From, Casey at Home

Between my full time job, everyone in our house on different schedules, and other outside obligations, things can easily feel chaotic week after demanding week. It can be tempting to scramble rather than be intentional with how time is spent, and it’s also incredibly easy to become so focused on getting things done that moments of calm and joy feel few and far in between. Then, before you know it, weeks have passed and the only things you have to show for the passing of that time is burnout and a residual bad mood.

Over time I’ve developed a loose checklist that helps bring about a calmer start to our busy week. Not everything on it is centered around cleaning or organizing either; Sometimes scheduling in things that are simply for enjoyment can set the tone in a home better than spotless cleaning ever could. And it can be something so small, like planning to stop by Dunkin Donuts to try a new coffee on Monday morning, or crocheting while watching a show during a free night. It can be scheduling dinner with friends or going to your kid’s baseball game. By making sure there’s a couple things helping reset the home that aren’t simply cleaning tasks, it keeps the mundane feeling fresh and the week not feel as daunting.

The key for me was picking a day or time that works best for that weekend and just tackling what I could — not treating it as something that’s possible to fail if not all completed. If I can get even half of these done on a Saturday it allows me to walk into a day of rest and a new week feeling calm and organized.

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Here’s the simple weekly reset I do to help give our home a calmer start to the week:

☐ Dishes done + counters wiped
☐ Laundry washed, folded, put away
☐ Floors in high-traffic areas swept
☐ Bathrooms wiped down + fresh towels
☐ Tidy bedrooms + living spaces
☐ Change linens (as needed)
☐ Plan meals for the week
☐ Make grocery list
☐ Choose outfits for the week
☐ Review calendar + commitments
☐ Plan one enjoyable activity or something to look forward to, if there isn’t already something
☐ Cook or bake something everyone loves