Making the Most of Monday

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It's Monday, again.  The last Monday of my summer break.  This time, next week, I'll be returning back to work to begin the 2018-2019 school year.  Being that I'm going to have to find some SERIOUS motivation to get back into the swing of going back to work, I thought I'd start a new blog series:  Making the Most of Monday.  I'll look at a few tips, each Monday, to stay positive and proactive throughout the week.
This week, I thought I'd start with:  Cleaning House After the Weekend
My husband and I have come to terms with the fact that the weekends are our days off.  Meaning, even if I'm not actually at work during the week, I'm still spending my days cleaning, doing laundry, cooking dinner, etc.  That's work.  So, on the weekends, I don't put as much effort into keeping the house clean.  In fact, the only real "work" I do on the weekends is wash dishes.  That's it.
Weekends don't last long, however, so in steps... MONDAY MOTIVATION.  While being home, I devised a plan on how I can motivate myself on Mondays to get the house clean, without wearing myself out completely playing catch up.  Of course, this whole thing will go out the window, next week, but it's good advice for when I have the luxury of being at home during the week.  So, here goes...

1.  Make Your Bed First

Shortly after Casey leaves for work, I always make sure to make the bed.  It's kind of the first piece of motivation I get.  I do this everyday, but it always feels more productive first thing Monday morning.  It takes all of three minutes to fluff up the pillows and spread out the sheet and comforter.  A made bed makes the whole room look a lot cleaner, instantly, and it gives that feeling that you've already accomplished something.

2.  Drink some coffee, alone

Casey and I get up at 4:30 each weekday morning.  Even though he doesn't leave for work until around 6:30, and I at 7 (when I'm working), we enjoy a couple of hours to mentally prepare for getting ready for work.  We watch the news, we drink coffee, and we just take some time to spend together before the crazy of our day gets started.  
Once Casey has left for work, I make my bed, and then I drink a cup of coffee.  While I'm drinking my coffee I'll scroll through Facebook, I'll check emails, and I'll reply to comments on my blog.  I make that cup of coffee last about half an hour to an hour, and just get that social media stuff out of my system.

3.  Write a blog, or whatever activity you like

If you're not a blogger, then you can skip this step.  Or, you can fill this in with a hobby you have.  If you like to read, read.  If you like to crochet, crochet.  If you like to scrapbook, scrapbook.  If you like to exercise, exercise. You get the idea.  Just take one piece of advice:  Set a time limit!!  Writing a blog takes as long as it takes to write a blog.  I can usually publish a blog post in about an hour.  If you're doing an activity that doesn't really have an end, set a timer.  Give yourself a set amount of time (an hour is a good length of time), and STICK TO IT!

4.  Time to get to work: Start in the kitchen

Yes, you've spent the first two hours of your day not doing any cleaning.  You're welcome.  But seriously, who wants to jump out of bed and immediately start cleaning house?  Not me!  Once I've had those 2 hours to myself, however, I'm ready to do what I need to do.  
If your house is anything like mine, the kitchen seems to be the room that needs the most attention on Monday.  I wash any dishes, and then I put away any clutter that may have accumulated over the weekend.  It's amazing how much stuff doesn't get put away over the weekend!  I, then, sanitize all the counters with a disinfectant spray.  I finish up in the kitchen by sweeping and mopping the floors.

5.  Move to the living room

While the floors are drying in the kitchen, I move straight to the living room.  For some reason, my living room always looks like a tornado has flown through on Monday mornings.  The living room seems to collect a lot of clutter over the weekend, when I'm not picking up those two days.  I get rid of any clutter on the coffee tables, pick up anything that doesn't belong in the living room, and just generally straighten up.  I then dust and wash all coffee tables.  After that's all done, I vacuum.  The final touch is spraying some Febreeze over the furniture and rug, to give the room a clean, refreshed smell.

6.  Bedroom, Bathroom, Laundry

I grouped these together because they aren't always the same, each week.  It's very common for me to do laundry Sunday afternoons, but I don't EVER put clothes away on the weekend.  So, on Monday, I have a basket or two of laundry that needs to be folded and put away.  After I've finished the living room, I put the TV on in the bedroom, get up on the bed, and fold clothes while watching something like People's Court or HGTV.  **Side note: HGTV is a great channel to give you cleaning motivation!**  Once the laundry is folded, I put it all way.  Then I take a second to straighten up the bedroom.  That never takes more than a second, cause once the bed is made and the clothes are put away, there's not really much left to clean.  
On Mondays, I straighten up the bathroom, and every other week or so I'll do a deep clean.  That's when I scrub the toilet, shower, and floors.  No, I don't do this EVERY week, but it's just my husband and I using the bathroom.  I'm not that much of a clean freak that I scrub my bathroom every week.  Don't judge me!  

7.  Relax

Once those last things are done, I can sit and relax.  That's when I watch any shows I have recorded, scroll through Facebook again, check emails, or take a nap.  Yep, I actually do that every once in a while.  I'm usually done with all chores around 1 PM, so I have a couple of hours before I have anything else to do.  

8.  Time to think about dinner

Between 4 and 5 PM, I start preparing dinner.  I'll chop up anything I'll be using, I get the pans out I'm going to use, and make sure everything is ready to go.  That way, when I know when Casey is going to be home, I am ready to start cooking.  I start cooking dinner to where it'll be ready about 20 minutes after he gets home, so he has time to shower.  
And that's it!!
That's how I get through Mondays, when I'm not at work.  Of course, I'll have to come up with a completely new plan after this week is over, but I'll tackle that when it gets here.  I look at staying at home as a blessing, but there's still some work involved.  Making a plan keeps me motivated, and hopefully it'll sprinkle some motivation into your Monday.
 'Til Next Time!