Keeping Up With Housework When Your Schedule’s Unusually Busy

Ivy says:

This has been one of THOSE weeks. The major problem is that my grandmother’s fighting for her life in the hospital, with several different infections fighting with her over 90 year old body. This makes all the other stuff seem small, but when adding in the other stuff, it all becomes overwhelming.

We’ve all had weeks like this where you’ve got your candle lit at both ends. How do you keep from getting irretrievably behind? Easy. First, accept that you’re going to get a little behind. Your schedule is not going to be this busy forever, so eventually you’ll be able to get caught up. So if you accept that you’re going to get somewhat behind, then you can decide how behind you can get without feeling crazy, and go from there. After all, there’s nothing worse than dealing with a filthy house while you’re going through a bunch of other stuff.

Many times, it’s a matter of saving time vs. saving money. Even then you can sort of mitigate the damages. I pick up paper plates when I find them unusually inexpensively for just these times. It’s a whole lot easier and faster to wash a sinkful of silverware and glasses than it is to deal with a bunch of plates, glasses, etc. I do the same with easy, fast meals like frozen lasagna and taco casseroles. Now, if you’re really good, you can make these ahead yourself and freeze them, but sometimes you get hit with a surprise such as mine, and going the frozen lasagna route is a whole lot cheaper and healthier than hitting the drive through.

Decide what’s most important to you to live with being dirty. Me, I can stand a sinkful of dirty dishes, but I HATE dirty floors. So I, personally, am a lot more likely to sweep and mop up my kitchen floor in these sorts of times than I am to do a whole load of dishes. You do what’s important to you. Don’t worry, nobody’s coming in to inspect.

Do things that can run while you’re away- throw a load of clothes in the dryer before you leave the house. Run your dishwasher, etc. Keep in mind also things you can do in scant moments that’ll help you keep up, like swishing your toilet bowl with the toilet brush every morning.

Don’t forget to enlist help whenever possible. If you have kids, make them get some stuff done for you. They might complain and feel like they’re slaves, but sometimes if you explain to them why you need the help so much, they’ll pitch in with fewer complaints. Same with your husband, if you have one. Make sure, however, that you’re specific. “I’m heading to the hospital, can you make sure to have some chores done by the time I get home?” doesn’t work. Something like, “I’m heading to the hospital, can you put away all the laundry while I’m gone?” works a lot better.

And don’t forget to take care of yourself. In times like these, it’s acceptable to forgo much of your beauty routine, but for the sake of everyone else’s noses, at least take a shower, ha. Maybe throw on some lipgloss to make yourself feel a bit more human. But you and everyone else will live if you throw your hair into a ponytail instead of straightening it. Use that time to relax- read a few pages of a book or do a crossword puzzle.

The most important thing to remember is that these busy times in your life will not last forever. Be good to yourself and others, and you’ll come through it all just fine.

Tagged as: Waxing inspirational