Avoiding Housework

This evening we took the kids and met some friends at a park. We had a cookout and the kids played while the adults talked. We had a great time and as we packed up to go home, my friend Jill mentioned that the best part of the night was that no one had to clean up their house, before or after the cookout.

Jill only works part-time, but she will tell you that she did not quit her full-time job so she could clean her house. She cut back on work so that she could enjoy her kids. I also have set my priorities. My kids and family first, and then my work. Home decorating, or even home cleaning, is not important to me.

Managing my time is the key to my family friendly work arrangement. Therefore, I don’t think time spent cleaning or doing other things around my house is the best way to spend my time. Surprisingly, I don’t think most of my friends realize the depth of my aversion to house cleaning. As far as I know (maybe I’m just clueless), most that visit our house think we do a decent job of keeping our house presentable.

So here are some tips if you too are looking to cut back on your housework:
· Have a quick clean plan. If someone calls and is coming by my house, I have a strategy to sweep through the first floor and pick-up/clean-up all visible areas in a few minutes.
· No one ever really looks in your closets. It is fine to jam and stuff things in your closets and then quickly shut the doors.
· Spend your time in the bathroom. If you only have a little time to clean, spend your time in the bathroom. It is what your guests will notice.
· Invest in a Swifter, or whatever other cleaning cheating devise that you can find. I can clean my floors with a Swifter in just five minutes.
· Decorate your home with easy cleaning in mind. Our last house had white linoleum in the kitchen and off-white carpeting throughout the house. It always looked dirty, even just hours after cleaning. We now have flooring with darker colors and lots of patterns. You can go weeks without sweeping and no one ever knows.

O.K., so maybe you think I am joking. I’m actually not. I work hard to not work hard around the house. I’ve found the best way to find time is to eliminate things that I just don’t find important.