Welcome to our monthly organizing checklist. There's a different organizing suggestion for you to do every day of the month--all easy, down-to-earth, and no thinking 'what should I do?' required. When the month changes, so does our checklist.
____ Jul 1 Start the month off bright and sparkly. Windex all of the mirrors in your house.
____ Jul 2 Choose one room of the month to focus on. Alternating days, get rid of one item you no longer need and on the second day give one item an appropriate storage spot in that room.
____ Jul 3 Be sure you have a good supply of sunscreen and bug spray on hand for the holiday weekend and the rest of the summer.
____ Jul 4 Do a load of laundry--wash, dry and iron. Then, enjoy the rest of the day off with family, fun, friends and fireworks.
____ Jul 5 Check for library books that need to be returned. Put them in a tote, and return them on your next trip out of the house.
____ Jul 6 Plan a week’s worth of dinners to avoid the temptation to eat out or get fast-food.
____ Jul 7 Fill your ice cube trays.
____ Jul 8 Check, or have someone check, your dryer vents and clean them out to prevent fires.
____ Jul 9 Schedule your next dental cleaning.
____ Jul 10 Look through your shoes to see if any need to be cleaned or polished.
____ Jul 11 Clean off and wipe down your kitchen counters.
____ Jul 12 Have a special dinner with family or friends. Have everyone chip in, whether each person makes a dish, someone brings dessert, etc.
____ Jul 13 Wash your car and vacuum the interior.
____ Jul 14 Clean out the fridge and wipe down the shelves with hot, soapy water.
____ Jul 15 Toss any old catalogs that you’ve held onto.
____ Jul 16 To help prevent the spread of summer colds, wipe down all door knobs, telephones, computer mouse and TV remotes with an alcohol wipe.
____ Jul 17 This is a perfect night to declutter your TIVO or DVR. Pop some popcorn and make it a family watch night.
____ Jul 18 Find a roadside produce stand and plan a healthy, fresh dinner.
____ Jul 19 Turn off your TV and make it a family game, craft or story night.
____ Jul 20 Go through your freezer and pull out something that needs to be used. Even frozen items have a limited use.
____ Jul 21 Look through your bookcase and see if you can find at least a few books to donate to the local library.
____ Jul 22 Do you have a pile of clothes that need sewing repairs? Pants to be hemmed? Buttons to be replaced? Pull it out and get started!
____ Jul 23 Since the August magazines have probably arrived, toss or donate any out-of-date issues you still have.
____ Jul 24 Check and make sure your computer anti-virus software is up to date. It should be set to automatically download daily updates.
____ Jul 25 Need to stock up on office supplies? Now’s the time with all of the super back-to-school sales.
____ Jul 26 Complete one lingering, unfinished craft project.
____ Jul 27 Check the August calendar for upcoming events that need to be planned for.
____ Jul 28 Clean out the trunk of your car.
____ Jul 29 Balance your checkbook.
____ Jul 30 Review your cellphone and cable bills and make sure that you are only being charged for what you use.
____ Jul 31 Call a friend just to say hi.
Please let us know if you find these helpful and what you were able to get done. Okay, I maybe get 10 done a month but I really feel good when I do...do you?
It is very difficult for me to keep the house picked up when my wife is home . Now that she is rehabbing in a skilled facility I can declutter daily. I use a calendar and a Plan A and Plan B system. Plan A is outside work and Plan B is inside work. I do not include daily pick up or household tasks in either Plan. I am goal oriented so I use that as well. Like in August my sister is coming back for a reunion of sorts and will be here to visit a day or two so I have listed and am tackling projects as I go. Knowing what has to be done and a guideline helps me. I try not to do anything as far as projects ,chores or errands after 5pm.
posted by mjera
4 months ago
I struggle with it but the list helps me remember things I should be working on so I will eventually get to them.
I live with my mother in her house so that she can STAY in her house. Even though my parents moved here in 2001 (just before my father died) they still had much of the 50 years worth of accumulation of 2 pack rats (and you would not believe how many yards were cleaned out of the old house which they had lived in since 1971). There is no way I am ever going to declutter this place. I just want to declutter enough so that it still has character, but I can find things. LOL!
Hippy girl , Thank you for addressing clutter. It never occurred to me that it was a problem with other caregivers. I struggle with it daily. This is a type of hoarding. Hoarding is a fear of making a mistake according to the experts. I wrote down your list of to do items. Very thoughtful, like you have been here to critique my house. Gotta follow through now. Maybe my husband will help? Sherry H
There is an article in the files on hoarding...It is usually a problem with parents but I am a mini-hoarder too. No time to decide what to keep in my case so I put it aside. I am doing the lists every month though.
