Learning how to clean has been a huge psychological, angsty process for me. My mom is a meticulously clean woman: always tidying up after meals. Dusting. Mopping. Washing dishes. Cleaning counters. Etc. Watching her in action makes my head spin. I never picked up on her ways. This suited me just fine as a child, but as an adult. Well – MAMA AIN’T AROUND TO PICK UP AFTER ME ANYMORE.
So I learned how to clean.
{Just yesterday I gave some advice to new moms: don’t worry about keeping a clean house. But you other mothers are not off the hook.}
Anyways back to my story. Since I’m a bookworm-reader-nerd-type, I gathered some ‘how to clean’ books from the library. I got this wonderful book called “Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House” but the tome was just so overwhelming and too exacting for a newbie like me. I needed something simple. This book is like the Ph.D. in How to Clean {it was written by a lawyer}.
So I found another wonderful book in my church library called “Sidetracked Home Executives” This book just spoke to me {And I needed a good speaking to in this department!”} The basic premise of the book is that for the sidetracked woman, learning how to clean isn’t second nature. We get sidetracked. {And boy, do I get sidetracked.}
The book suggests that Sidetrackable Women set up an index card tickler file system that basically works on auto-pilot, telling you what do to when. Things like: take a shower, get dressed, brush your teeth, wash the dishes, dust the furniture. {Yes, I need reminders to take a shower because when the children are up in the morning, I can easily find a million things to do besides taking a shower.}
For the next few Tuesdays, I’ll be going through the steps outlined in this book so you can create your own tickler file system. It’ll be fun. If you want to learn how to clean with me, here’s your first assignment: Gather the supplies needed to set up your system.
*Obtain a copy of Sidetracked Home Executives(TM): From Pigpen to Paradise
*3×5 file box
*25 yellow index cards (However, I found that I needed way more than twenty five!)
*25 blue index cards (Ditto for this, I needed way more than twenty five.)
*25 pink index cards
*100 white index cards
*31 file dividers, numbered 1-31
*4+ blank file dividers
*12 file dividers, January-December
*26 file dividers, A-Z
*Small, year at a glance calendar taped inside the box lid
You can get these supplies at any Walmart, Target or office supply store. For the dividers, I used small, blank write on tabs which I stuck to a blank index card and wrote on the label.
Next Tuesday, we’ll talk about the next step in the S.H.E. plan: developing Activity Lists.
And don’t forget to download my free printable weekly cleaning list. It’ll help you keep house in the interim while we’re building our system, and I’ll also show you how I use it alongside your new system.
