Friday Frenzy

Falling off the edge on Friday:

Not quite the truth.  After deep cleaning three bathroom that really needed it and bathing two dirty little dogs, I didn't want to do anything else.  So I am postdating this post, not a pun, and collecting my Frenzied Friday Thoughts.

The word is:  "We've got to get organized."; my favorite line from my go to pick-me-up movie for many years--a real blast from the cold war past: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, 1966.  The movie needs to be resurrected now that The Bear, Putin, has come out of hibernation. Don't miss it.  Surely someone still has a copy rattling around. My copy is on Beta, or VHS and not too useful.  That dates me.  Cannot find on Netflix, but it is on Amazon Videos (not Prime--rent for $2.99).

Organize.  The bane or salvation of my life.  Since it is my New Year's Day or close to it;  I must attempt to 'get organized'.  Many attempts have been made over the years to do this: "The Happiness Project, Fly Lady, Dress Your Truth, How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life, Organizing From the Inside Out, The Simple Living Guide, et all."  Tried it, done that.  The nice thing about all these books/programs is that something always sticks with me through the years.  It is never a waste to try something new.  I keep the things that work;  file the others away for later contemplation--always open to ideas. 

My favorite, time tested, frequently revamped schedule is the one I still use. Set this up any which way, use suggestions for type of recipe, chore, divide things up that you like to do or must do and loosely follow the plan.  Example below:  Leftover from mission days--it didn't work then.  Too exhausted to keep working after working eight hours a day. 

Description     Monday      Tuesday     Wednesday    Thursday      Friday     Saturday        

Meals:
Breakfast       Hot Cereal   Eggs          Cold Cereal    Pancakes     Eggs       Waffles                               Dinner           Soup/Salad  Chicken     Food Storage  Fish            Quick      Burgers        

Laundry        Whites          Lights       Dark                Sheets         Towels    Iron                
Paperwork     Plant            Bead         Menu               Quicken      Off          Off                
                      Journal         Inventory                                                                                        

Daily             Water           Down       Kitchen/          Bedrooms    Bath-     LR/FR/DR     
Cleaning        Plants           Stairs       Laundry          Up                rooms    

Deep Clean   (to be added)
1st wk
2nd wk
3rd wk
4th wk

Projects (to be added)       

Other

This is the basic outline; after working it for a week it definitely needs some major tweaking.  The breakfast suggestions work well as does the laundry and cleaning schedule.  They have not changed for years.  I have always joked that if anyone comes to visit on Friday, I will have to entertain them in the bathroom because it will be the cleanest room.  It works for me.  Menu planning is taking too long. Others are just passed by completely.  That is okay.  I do not stress if an item is passed up, just pick it up again next week. 

I am open to some new plans.  I like one suggestion found on a blog that followed a modified 7 Steps formula of Steven R. Covey. She had seven things she did every day to keep the house clean. (I lost her list--reading too many blogs that day.)  I would change it anyway.  I don't have children at home;  just the two of us making messes.

My List:  (Seven must do daily chores)

1. Make the bed asap. (Fly Lady)
2. Get dressed down to the shoes. (Fly Lady)
3. Sani-shine up the bathrooms. (Fly Lady)
4. Clean out the cat box.
5. Clean up the large areas in A.M.
6. Pick up stuff in P.M. (Fly Lady)
7. Clean up the kitchen sink after dinner. (Lots of  Fly Lady stuff stuck, see flylady.net)

The reason for seven chores is to make it a good length without being too cumbersome.  My list is subject to change;  must try it for a few weeks.  This is the daily quick clean.  Regular room clean-up will still have to be done, one room per day, and the deep cleaning needs to be fit in.  The plan is to get all this done before noon. When I get good at it or the house is finally cleaned up after eighteen months of neglect I can shorten that time.  For now noon is pushing it.

That is organization for now.  Evaluation will be monthly.  I will keep on keeping on or whatever they say now.