You’ve probably used printable to-do lists around your home and you may be using one right now. But most people underestimate the true power of this simple tool.
While it’s easy enough to jot down the basics of home management on a list and check them off as they are completed, how many tasks that need to be done around your home are never accomplished just because they don’t seem to fit neatly on a weekly list?
I guess there are more than one or two. And those are the tasks that are incredibly easy to put off, month after month.
Tasks like
* Clean behind the refrigerator.
* sweep the garage floor.
* Clean baseboards.
* Clean the mini blinds.
* Remove dust from the ceiling fan blades.
* Vacuum under the beds.
* rearrange the garbage drawer.
* Clean the top of window and door frames.
* Vacuum the curtains.
* vacuum the sofas.
* clean cobwebs.
* dust the shelves.
* clean the oven.
* Clean the rails of the sliding doors.
* sort old images.
* clean the freezer.
* Pantry inventory.
* Touch up paint on walls and doors.
* Bathroom ventilation fans to remove lint.
* lubricate squeaky doors.
* throw away old files.
* Shred old documents.
* Get rid of old paint and other hazardous materials.
* uncover the dryer filter.
* Clean the gutters.
* clean the chimney.
* wash the refrigerator.
* Deep clean carpets.
* repaint the bathroom ceiling.
* organize a closet.
* wash windows.
* fix screens.
* disinfect the dishwasher.
* clean the stove’s exhaust fan.
I’m sure you can think of items to add to this list yourself. These are the household chores that we often never do, or at least much less often than we want to. By using a printable to-do list for these infrequent tasks, you can stay on top of them much more easily.
Start by making your own irregular to-do list. (Keep this list somewhere handy, as you’ll want to add to it as seasonal tasks come up that you haven’t thought of.) Walk around your house with this list and look for these types of tasks. As you go from room to room, you will find more tasks to add to your list. Work on this list for two to three days so that you have a chance to think of as many of these tasks as possible. Don’t forget your garage, yard, outside of the house, and cars too!
Then separate these household chores into categories like
* monthly.
* seasonal or annual.
Write these tasks on your printable to-do list. In fact, it’s a good idea to use multiple to-do lists, one for each category. Once you have all your irregular tasks written down and organized on your to-do lists, put them in a folder or inside plastic sleeves as they are your master lists and you want to keep them in good shape.
At the beginning of each month, take a look at your master lists and write down what needs to be done from each of them. Put that information on your calendar or other prominent place. Even schedule those tasks, if that works best for you.
Bottom line? You’ll get more of these out of the ordinary tasks done on a regular basis by using simple tools like creatively printable task charts.