The Power Hour Plan

“Getting it all done”… some days that feels like mission impossible and if you’re like me, you need to ‘get some done’ or you end up feeling a little…agitated, overwhelmed, unable to focus…sound familiar?

If you’re at home a lot with your kids like I am, the house can end up looking rather chaotic in a relatively short amount of time. While I wish my kids cared about this as much as I did, they certainly don’t! I’m a big believer that everyone in the home needs to contribute to homely tasks like cooking, cleaning, laundry and yard work- no matter who’s at home and who’s not.

I’ve implemented a few practices in our home that help me feel sane and also build good habits in the kids- like clearing their dishes after each meal, tidying up their things before we leave the house for things like forest school or the gym, and, at the end of the day before they go to bed, a 3-minute power clean of their rooms. This typically involves putting away laundry they haven’t gotten to, putting backpacks and books in their proper place, etc. These small daily practices have made my home a happier place.

When it comes to the cleaning, I do involve my kids quite a bit (they’re responsible for vacuuming and mopping their bedrooms, the homeschool room, dusting their space and cleaning the bathroom they share) but on the days when they’re out of the house, which is twice a week, I need to do an hour of productive power cleaning. I find it incredibly difficult to work in a space that doesn’t feel organized and clean and if that’s you too- here’s my strategy for getting a lot done in just an hour. This isn’t about perfection, nor is it a deep clean- it’s just surface level cleaning and organizing that makes me feel like I can kick back and relax and get to work.

I’ve created The Power Hour Plan in a one-page PDF that you can print out. It’s set up so that you can do 3 power hours per week if you like (generally what I do), but feel free to print off more copies if you want to do it more often. Eventually you won’t need this print out as your power hour will naturally come together for you, but for now, try this template and see how it goes. I just use timers on my phone to notify me when it’s time to switch tasks. If you need a few extra minutes on one thing, don’t stress, other tasks may be done in much less time. As long as you’re setting a limit on your cleaning/organizing you’re doing it right!

Ok, here’s my Power Hour Plan:

5 minutes

Throw in some laundry- that’s it! You’re not folding or putting away, you’re just emptying that overflowing basket and basking in step one of doing laundry. You can also use this time to flip over any laundry that’s in the wash and pop it into the dryer.

20 minutes

Vacuum- it’s not likely that you’ll be able to vacuum your entire home in 20 minutes but stick to the high traffic areas like the kitchen, entry way or any space you’re working in which could bother you if it’s not clean.

5 minutes

Make your bed- if you don’t do this first thing in the morning, take the time to do it during the power hour. Add your throw pillows and a blanket or quilt you love.

10 minutes

Spot clean/organize- take this time to put any loose items back in their place, pick up any shoes, put them away, hang up coats that may be lingering, organize the mail pile or put some dishes away.

5 minutes

Wipe surfaces- grab your bottle of Thieves cleaner and a microfibre cloth and wipe down any dirty counters, the stove, the fridge, the coffee table or any windows with little fingerprints on them.

5 minutes

Empty the garbages- grab a large garbage bag and walk through the house emptying the kitchen garbage, bathroom garbages, office garbages and if the compost and recycling is full, take that out too.

5 minutes

Bathroom- again, you’re not cleaning the entire bathroom or even all of the bathrooms in your home- pick one or two that just need a quick freshening up: pick up towels, re-fold the hand towel, put any cosmetics or personal care products away and give the mirrors and counters a quick wipe with Thieves cleaner to remove dirt, grime and bacteria.

The last 5 minutes…..

Make yourself a cup of tea or a coffee and kick your feet up. Look around and take a moment to appreciate how much you just accomplished in just one hour.

Clean space, clean mind!

I hope you enjoy this power hour!

Leave a comment and let me know if something like this is helpful in your day.

xo

Leigh