Ok, so I have gotten lots done today on the computer, but not what I really need to be doing. Seems to be the story of my life. I often pull inspiration from the many emails and posts that I read during the day in the great groups I belong to. Well, this quote came today and I find it inspiring.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

The quote goes along with my own routine that I already use. Unfortunately routine can only go so far to keep you motivated. So on that note, I wanted to share some of the tricks and plain and simple facts that I have learned along the way.

1. Organization.......the messier my house gets the less I want to do, like you said it's overwhelming. So I started attacking one project at a time until I had my house arranged and organized as I want it
2. You have to concede that dishes and laundry are never ending. You will NEVER be caught up. Just resign to the fact that you must do it EVERY day and it's no one's fault. I used to get angry that I always had dishes and laundry to do.
3. Lists.......sometimes I go overboard, but I make lists for everything. I recently started using a spiral notebook. I started out by creating a schedule that I can stick to of when I will do what. That keeps me in check with my computer time. Then I start each week with a list of the things I need and/or want to do. Sometimes it includes simple things like sweepign the kitchen. If my list is really long than things like this that are completed quickly help me to feel like I have accomplished something (I cross them off as I go). Either at the end of the day or the end of the week if the projects take a few days, than I transfer uncompleted tasks to a new sheet and fold the old list in half. It helps me to remember all the little things I need to do and is proof of everything I have accomplished.
4. Delegate.....this one is hard for me and it took me going into management a few years back to learn how to do this. I no longer work out of the home but I have found a lot of things I learned can be applied to my home life. I assigned one main chore to each of my three kids. My oldest does laundry. She is required to wash, dry and fold one complete load every day after school. Now in reality she is folding the load already in the dryer, switching the one from the washer to the dryer and usually starting a new one. I will then switch that load to the dryer before I go to bed. In the morning sometimes I will switch loads again if need be. But once in this routine......one load a day is usually all it takes and I have a family of 5. My middle child is to clear the table and do the dishesd (loading the dishwasher) after dinner every night. This includes wiping down all surfaces of the kitchen afterward. Now she is 10 and it has taken a couple years to get her to the point that she does it all correctly but it's nice to know that once I have cooked dinner I don't have to clean the kitchen too. We all help put away the leftovers and put our own plates in the sink. My 8 yr old son empties the dishwasher every day after school once he's done with his homework. This works well for us.

With all this said, it works in my house. I start my day as soon as everyone else is out the door by loading the remaining dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher and starting the cycle. I wipe down the counters and then sweep the kitchen floor. I usually have just a few things to pick up or maybe a load of laundry to put away, but 30 minutes is about all it takes me to finish my cleaning and move on to running my business.