7 Tips for Mothers Drowning in Sea of Chores

The pile of clothes. The unwashed dishes. The house is a mess. You still need to prepare dinner.

You’ve got so much chores to do. But your life is packed full. You have to send kids to school. You have to meet your best friend whom you haven’t seen in months. You don’t have enough time.

What’s worse, every mothers you know seems to have no problem keeping a clean and tidy home. Are you the only one who struggles with household chores?

Don’t believe it for a second. Almost every mother out there feels the same way. So how do we get it all done?

Trust me, I get it. Overwhelm can crush your spirit. You can only fight to keep up for so long. And even as you struggle on day by day, the temptation to give up and let the dirty dish rot in the sink grows.

When my helper went for home-leave for 2 weeks, I thought I would have the house in total disarray. Most days I woke up with a deep breath and the cleaning began. You know what, it’s not so bad when you have a system.

Here’s how to regain control of your chores and turn things around:

Tip #1: Start with chores that can be going while you’re doing something else

For example, running a load of laundry, starting the dishwasher or putting toilet cleaner should be taken care of right at the start to save time. These chores can go on while you do other things.

I especially love running the laundry. A couple of spoonful of detergent powder and a few presses of washing machine makes me feel good about getting at least one productive thing going.

Tip #2: Clean as I go

I am pretty much constantly in motion. I still do, even when my helper is around. I like things neat, so when I’m seated at my desk, I arrange things on my desk. If I’m moving from one room to another, I always have things in my hand that needs to be put back into the other room.

I find mini tidying up works better than having an entire messy house to deal with at one go. I work on my computer a lot. So every 20 minutes or so when I need to take a break, I’ll look around the room and see what little cleaning can be done. I’m not OCD. I promise!

Tip #3: Enlist help

Let me start by saying I can’t do it all. Let’s put it this way – cleaning isn’t my forte and I think I can contribute more by spending time with the kids and on my business. My solution is to get a helper. I’ve even written a whole post about how I went about hiring one.

So if you can afford to do so, please go ahead! If you’re uncomfortable sharing your living space and with the loss of privacy, there are many online part-time help companies you can hire from. Get someone to come in at least once a week to take care of the big cleaning jobs. Wash the toilet, kitchen, change the sheets, so you only have to worry about the mini cleaning jobs throughout the week.

Get the kids to help is also a big one for me. My daughters like to pour out the entire bag of blocks, play with it for what seems like 5 minutes and move on to the next toy. I can’t recall how it started. It must have been since I put away all the messy toys with small bits like the puzzles, cups of playdough and the creative art box with all the crayons, stamps, scissors and papers on the higher shelf of my book cabinet.

Why? Because now, they have to ASK me to get whatever it is they want to play with. Before I hand them their next toy, they’ll have to put away the ones they were playing with. So far, the system works out quite well…. until they are tall enough to reach the top shelf, I supposed.

Don’t underestimate young children. Lauren started picking up her own toys without having told at 2.5 years old and now, she is trying to get 20 months old Georgia to do the same… without much success, to my dismay.

Besides, research shows that household chores are a proven predictor of success later in life.

Now who else can you enlist to help? Anyone that lives under one roof with you! Your husband, your parents and your parents-in-law. It is not your duty to serve them and it’s everyone’s responsibility to keep the place neat and tidy.

Tip #4: Use your weird time to sneak in planning and miscellaneous tasks

Your life might look nothing like mine. (Right now, a good amount of my time revolves around two young children, mountains of deadlines, and washing-up created in their wake.)

It’s a safe bet, though, that your life – like mine – involves some “weird time.”

Weird time includes all those little pockets of time where you’re stuck waiting for something. You’re sitting in the car, waiting for pick-up time at your kid’s school. You’re sitting in the dentist’s waiting room, waiting for your appointment. You’re on your way home from work in the train.

It’s easy to stare into your Facebook newsfeed, but what about doing something more productive?

You could use that time to jot down your grocery list or plan your week’s schedule. I use it to look up how to get to the location of my next meeting (Google Map), return a call, reply my sis’ WhatsApp messages and plan our meals. Keep a little notebook and a pen in your bag and you’ll never have to stare at the clock in your dentist’s waiting room again.

Tip #5: Become super productive by batching chores

It’s a good idea to batch routine chores together. Compared to a big clean-up once a week, it’s less overwhelming and leaves you more time to spend with your kids.

In my household, we have a week’s plan of what to do each day. A clear process not only saves you time, but it also prevents you from forgetting crucial steps. It means you can more easily hand over the tasks to helper in the future.

There won’t any laundry overload either, because you know, we have massive clothes drying space in Singapore (not!).

+ Monday: Weekend’s laundry
+ Tuesday: Change and wash all bedsheets and duvet covers
+ Wednesday: Wash bathrooms
+ Thursday: Kitchen cabinets and fridge
+ Friday: Sanitise toys and kids play area
+ Saturday: Batch cooking meals. There will be days when you are not in the mood of cooking and sometimes even getting takeaway seems too much work. So it will keep you sane knowing there are healthy meals you can instantly heat up for your family.

Batching tasks like this may feel unnatural at first, but frequently switching gears between different types of chores or rather different parts of the house can be hugely inefficient.

And think of it like this, how will you improve your productivity unless you try something that feels different? Doing the same things will lead to the same results.

Tip #6: Purge, baby, purge

Stop hoarding, start throwing things away. Less clutter, less things to clean up.

Throw away any broken toys immediately. Dried up playdough? In the bin. Pack up all the toys and clothing the kids have overgrown and keep them in the storage if you are planning another little one or give them away.

Go through your stack of mails, keep the bills, statements, take note of important dates and throw away or recycle all those notices, catalogues, flyers that aren’t important. Don’t keep them for just in case, because you are most likely to forget them and they’ll end up being another pile of paper for you to sort another day.

Tip #7: Shop consciously

If you don’t want to waste money throwing things out, stop buying.

I do my grocery shopping at a weekly basis and only buy what I need. I don’t buy in bulk, although it seems to be the cheaper option. Yes, I miss some of the deep discounts, but I’m not stuck with huge amount of something that may expire before we eat them.I also tend to stay away from ‘sale’. I know the word is very tempting and it had (in the past) made me purchased things just because they are cheap. In most cases, these ‘things’ remained unworn or unused.

Now, I’ve made a rule for myself – if I don’t LOVE something or have an immediate need and use for it, I don’t buy it. Period. End of story. ‘Loving” something means I can put it down, walk away, and leave the store and still be thinking about it later.

Next time you’re thinking of buying something you aren’t sure about, try a 48-hour waiting period. Chances are good that by the time those two days have passed, you would have forgotten all about the item you couldn’t live without.

What will YOU do differently this week?

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mAy on 18/03/2016 at 3:13 AM

Hahahhaa Weird Time. I am spending my Weird Time now writing this comment (waiting for car to be ready at the service centre). Well, keeping clean is always a struggle. I pack, 5 hours later when the kids return, it's a mess again. So in the end I need up leaving that pile of books on the floor rather than putting them back into the shelf again. The kids do so well wth their clean up at school but at home? I have to nag like mad. What would I do different this week? I'll be throwing out everything we don't need!
Priscilla Tan on 18/03/2016 at 4:12 AM

Hey there Michelle! First time on your blog, I am Priscilla. 🙂

I am guilty of Tip #6 ! And the 'just in case' mentality is totally me! ???? I am such a hoarder that my Husband will always throw things away secretly whenever I am out of town. LOL!

Thanks for the useful tips!

-Priscilla @punggolbabies-
Ai Sakura on 18/03/2016 at 5:35 AM

Excellent and very relevant tips! I really need to control more on #7… hahaha

Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Danessa Foo on 18/03/2016 at 6:06 AM

Love your tips. I do #1, #2 and #5. My husband insists on #6 and now I'm adding #7 to my things-to-remember-list 😀
Cynthia Koh-Aw on 18/03/2016 at 6:53 AM

I'm guilty of no 4! Like staring into Facebook. Hahaha!!!! Thanks for the reminder!!!
SengkangBabies on 18/03/2016 at 8:33 AM

Agree with #6 and #7, need to convince the Mrs less time on carousel and Taobao 🙂 We outsource house duties to the kids too, might not be as effective, but hope they "understand" the efforts needed for a clean home.

cheers, Andy
(SengkangBabies)
Phoebe Lau on 18/03/2016 at 8:34 AM

#3 is what I am doing now most of the time! hahaha.. enlisting the help from my kids who are older now. #2 is also another tip that I have been adopting. Thanks for sharing!
Jacqualine Chan on 18/03/2016 at 2:57 PM

Sigh, I *just* finished cleaning up the toy room before sitting down to read your post! I am SO exhausted. Every time I pack, they would be pouring the ENTIRE contents of it out the next moment. They were not even playing it for the past hour already!!!! *SCREAMS*

I personally hate small bits of toys – those annoying puzzles, LEGOs, alphabet pieces, crayons, toy coins and notes. I can do all the other chores, but cleaning up the toy room is my bane. I need to put everything high up in the shelves like you do!!!!
Michelle Hon on 18/03/2016 at 2:58 PM

Yes, do it. And make them clean up before they move on the the next activity, including snack, lunch and dinner.
Beth Willis Miller on 20/03/2016 at 5:47 AM

What great tips for making the most of our moments. Great organizational ideas! Many blessings to you ❤️
Shellie Bowdoin on 21/03/2016 at 4:10 AM

Yes, we all feel overwhelmed sometimes. These are good tips. Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!

Shellie
http://www.thefabjourney.com
Jennifer - The Deliberate Mom on 23/03/2016 at 4:41 AM

This is FABULOUS! I just love the tips you shared.

I often batch chores, and I like to give duties to my kiddos too!

Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).

Wishing you a lovely evening.
xoxo
Michelle on 01/04/2016 at 11:51 AM

Yes, do it. And make them clean up before they move on the the next activity, including snack, lunch and dinner.
john adams on 28/04/2016 at 12:44 PM

Well, it’s not just mums who feel this way. I’m a stay at home dad and have the same issues. Got t tidy and clean the house today as it happens! #BrilliantBlogPosts
Eb Gargano on 28/04/2016 at 9:07 PM

Super useful tips…especially number 4! I am far too guilty of using this time to check Facebook! Think batch cooking is great, but you can also just make a double quantity every time you cook, so you have a steady supply of homemade ready meals for whenever you need them, without feeling like you have a whole extra chore to do in the week. Totally in agreement about getting the kids to help – mine have a star chart with things like ‘help with hoovering’, ‘help with washing’ and ‘tidy room’ on it – they are super motivated by stars and they get a prize if they complete a row – and I get a clean and tidy house – win-win!
- Michelle on 28/04/2016 at 9:19 PM
  
  The double quantity cooking is a great idea! It takes up less space in the fridge too. Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
ShinnersandtheBrood on 23/09/2016 at 5:01 PM

Love this post, especially the ‘weird time’! I definitely need to up my weird time game! I can’t batch-cook though. I really wish I was the mother who batch-cooked!
Catie: Imperfect Mum on 23/09/2016 at 11:08 PM

Great tips! I have just started batching chores as I have been working extra hours and it was the only way to get things done. We also gave started meal planning for the week. It is soooo much easier and has helped alliveate some stress! Thank you for linking up to #ablogginggoodtime ????
Burnished Chaos on 24/09/2016 at 3:48 AM

Great tips, I try (and often fail) all of these, but I’m working on it, honest ????
#Ablogginggoodtime
The Motherhub Blog on 26/09/2016 at 9:51 PM

totally with you on the purging – I would throw everything out if I could! #ablogginggoodtime