Having to balance kids and a job is basically like having two full-time jobs. It can be difficult finding time to take the dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away let alone manage all your daily chores. We know it’s ambitious, but if you and your partner are both working parents, we’ve found a few ways that will help lighten your load so you can continue to have both worlds while still getting a little time to yourself. No need to hire a cleaner, just follow these tips when you’re feeling like you could use a little help maintaining your home.
Create a Schedule
One of the most overwhelming parts of cleaning the house is not knowing where to start. It can also be confusing when you can’t remember the last time you cleaned something and how many times it should be cleaned. Luckily with a checklist or scheduling your to-do’s on your calendar, all those problems will go away.
It doesn’t need to be perfect, just maintained. Clean out your refrigerator and all your appliances on one day every other week if you are a bit of a spiller when it comes to food. If that is too much, you really only need to make sure your appliances get a deep clean once a month. As for things like dishes, make sure to put that on your calendar once a day or every other day depending on how many dishes your household tends to use.
Figure out all the chores that need to get done and lay them out on a calendar which will make your housework less stressful.
Preventative Maintenance
Not only should you be creating a schedule for chores, choosing days for preventative maintenance can save you a lot of money and time in the long run. Changing your filters, replacing batteries in the smoke detector, and even making sure everything on your appliances are running smoothly can help prevent major issues down the road if unlooked at. It’s much easier if you keep up with them instead of only inspecting every couple of years (which may not happen if you don’t take care of the, in a timely manner).
Put it Away After You Use It
This may be obvious, but a lot of mess just happens from sheer laziness. Not wanting to put something away can be alright sometimes, but if it always happens, then you’re going to end up with a lot of disarray in your home. Instead, make sure you, your partner, and your kids all put away their things once they’re done being used. No more, “Oh, I’ll just put it away later,” when it’s a quick and simple task. When there is less clutter laying around the house, the less likely you’ll be overwhelmed and want to procrastinate your other responsibilities.
Food prep
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can each take a while to prepare which is why prepping any of those meals a couple of days to even just a day in advance can really make quite a difference in your day-to-day tasks. Start by just meal prepping the weekly lunches on Sundays and storing them in your fridge. If you get the hang of that, move on to prepping your dinners. You can always cook up casseroles and freeze them for a later date, make extra food for leftovers the next day or two, or even just do a crockpot dinner. Get creative with the ways you food prep and enjoy all the extra time you have to yourself.
Managing a family while also having a job takes a lot of work – that’s why we want to make your life a little easier at Aztec. From smart appliances to ones with innovative technology, we have what you need to make life go a little smoother. Visit us to get the perfect appliances that’ll help reduce your busy schedule.