The first few years I worked too hard and too long on housework and had very little time for myself. I then sat and thought about how I might change my housework and these are a few of my thoughts that have worked successfully for me, hope they will also for you. It doesn't matter how many appliances, etc. your home is equipped with if you don't have the time to use and enjoy them.

The responsibility for keeping a home is definitely upon your shoulders so why not make it easier by being more efficient. Have a healthy respect for the career of being a homemaker, it is not to be taken lightly. Make yourself a schedule and cut down on confusion and disorder. If you will schedule your time you will actually save time, for example, on Monday I go through my home and polish all of the furniture and clean all the pictures and the mirrors. I won't do these again until next Monday. Write down a schedule of the items you will clean on Monday and follow that schedule.

Evaluate your time and spend it wisely. Plan how much time you will spend cleaning the bathroom, daily, weekly, and monthly and stick to that schedule. During the first few weeks you will need to have this plan written down and will need to check off the items as you have accomplished them, such as polishing the furniture, when you have completed this for example on a Monday, then check it off. In time you won't need a checklist as you will remember what you have planned to do each day.

Let's start off a typical day in my home for example and follow through till evening and use this as a sample of a plan. First of all I clean the counter tops, wipe the stove and pick up any clutter from the night before on the counters.

Next I fix a pail of pine oil and hot water and go to the  bathroom and clean the faucets, basins and toilets: yes, I clean toilets daily. In the bathroom, I put out fresh towels if necessary, empty the waste cans and pick up any clutter.

The next step in my routine will be to make up the bed, and then take the laundry hamper and put on a load of laundry, when done, put it in the dryer and then fold when dry and put laundry away in its proper place. Then I take the dust mop and go over the floors and then vacuum any areas where rugs need vacuuming. By that time my home is neat and decluttered, the laundry is put away and I am free for my morning walk, etc. I fix a small lunch and repeat the cleaning process mentioned above for the kitchen. After dinner time I cook my dinner, serve and clean the kitchen.

This is my daily plan, of course I feed and water pets and do lots of other things but this keeps the home daily in a neat order and decluttered.

Have a healthy respect for your time and you will have more time for yourself and also more time for your family. This makes life more enjoyable, try first of all making a schedule, write it down, follow the plan you make for yourself and you will have a cleaner house, plus you will have time for yourself and extra time for your family and above all you will be happier and less stressed. Sit down today, go thru each room and make a plan.