Photo from *Ann Gordon

Stick to A Routine

One of the best things you can do to be more productive is to get into the rhythm of a daily routine.  A routine doesn't have to be strict - its purpose is only to serve as a general guideline for how your day should go.  I rarely ever do everything on my routine right on time.  We all know we've got to have a little give in our schedule to allow for all the little distractions of our day.  Although, it does help to sit down and create an outline of what you need to get done and when.  You'll find that you actually have more extra time in your day while getting more done.  Here's what our daily routine looks like:

• 6:30 - wake up, diaper change, cartoons, check emails
• 8:00 - breakfast
• 8:30 - morning dash, weekly tasks
• 10:00 - errands, appointments, or outside time
• 12:00 - lunch
• 12:30 - nap time / design & blog
• 2:00 - snack, learning activities & crafts
• 3:00 - free play
• 4:30 - afternoon dash
• 5:00 - start supper
• 6:00 - supper
• 6:30 - bath time / family time
• 7:30 - story & bed
• 7:45 - design & blog / time with hubby
• 11:00 - bed time!

Use the "dash" system

When I was in college, I was going to school full-time and had two part-time jobs, so the time I actually had off was precious.  Take away the time I spent studying and there wasn't much left.  Because of my hectic schedule, I had to have things perfect all the time.  I needed to know exactly where everything was and have a serene peaceful place to concentrate.  But when did I have time to clean?  I quickly came to the realization that I needed to get things done fast and so the "dash" system was born. The idea behind this quick system is that you choose a time, once or twice a day, and do everything you need to get done as quickly as possible.  Basically, you're dashing around the house to get it all done.  Of course, living on my own in a little apartment only warranted 20 minutes of dashing.  Now, I spend at least 1 hour twice a day.   It may all get destroyed five minutes after I'm done, but my house was actually clean for five minutes.  I also conveniently complete my afternoon dash just before my husband walks through the door - I like him to come home to a clean house.  Here's my "dash" schedule:

Morning Dash (around 8:30am - just after breakfast)

• make beds
• empty dishwasher
• reboot laundry
• tidy bathrooms
• get dressed

Afternoon Dash (around 4:00pm - just before I start supper and my husband walks through the door)

• tidy living room
• tidy bedrooms
• reboot laundry
• load dishwasher
• wipe counters
• sweep
• take out the trash

Weekly tasks

To keep on top of the things that don't need to be done everyday, I use a weekly tasks system.  I complete these tasks along with my morning dash so I get them done before I get sidetracked through my day. 

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

Simple Mom has a great article on this technique.  Get those dreaded chores out of the way so you can enjoy your day.  Here's my weekly task schedule:

Monday

• change towels & bath mats
• change sheets
• wash dirty linens
• wash couch & dining chairs
• vacuum bedrooms

Tuesday

• clean toilets, tubs, and sinks
• flush sinks with boiling water
• wipe microwave and stove
• sweep and mop all floors

Wednesday

• dust surfaces
• clean mirrors and windows
• wipe hand prints off doors
• vacuum living room
• reorganize 1 closet/cabinet

Thursday

• clean out the fridge
• wipe down fridge front
• pay bills
• file/shred paperwork

Friday

• plan menu/grocery list
• clean out the car
• prepare for date night

Saturday

• grocery shopping
• create blog posts

Sunday

• vacuum living room
• weekly planning
• clean up home management binder (this tends to get pretty junked up throughout the week)

Give yourself a break

The last tip I have is probably the most important.  You have to know that you're not going to do it perfectly all the time.  Some weeks are better than others and that's okay.  Find out what works for you and stick to that.  If you've got little ones running around, there's no way that your house is always going to be clean and picked up.  Just do what you can and don't get discouraged.  Even if you follow all of my guidelines, you'll probably have a slump from time to time.  I do.  I needed this week to get my house back in order.  But now that I have a clean slate, I can maintain it for a while without getting overwhelmed.

I hope my tips were helpful!  If anyone has anything to add, please do so in a comment.  :)