Interactive Cleaning/Activity Chart

I love my interactive cleaning/activity chart!!! I am SUPER into lists….again I nerd out with lists. There is just great satisfaction when I get to cross something off the list it must be a sense of accomplishment…I know there are others like me out there…you know what I am talking about. The downside to list making for me was I had to keep re-writing my list every week and there was no plan of action on how to accomplish the list. I went in search of a better method. I came across this great blog Modern Parents Messy Kids http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/02/project-organize-your-entire-life-diy.html. This blog had the best idea for a chart that fit what I was looking for, I needed something that I could fit in all the fun weekly activities I wanted to do as a family as well as allow me to schedule out the cleaning for the week.

Prior to the cleaning chart I would clean everything in one day, this was frustrating because as a working mom I only have two full days with my children Saturday and Sunday..I was sick of taking one of those days away from my kids. The cleaning chart DOES NOT even include Saturday and Sunday. (This does not mean that I don’t fill up those days with many other projects, but I try not to do any cleaning on the weekends).

The printable was free, I suggest printing them on color paper especially if you have a white fridge because it will blend right in. Then head off to any store that carry paint and pretend to pick out colors. Pick out as many color sample sheets as you will need for your cleaning/activity chart. This part of the project made me feel extremely awkward, I actually found myself nodding as if in deep thought of my color choices hoping I was fooling anyone who might suspect I was taking these samples for a different project….LOL. Once I got past this moment I picked up some laminate sheets and a package of magnetic strips and started the project.

I color coordinated my tasks in the following categories: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and activities.

Here is my main note to making this chart:

1. Make sure to cut down the color sample enough to fit into the weekly date – make it smaller than the size on the chart, when you add the color sample in the laminate you will need to leave an edge of laminate around the sample adding to the size of the task. My samples were cut to fit the date but the laminate made the task too large so it does not fit perfectly and this irritates me.

2. I tried to keep this on my fridge with the little circle magnets and tasks were falling down and it was not very secure. So I have a long thick magnetic strip across the top of both charts. To dress it up I used my Cricut and whipped up a title….nothing special but it works.

There are SO many different charts out there, but I found that as a working mom this allows me to organize my week and rearrange it as I need to fit the family schedule. I plan out the week based on what is scheduled for the up coming week; so if I know we have something planned for Tuesday evening then I know not to plan any cleaning or family activities that evening. I can plan accordingly using the chart and I am much more successful in my cleaning.

NOW this does not mean that I am perfect and my house is always clean…sometimes I do not want to wash the floors or I tell myself they can make it a couple more days and do nothing…and to me that is ok too.

Happy Organizing!!!