Torch, Fall 1990

second step for the time when you will be making a trip up or down the stairs. Even small children can learn this vital habit. The time you invest in training them will reap tremendous dividends for all of you, and you can be sure it will endear you to your future daughters- and sons-in-law. 4. Never ignore something that is out of place. Cousin to number three , this means that you take things you see that are out of place with you as you go. Some organizers call this "picking up the hitchhikers." Grab the magazine from the chair or coffee table and place it in the rack as you walk to answer the telephone. 5. Consider cleanup an inseparable part of each project. When you schedule that special birthday cake or missionary Christmas project, include the amount of time your cleanup will take in the time estimate of the completed responsibility. Teach children that projects are not finished until their work area is left better than they found it, whether making a peanut butter sandwich or a salt-flour map. Cleanup should be so automatic that every family member who uses the bathroom or kitchen wipes the counter, straightens the towel, and replenishes supplies as reflex actions . If you took the last ice cube, refill the tray. If you used the last of the bathroom tissue, put a new roll on the dispenser. Make sure that supplies are readily accessible and that each member of the family has the on-the-job training he or she needs to be successful. 6. Practice surface cleaning daily. Assign chores which are part of the morning routine to each family member. The goal is to have everything in place and the home presentable for any "drop– in" guest prior to beginning the day 's responsibilities. Establish simple procedural rules to eliminate areas of defeat. For example, if you have young children, establish the "only a few toys at a time" rule. Insist that these toys are put away before others are selected. Incidentally, shelves are much better for children 's storage than toy boxes. If your family ends the afternoon with a sink full of dirty glasses, assign a distinctive glass to each person to be reused for each refreshment, or use disposable paper cups. My husband and I often comment that our home may not always be perfectly clean, but it is never messy . Cultivating the habit of having your home present– able at all times will not only buy much time back for things you'd rather do, but it will also eliminate tremendous amounts of stress. You don ' t have to be caught up to be in control. Fulfilling minimum maintenance keeps you in control. 7. Develop an efficient routine for deep-cleaning. Having the right tools on hand and appropriate cleaning products in conven– ient locations will assist greatly here. Learn what things can be done simulta– neously to capitalize on time. Work through each room in the same manner each time so that your speed can improve and nothing will be omitted. Schedule big projects on your calendar and treat them as appointments with yourself. Compete with yourself to better your speed and organization each time you do the project, and do first the project you enjoy least to remove the "dread factor" from your day. I have found Don Aslett' s book, ls There Life After Housework ?, with practical suggestions and a humorous outlook, to be paiticu– larly enlightening. 8. Develop a meal management system. Plan a four-week rotation of meals for your family. Design creative possibili– ties for efficient use of leftovers so that one major cooking project may double for a quick-meal need later. Practice the " 10 o'clock rule": If you are at home during the day, know what you 'll have for dinner and have it defrosting by 10 a.m.; if you will be out, do this by 10 p.m. the night before. Some meal projects can be so time consuming that they are better handled in bulk. My mother and I often fixed lasagna by cooking large pots of sauce, noodles, etc., and making six or seven casseroles for the freezer. Mother's homemade soups were always made in large kettles and frozen in meal-size batches. Crepes and raw hamburgers can be very efficiently frozen with waxed paper between the individual elements. From your four-week menu , develop a grocery list. If storage permits, shop once a month in bulk. Then have dad pick up milk on his way home from work once or twice a week. The fewer times you go to the store, the better your budget will function and the better your time expenditure will be. Several women I know duplicate their lists of items generally bought and cross off things they don ' t need before going to the store. The rest are crossed off as they are purchased. Taking a calculator along will help you catch any over-rings at the register. When you return from the grocery store, prepare your food for storage according to your planned use. Plan an hour or so in the kitchen to package meat in the portions required for a meal, make hamburger patties, wash produce, peel caITots, etc. The time you save in daily meal preparation will more than recover this one-hour effort. Always keep the ingredients for baking and frosting a basic cake on hand. Then when you need to do something nice for someone you won ' t be running to the store when you least have time. 9. Create a laundry center that works for you. Teach children to sort laundry as they bring their clothes to the center. Pro– vide a dark basket for dark items, light basket for whites, and a designated color for delicates. If space permits, include a folding table and a shelf with labeled sections for each family member. Fold clothes as they come out of the dryer, place them in each family member's section, and make it their responsibility to claim them. Provide storage accessi– bility for young children (e.g. , low racks in closets and shelves they can reach) so from a very eai·ly age they can take care of restocking clothing from the laundry room. Do all ironing in one session. It is incredible the number of minutes it costs to iron one shirt each morning as opposed to doing the whole basket at one time, to say nothing of the daily stress! 10. Organize all pertinent data in one place. Prepare a notebook in whatever size you find comfortable to help you keep track of your personal schedule, family events, sizes and gift lists, birthdays,