Housework, Time Management And Efficiency

Posted on August 11 · Comments

Yesterday was cleaning day. Lately I feel that there is a lot to do and I’m running out of time, even though the birth of our first bub is not until February next year. The curtains need cleaning, the bedding needs washing, the cupboards need emptying, the windows need washing, I want to pull out furniture and vacuum in long forgotten corners.

But there is only so much energy in one day. Yesterday I got down and hand scrubbed the kitchen floor. We have porous tiles and stains in the texture don’t come out with regular mopping. By the end of that I was pooped. Time for a nap – the rest can wait until tomorrow.

Over the years I have read a lot of books about time management. I remember reading about one pioneer Frank Gilberth, who spent a good deal of his life working out how to do everyday activities in the most efficient way possible by reducing the number of movements (not always the best idea – I read once that he tried it with simple things like shaving and found that the time it took to clean up the shaving cuts outweighed the time saved shaving with the least amount of strokes!)

I usually try to think about how I can do everyday tasks with the least amount of steps, or in the least amount of time. This applies particularly to housework. Who wants to spend all their time cleaning?

I have found over the years that there is no right or wrong way to be most efficient. When it comes to cleaning, the most efficient way of getting the house clean can really depend on the layout of your house. When we move house, the way I clean changes and adapts. We live in a two storey townhouse now, so the most efficient way that I have found to clean is downstairs first then upstairs while the kitchen floor is drying. I try to clean with the least amount of stair climbing. Efficient, but not necessarily a good workout! In other houses I used to do all the dusting, then all the vacuuming etc. For others, it might be more efficient to do one room at a time as suggested in the book Speed Cleaning.

Some things make more sense than others. Tidying up a room before cleaning makes dusting and vacuuming easier. Dusting before vacuuming means that you can wipe stuff onto the floor and vacuum it up. I usually vacuum out the bath before cleaning it, to get rid of all the hair. Carrying a basket around to pick up things that belong in other rooms and depositing them when you get there saves running back and forth.

What has this got to do with being frugal? By doing things in the most efficient way we are saving time, leaving more time for more important things. Sometimes we opt for expensive conveniences because we run out of time. Efficiency is a great way to conserve both time and energy. And it is a practice that can be used not only with the housework but with all less than fun tasks.

Do I work like this all the time? No. Sometimes it is relaxing doing things at a leisurely pace and enjoying the moment (even if it is washing up!). It can be grounding and satisfying. But mostly I like to get the chores out of the way and move onto much more interesting stuff.