Routines

This was our home in the late spring of 2005

Routines are slightly different to rituals and habits.  Rituals are the ceremonial performance of certain actions.  Habits are actions that are so ingrained in the mind, so automatic, that they become very difficult to change or stop.  Routines, on the other hand, are simply a sequence of actions that are regularly followed. 

I like to set out in list form the routines I use for housework.  It makes it much easier for me to know what needs doing and means I can totally forget about it the rest of the time.  When I was ill I used to follow the list one step at a time, and eventually the jobs would all be done.  Having a list also meant that if any help was available they could be shown it to know what needed doing.

Each time we moved house (which was often) I would write out new cleaning routines to suit that particular place.  I am doing the same again now. 

At the moment it looks like Monday and Thursday will be our main cleaning days.  I have yet to think about Thursdays but it will centre round the living rooms.  My draft Monday routine looks like this (it will no doubt change as it gets tweaked to make it work better):

Morning toilette and breakfast

Kitchen duties (dishes etc.)

Wind up chiming clock (it only needs winding weekly)

Change bedroom sheets

Put dirty sheets on to wash

Squirt cleaner into toilet and leave it to sit

Tidy and clean bedrooms

Clean bedroom and bathroom mirrors

Clean toilet

Clean bathroom (vanity, bath etc.)

Put out fresh clean towels

Put old towels on to wash

Hang out washed sheets

Drink a glass of water

Do the dusting

Vacuum all floors

Wash uncarpeted floors

Hang out washed towels

            (If weather is inclement, take washing to laundrette to dry)

Give one item a Special Clean

For the special cleaning, I intend to look around and see what needs to be done, consider what I feel like doing, and then enjoy doing that job.  It might be washing windows, polishing silverware, cleaning out a drawer, or re-arranging ornaments – whatever looks like it needs some attention.  Once upon a time I used to have a list of all these jobs and then do them in order, but I find my priorities are changing and I no longer want to fuss over housework so much.

Today’s warm sunny weather has been most enjoyable.  As I write this I can hear both a cock pheasant and a kingfisher off in the distance.  There are sparrows chirping outside the window, and a tui is singing in the nearby tree-filled gully. 

The sounds of nature are so peaceful.

Margaret.