Where do you begin and SECRET NUMBER 2

1. I don't have enough time.
2. I'm always busy with the kids.
3. I work and I am just too tired.
4. I wish the house were clean.

These are things I thought for years. Once I retired I didn't have any more excuses so I finally did what I should have done years ago - divide the house into sections and make a schedule.

I have quite a large house.

These are my sections

kitchen + casual dining
dining + lounge
TV lounge room
master bedroom
second bedroom (my parlor)
third bedroom (office)
laundry
2 bathrooms
sewing room, gym, craft room (upstairs rooms)
front porch
back patio

Each section gets a tidy, dust and wipe down once a month. I do our bathroom and toilet each fortnight.
The windows and blinds are done separately.

I have proved that gradually the house becomes clean and I have also proved that the schedule is very bendable and most things can go two months without any noticeable untidiness once they reach a level of clean that you are happy with.

I cannot prove that scheduling works when you have small children to work around but I'm sure it would be worth a try. 

I am not naturally a tidy person and even though everything has a place I am the type who walks past something that has to be put away. But now it doesn't bother me because every part of the house gets a tidy up each month. The kitchen table never gets as messy as it used to. My sewing room gets a tidy every month making sewing much more fun. The corners in the laundry never look dusty and grimy any more and the venetian blinds can be cleaned in a matter of minutes.

A load has been lifted.

I am no slave to housework but now I always feel comfortable when someone walks in. I can show off my souvenirs through beautifully clean glass doors in my display cabinet. We can sit down to tea at a spotless dining room table or out door table. Life is just easier.

SECRET NUMBER 2:

When you start, only give the area a normal clean. For example, spray and wipe a dirty window once. Allow several minutes cleaning. Next month several minutes should get the window almost clean. By month three a  few minutes gets your window almost perfect. Month four and you can spend time on getting right to the edges and into the corners and your window is perfect.