Cleaning 2020, First Round Focus through March 22

[Harriet]

Our current thread will always be FIRST in the line-up of topics in the forum, so it's easy to find and chat in current time! Our first round's calendar is in this post. The locked sticky threads about Focus Cleaning are just below, including the full 2020 Focus Cleaning Calendar for planning.

A consistently clean home is within reach! It's not that we need to clean everything suddenly it's just that we need to clean some consistently throughout the year we know that. Focus gives us one already-complete plan for a rotation to keep us on track and keep each lovely area from neglect. We don't have to re-invent the wheel, just roll along with the one we have at the ready, a week at a time.

Here's a space to chat about our first rounds through our homes, which will be from Monday, Dec 30 through the week of Monday, March 16. Eleven rooms/areas for eleven weeks. Change the room or area names around to suit your home, record them in personal record-keeping if you want, in whatever form you'd like, and let's go through the house once!

If you are on a different plan for cleaning, please chat with us anyway, okay? We'd love to hear what you are doing through these months. To find some reminders and tips about rooms, check out the locked thread titled, The Eleven Focus areas and their How-To-Clean Notes. The contents listing there is clickable and you'll go right to the room you click.
Round 1
12/30/2019 Getting Ready for 2020
1/6/2019 porch/entry
1/13/2020 bedrooms
1/20/2020 bathrooms
1/27/2020 office/other room
2/3/2020 closets
2/10/2020 laundry
2/17/2020 storage
2/24/2020 outdoor
3/2/2020 kitchen
3/9/2020 living room
3/16/2020 dining room

[blessedw2]

I am back on focus items but changing it up this year. I will be doing a room each week in my home (zone) as I am not catching up with things. I have decided to hire a cleaning lady once every 2 weeks this April/May when outside work comes about. I dislike spending the money but I think I will save money in the long run but doing the work outdoors.

[Harriet]

blessed, I think you are so wise to have every-other-week help.

Working on bathroom week here.

I'm also on Focus plan in 2020. This first round may be lighter focusing than I'd like while I'm taking the course. The course ends about the time we move into 2nd Focus round when I'll be able to really give time.

Appreciated LadyM giving a cleaning recommendation in PWYC today for Purple Fabuloso product which she says offers a nice scent when added to housecleaning water.

[blessedw2]

I will cheer you on as you work on your course d harriet!

My hope is to get back on the cleaning focus as well. probably similar to you. Lighter now.

I think it is wise too. dh is not as keen on having people but I know I can't keep up right now.

[blessedw2]

I am still struggling to getting to all the rooms. I have to figure that out

[lucylee]

Ditto that, blessed!

[Twins' Mom]

Ditto here!

[Harriet]

I think the reality is that every day is different, and even weeks can transform right out from under us. It's just not going to be a job where we clock in and know we will be doing housework, now, for the same hours we did it on the same days last week, and the week before. That's why there can be great momentum, and then life happens and then later (maybe a lot later) when we can look around and say, "now where was I ?", we don't remember where we're supposed to put our feet on the momentum to get that thing to start going again.

In a way, when I was a young mother, it was easier (while pulling my hair out otherwise) to know exactly what I planned to do that particular day. There were boundaries (guardrails?) in place that I couldn't have gone past, anyway. I had no idea eldercare was a thing, or caring for another home. There were just the hours I worked outside the home and then the hours I was at home doing the next desperate thing.

Oh well, ya'lls posts were one line at a time and here I am writing a book.

It is true that I've been keeping up mostly with the dailies and some weeklies through this round. All worth it, of course, but I can see where our second round will be pulling up by my bootstraps a little bit.

So many good ideas and ways-of-thinking here through the years, and I could use them all!

[blessedw2]

isn't that the truth. each day is different and a week or a month can completely change. very observant! so true! I don't think I taught my girls that. I wish I would have. It has taken me a long time to not fight the changes that happen.

I was at home doing the next desperate thing. wow so true
(motherhood also had me with a really strong young body that could handle a lot of my big ideas but still live in desperation bc I got lost in the amount of ideas I had, the amount of stuff I bought for those grand ideas, and the stuff I bought bc I wanted to give my children the perfect growing up - lol I now know that means a lot less stuff and a lot more time.

I love reading what you write ; I look forward to seeing you post!

[blessedw2]

still struggling to stay on first round focus. I think I just have to do 10 - 15 minutes, Monday through Friday or it won't get done.