3 minute read
There's more to life than housework!
Gemma Bray, creator of The Organised Mum Method, talks us through how she keeps her house clean and her life organised, by using her own tried and tested 30-minute methods.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START THE ORGANISED MUM METHOD
The reality of being a new mum was very different to my preconceived idyll and it came as a bit of a shock. In the first weeks with a newborn, I really struggled and suffered from anxiety. I started to use cleaning as a coping mechanism: it helped me to feel like I was in control when actually I was experiencing a crisis of confidence. My anxiety spiralled until I was cleaning for hours every day, trying to convince the outside world that I was competent, but inside I was crumbling. I knew I had to make a change, so I devised The Organised Mum Method (TOMM), writing the outline at my kitchen table. I developed it into a detailed guide and followed it privately for years. When I eventually shared it online a few years ago, I had no idea that it would become so popular.
HOW DOES THE METHOD WORK?
The beauty of TOMM is in its simplicity, working on a rolling eight-week schedule, which is so straightforward to follow. From
Monday to Thursday, you spend 30 minutes a day cleaning one room, and then on Fridays, you change the focus to another space in your house that changes every week. The longer you follow the method, the cleaner your home will become. The great news is that if you follow from Monday to Friday, the weekend will be housework free!
DO YOU ENJOY CLEANING NOW?
I don’t especially enjoy cleaning, but I do enjoy living in a clean home. This motivates me to get my 30 minutes of cleaning completed each day.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PARENTS WHO ARE FEELING OVERWHELMED BY THE CLEANING, HOUSEWORK AND LIFE ADMIN THAT COMES WITH PARENTHOOD?
Remember that good enough is good enough. Life can be messy, homes get messy – and this is ok. There is also a huge difference between a house that is untidy because the kids have been playing and a house that is truly dirty. There’s more to life than housework!
WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO DEVELOP THE ORGANISED TIME TECHNIQUE (TOTT)?
My first marriage failed not long after I had my second child and I was left with that awful feeling of losing control again. I knew the reason that TOMM worked was that it helped me to structure my day, so the boring jobs were always completed and 30 minutes was a long enough block of time to complete tasks. So, I started to segment jobs, such as admin, into 30-minute slots. The method itself grew from there.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER ADVICE OR RESOURCES FOR PARENTS?
You can follow either TOMM or TOTT, you don’t have to follow both. If you combine them, however, you can create a whole life management system that will help you to reach your goals and create more time for you. The TOMM Journal is another way to help you stay focused and utilise your time most effectively. My website contains more information, along with printouts, links to my podcast and my Spotify playlists. All the information is on:
theorganisedmum.blog.
Gemma Bray (pictured left)
is a Sunday Times best-selling author with her revolutionary approach not only to housework, but also on how to add structure and efficiency to busy lives. With two superb books, two highly acclaimed apps and a journal to her name, she helps parents worldwide to free themselves from overwhelm.
