and Fitness Routine” is based on how I reframed my housework from being a chore to making it part of my physical and mental wellness strategy. The catalyst for this shift in mindset was the resignation of my Cleaner which actually made me decide that I wanted to take responsibility for the upkeep of my home.
Where To Begin
Prior to employing a cleaner I would have tried to set a day-a-week aside to clean the whole house. This was never a great success and led to me hiring help in the first instance. Now, having made the decision to take charge of this aspect of my life, I analysed the time my cleaner spent doing her job and wondered how I could work this into my routine. For approximately ten years my cleaner came for 2 hours each week during which time she would alternate between upstairs and downstairs. This worked reasonably well. I tended to keep the house tidy in between her visits and blitz it prior to her arrival. In essence what I need to achieve going forward was to clean a total of twelve rooms over a fourteen day period, and repeat.
How I Created My Routine
Like many people I used a digital calendar to plan my days and I review this each month entering up-and-coming events and activities. These tend to be a regular occurrences but some months do vary particularly during the Spring and Autumn seasons. I also have specific days when I work from home and others that I allocate to client visits or family commitments.
With my calendar open I created a parallel spreadsheet for each week in the month with the days along the top and time slots down the side. During the week my free time tends to be at the end of an afternoon and on into the evening, and whilst I didn’t particularly want to allocate time at the weekend, I quickly realised that this would be inevitable.
My January Timesheet
January 2025 was the first month that I implemented my housework schedule and I must admit there were some initial teething problems. For instance, my first attempt at scheduling had me allocating time when my partner was out only to find that I couldn’t move the furniture on my own. On another occasion I had convinced myself that I was due to clean the bathroom, and having carried out this intense task, found that it was actually the kitchen’s turn. To keep myself on track for the following week I ended up cleaning both the bathroom and kitchen on the same Saturday. Needless to say that wasn’t the best weekend I have ever spent!
Why Am I Sharing This?
I’m sure you’re asking yourself this question and, to be honest, it had never been my intention to publish a blog about my housework routine. It was only during a conversation over a cup of coffee that I told somebody about it and they asked me for a copy.
I guess, with our busy lives, we’re all looking for ways of making the most of our time, and, as I said at the beginning by taking control of this element of my life it has helped both my physical and mental wellbeing. From a physical perspective it actually forces me to leave the confines of my home office and MOVE and from a mental well-being it ensures that my home feels clean and tidy. Furthermore it makes me feel happy knowing that if I have an unexpected visitor, or even guests, I can invite them into my home confident that feels fresh and welcoming.
I realise that not everyone has the same expectations as I do but, for those of us who need a routine, this is an example of how I’ve broken down what would be a mammoth task into bite size pieces.
What Next?
With the help of a digital calendar I have duplicated these daily entries for the weeks and months to come. They are combined with my work schedule which I update monthly. Should there be any clashes going forward I can reschedule these activities at the beginning of each month ensuring that I stay on track.
Has This Helped?
If this has helped you please let me know in a comment. I would also welcome your comments or tips with regards to how you manage your housework.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and if you would like a copy my Cleaning Schedule Template to get you started click on the heading under External Links.
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