Zones is the third module of Marilyn’s Way System. The home has five zones. While in the zone for a week one declutters first and cleans second.
Dividing your home into ‘zones’ each week to declutter first then clean second keeps you from ever having to ‘spring clean’ again!
What Is A Zone?
A zone is a room or specific area. Marilyn’s Way Home Keeping Made SIMPLE is divided into five areas…
Zone 1 ~ Entry/Dining Room
Zone 2 ~ Kitchen
Zone 3 ~ Bathroom And One Extra Room
Zone 4 ~ Bedroom
Zone 5 ~ Living Room
They last for a week and go according to the calendar month with the exception of Zone 1 ~ Entry/Dining Room and Zone 5 ~ Living Room. Some months you will get a full week but most of the time it is a few days. Zones 2 – 4 will always be the full week and with good reason. These are the areas you spend the most time in and have the most activities. Once a month you will spend time working in a zone according to calendar month. But first..
Declutter FIRST! It Is A Process, Not An Event
I cannot begin to tell you the importance of decluttering FIRST! When you begin Marilyn’s Way Home Keeping Made SIMPLE the reason you are here is you have too much stuff! These things accumulated over time and cannot expect to be rid of overnight. Why? Because it would be a shock to your system. When you begin to declutter you have to learn to become comfortable with it. I compare it to working out with the decluttering being a muscle. You must first warm it up.
Declutter Using The 4 Box Method
Get 4 boxes putting in black trash bags and mark them ‘Throw Away’ ‘Give Away’ and 2 boxes ‘*Put Away’ (I will explain in a moment).
‘THROW’ Away – You will throw away anything that is broken, dirty, outdated, dangerous, and plain old garbage. They are like weeds. They tend to be among the things we use. Clear them out to see what you are using each day.
‘GIVE Away’ – This is the box of items you will bless with others by giving it away. Remember, there are people out in this world with nothing and this is your opportunity to help one another by blessing the items that you are not using anymore whether you upgraded or the item just doesn’t fit your lifestyle anymore. If you live in a larger town, you can make arrangements for them to pick up your items. I donated to the Women’s Resource Center for abused women fleeing from their home with nothing but the clothes on their back, Salvation Army and Goodwill. There are many other organizations you can donate giving away items that do not serve any purpose to you and will help someone else.
‘PUT Away’ – There are two boxes in PUT Away and for very good reason. Using this method helped me move past the anxiety of decluttering and it will for you too! One box is for the things you will PUT Away that you use on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. The Other PUT Away box is for the items you simply cannot decide on. When the box is full, mark it and put it in storage. Why? The system also has a monthly maintenance decluttering built in where clothes, paper clutter and the kitchen are done twice a year. You can come back to these boxes and go through them again. I promise you there will be items that will go in one of the above categories. Put on some music and let the decluttering begin and remember…
Clean SECOND! It Makes It Easier!
Using this method will get you to the second phase of zone work sooner and that is cleaning the zone. I know you want to get in there and clean first but I promise you decluttering first will get you to cleaning second sooner. Here is why. When you first start out using Marilyn’s Way Home Keeping Made SIMPLE, the two areas you will work on first are the 9 Daily Habits and the Weekly Home Tidy.
Remember your home did not get cluttered and dirty in a week. You cannot expect to get it done in a day. The reason you are in this situation is you have never set up a routine that works for you. This is how you get duplicate items because you can’t find what you are looking for among the clutter. When I got serious about decluttering I found I had MANY duplicate items simply because it was easier to buy another than to look for it. That’s where clutter begins.
9 Basic Cleaning Steps To A Zone
There are many systems available that are detailed. Marilyn’s Way Home Keeping Made SIMPLE is just that. It is SIMPLE allowing you to begin. The 9 cleaning steps to a zone hit the basics. Zone work is done on a monthly basis and each month you get closer to detailed cleaning that you will personally choose as no home is the same. The following are the 9 steps…
1. Cobwebs/Ceiling/Baseboard – Take your long handled duster and work the room top to bottom, left to right and clockwise. You have decluttered so this will be simple.
2. Ceiling Light/Fan Fixture – You can also use your long handled duster for this too. If you need to clean the light fixters use a microfiber cleaning cloth.
3. Curtains/Mini Blinds – You can use a light weight
I hope this is easy for you to understand. When you are overwhelmed it is difficult for anything to sink in. This is the very reason I created a Home Keeping System Made SIMPLE. I have a very overactive mind and I know there are many like me. I wanted to share what I have learned to make my home keeping made SIMPLE.
Extra Help Is Available!
I wrote my first e book back in January. It is named 100 Things To Get Rid Of In Your Home The Easy Way To Begin Your Decluttering Journey The book takes you room by room or zone and lists items you can easily get rid of. Doing so creates space and that increases energy levels to do more. It is less than a cup of specialty coffee and you have it forever. Plus you get a…
FREE Downloadable Check List Print Out!
If you would like additional help, I have a Coaching Program
Simply Fill Out This Application!
I also have a closed Facebook group Marilyn’s Way I invite you to join where you learn the system with others supporting you.
I hope this gives you a better explanation to the third level or quadrant to the system. The system is set up in levels or quadrants to build upon with establishing the 9 Daily Habits First, followed by the Weekly Home Tidy second.
Gone are the days where one spends all day Saturday cleaning. By breaking it up into zones makes home keeping more manageable.
