I hear that some people are organized enough that they do certain things on certain days on a regular basis - like a day for laundry, a day for vacuuming, a day for cleaning bathrooms, etc.
I thought about trying that once but after some consideration, I changed my mind. Now I pretty much do what has to be done when it needs to be done. Dishwasher runs when it’s full - generally every 2-3 days. Vacuuming when the cat hair looks out of control. Laundry when my husband says “I need clean t-shirts!!” Scrubbing the guest bathroom if we’re having company, scrubbing our shower every week or so when I think of it.
When we were still working, most chores were done on weekends. In retirement, it’s whenever, and it seems to be working for us. The place may be cluttered, but in general, I wouldn’t be too embarrassed if you suddenly dropped in.
I have to much that comes down to THIS MUST HAPPEN NOW. To worry about scheduling chores. When that happens, pretty much everything else is forgotten about.
Both, actually. Like noted above, cat boxes get done just before Trash Day. Laundry gets done on the weekend early before the A/C kicks on. But vacuuming, dusting, watering and general cleanup are as needed.
When needed. I don’t even always roll the big trash can out front for trash day, because I live alone and sometimes I can skip a pickup.
I used to do laundry every Sunday evening, as a “transition from the weekend to the work week” activity, but when the pandemic hit and I stopped dressing for work 5 days a week I stopped having to do laundry as often. Nowadays, the only things that happen on a schedule are the things I pay others to do: the lawn gets mowed every Wednesday, and the house gets cleaned every other Wednesday. (I chose the house-cleaning day; it’s just coincidence that the lawn guys also settled on that day.)
I use a spreadsheet for my shopping list (with a yes/no “need” column that’s easy to filter on), and I have the items in aisle order. I don’t mind food shopping, but even if something’s on my list there’s a better chance I’ll actually find/remember it this way. There are two grocery stores near me that I alternate between: the spreadsheet is based on the one I go to a little more often (because it’s a little easier to get to), but the aisles aren’t too far off when I go to the other store.
A mix. Laundry day wouldn’t make sense for some who lives alone like me. I’ve also never understood the absolute hatred of it unless it involves Laundromats and hauling your clothes on public transit.
But I often will use Saturday and Sunday mornings for most of the cleaning, these days I use a good podcast or else a radio speciality show to give me an incentive. Working from home also gives me more time to clean during the week.
I do dishes the the same night I cook and eat. (no dishwasher so I have to do the old-fashioned way.
I do household cleaning (i.e. vacuuming, cleaniing batthroom, etc.) on weekends (no set day). Go to the laundromat Sunday a.m. at 7:00. Grocery shopping Saturday and Sunday mornings (depending on what’s on sale and what I need). Gas station Saturday mornings.
As needed. But I do insist on having the kitchen done before bed - no dishes in the sink, everything in the dishwasher, run it if it’s full, any handwashing done, counters wiped down.
We don’t have trash pickup by choice - it was something like $30/month for once a week, no recycling. We might take 3 weeks to fill our trash cans - it just wasn’t worth it. Our county has convenience centers where you can take your garbage, your recycling, your old electronics, fluorescent tubes, used motor oil, and even donate clothing, all for free. So every 2-3 weeks, we load the truck with trash, cat box scoopage, and recycling and make the 6-mile drive to get rid of it. It’s saved us a fortune over the 18 years we’ve lived here. So trash day is when we have a load to go, as long as the weather is decent.
Lived in housing, where it could get inspected at the drop of a hat, so I sort of had a schedule.
Wake up, flip the duvet back over the bed to neaten it up, bathroom break then head into the kitchen. Put the dishes in the drainer away [no dishwasher] start pot of coffee, make breakfast [typically eggs, toast, premade sausage patties from freezer] and sit down to eat [gives pan a chance to cool off.] After breakfast do dishes. Run duster around, make sure all the laundry makes it into the tiny apartment sized washer. Sit down and have a cup of coffee. Vacuum and sweep depending on floor surface. Sit down for coffee. Run mop around various non-carpet floor surfaces. Lunch. Dishes, new pot of coffee. Clean bathroom, take shower, into clean clothing, run laundry [stupid machine would hold one Navy work uniform, the old school dungarees and chambray shirt, set of overalls, underwear, one set of towels for each - if you didn’t they would mold in the Tidewater VA summers, and my going to shop clothing if I had gone out, and potentially a set of my jammies, if they got dirty doing housework. If we wanted to do a weeks worth of uniforms, we needed to go to a laundromat.] Hang out, watch TV and do hobby crafts/read/whatever until laundry was done, make dinner, fluff and fold laundry, feed us dinner, wash dishes. Next morning, repeat. If I noticed the windows were dirty, wash windows. If doorstoop was dirty, sweep it off. Run garbage out to dumpster as needed.
Items on a quick cadence as as-needed. Like dishwasher and laundry that happen every 2-3 days at quickest, and more like weekly if we’re just not creating dirty dishes or clothes at the usual rate.
Items on slower cadence are sorta scheduled. Sheets and towels weekly whether they “need” it or not, but if 7 days becomes 6 or 8 that’s fine. Just not 12 unless we’ve both been out of town. And there’s no particular day of the week for anything, because my/our work / home life has never in 30+ years been oriented to conventional weekdays & weekends.
Real slow cadence items are scheduled. These are the sorts of tasks needed every 6 weeks to maybe once annually that if not written down would never be done until they were long past gross or dysfunctional. Stuff deteriorates slowly and there’s no obvious trigger to say today is the day to do [whatever].
I use Outlook tasks for these, each set to recur every X weeks after they’re last done. Things like sanitize the dishwasher, de-scale the coffee pot, change the water filter cartridge. Right now Outlook tells me the coffee pot needs descaling this upcoming week (-ish) and clearing out the clothes dryer lint traps is later this month. Whenever I do get around to them, whether that’s a few days early or a few days (or weeks ) late I just check the task off as completed and a new one instantly appears the right distance in the future.
I love tasks/reminders! I have Gmail reminders for things like changing the furnace filters (monthly) and charging the small backup power thingy (every three months).
I use reminders for cleaning the critter fountain (every 2 weeks), giving the dog her heartworm and flea meds (1st of the month) and I have Alexa remind me at 5 every day to feed the dog (in case the dog doesn’t remind me.)
We are pretty scheduled. We have the cleaners come every other week, so that forces a sort of schedule. The night before or morning of their visit, I do a deep declutter, basically everything back in its place, all surfaces cleaned off. My hisband always makes sure the kitchen is completely reset each night before bed (and preps my coffee, which is amazing). On weekends, I do grocery pick up, fill my gas tank, and get laundry 100% done by Sunday night. It makes my busy work weeks so much less stressful to never have to take care of those things mid-week.
I don’t mind food shopping, but even if something’s on my list there’s a better chance I’ll actually find/remember it this way. There are two grocery stores near me that I alternate between: the spreadsheet is based on the one I go to a little more often (because it’s a little easier to get to), but the aisles aren’t too far off when I go to the other store.
) late I just check the task off as completed and a new one instantly appears the right distance in the future.