Cleanup can be done faster than you think:

1. Clear the table and leave only the centerpiece. Load the dishwasher, collect hand-wash items and put the leftovers away ASAP. Get the whole family involved to speed up the process. (Time: five minutes)

    

   article continues below ↓

2. Set up a rotating family schedule for dish washing. Wash the remaining pots and pans right after the meal before they get crusty and take twice as long to get done. (Time: five minutes)
   
   
3. Wipe off the table and the kitchen counters. (Time: one minute)
   
   
4. Put the dried dishes and the drying rack away as soon as possible. (Time: two minutes)
   
   
5. Empty the garbage and clean the floor as needed. (Time: two minutes)

Total time spent in cleanup: fifteen minutes. Now you’re finished for the evening and can do something else you enjoy!

 

Excerpted and condensed from Marcia Ramsland's: Simplify Your Life: Get Organized and Stay That Way! ©2003, W. Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.

 

 

About Marcia Ramsland

Marcia Ramsland is well known as "The Organizing Pro" for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives. As a national speaker, author and consultant since 1985, Marcia delights her audiences from New York to California with tips and secrets to organize their time, home, paperwork and life. Her tips have been in Woman’s Day and other national magazines, radio interviews and TV. She can be reached through her Web site www.OrganizingPro.com, and her books can be ordered there.