BY: Nicolas Soergel
This published author is giving away one of his great books!! Read on to find out how you can win it. ~Kelli
While technology has helped reduce the amount of time required for housework – and someday who knows robots may do it completely – it’s still amazing how much time we spend cleaning our homes.
Although this routine work represents a major part of our lives, we often don’t think about how to save time by streamlining these often boring and unpleasant tasks. Here are six tips from the professional world of cleaning that can be used at home to save you time on housework:
1) Turn the TV off
Keeping the Tv on as ‘company’ while doing housecleaning can be a dangerous distraction. The temptation to get sucked into taking a small break to watch something interesting is just too high. Instead try putting on some dynamic music to motivate you into moving fast.
2) Tidy up first
Don’t confuse tidying up with cleaning up. These are two very different tasks that require different equipment and routines. Since it’s hard to do a good job cleaning up when there is clutter around, try tidying up first. If you have small kids, teach them that to get and keep a clean room, tidying up is the key.
3) Wear cleaning clothes
Professionals in the cleaning industry use specific clothes – with a lot of pockets – so they can carry the supplies they need wit them. Besides, donning your “cleaning uniform” helps put you in the right frame of mind to get everything spic and span.
4) Get the right equipment
Using the right equipment can significantly improve your cleaning results. Take advantage of the experts and ask a competent sales representative at the local DIY or professional cleaning supply store to give you their best recommendations. Don’t forget to replace brushes and sponges often.
5) Clean using both hands
Most of us use only one hand when cleaning our houses. Have you ever considered that the work might be completed much faster if you used both hands at the same time? Cleaning professionals save time by spraying the window with one hand and wiping it with the other and by scrubbing the kitchen table with two sponges – at the same time.
6) Create a cleaning routine
A set cleaning routine helps you get faster over time. First, define an order of the tasks to be done and then create a checklist. Next, complete the items from the top to the bottom and cross off each item when done. Just for fun, Write down the time it takes you to go through the entire checklist. This way, you can start competing with yourself to reduce the amount of time takes.
The below was copied straight from the Blog Tour Site
About the Author -
Nicolas Soergel, was born in Germany in 1969. After completing his studies in business administration at the University of Cologne, he began his career in finance with Sony. Soergel later played a major role in setting up the German, Austrian and Swiss operations of the British vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson.
In 2000, Nicolas moved to Japan where at the age of 34 he became CEO of the Japanese subsidiary of T-Systems – a Deutsche Telekom group company. 3 years later he took over responsibility for the APAC region.
Throughout his professional career Nicolas has had the opportunity to meet and interview executives from around the world on the practical ideas they use to save time and get organized. You can read more at Nicolas’s blog: http://www.anextrahoureveryday.com/
About Happy About An Extra Hour a Day –
Every day has exactly 1,440 minutes in it. Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company, run your own small business or are an independent freelancer, the way you spend those minutes helps or hinders the goals you want to achieve.
Nicolas Soergel, author of the new book Happy About An Extra Hour Everyday (Happy About, 2009) says anyone can create extra time in their life by increasing their efficiency. “If you can save one minute, 60 times a day, you can gain the extra hour needed to make your dreams happen,” says Soergel.
Throughout Happy About An Extra Hour Everyday the author offers easy to implement, time saving tips that he terms "quick wins".
Some of the topics that the book discusses, includes:
- How to save time housecleaning
- How to save time traveling
- How to save time dealing with other people
- How to save time at the office
So, you want to win a copy of this book, right? Oh, me too! LOL! Here’s how:
REQUIRED: Leave a comment telling me your biggest time waster when it comes to housekeeping.
Other bonus entries:
#1. Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, twitter, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done)
#2. Follow my blog.
#3. Subscribe to my RSS feed.
#5. Fave me on technorati
#6. Put my button on your blog.
#7. Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!)
About Kelli
My biggest time waster would be having to go back to get the right cleaner or tool multiple times.
I'm a follower.
Subscribe to your feed.
Follow on twitter. @dezroute
My biggest time waster would be trying to rid my house of cat hair!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
I subscribe by email
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
I am a follower
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
My biggest time waster is just picking up before I can even start cleaning. Starting to give my young boys a daily chore which has helped me out tremendously. They even ask me first thing in the morning now what their chore will be!
i'm a follower.
i'm a subscriber via google reader.
My biggest time waster is putting an item on another shelf while cleaning only to have to remove said item when I clean that shelf. I have got to declutter………big time.
gourdsrmylife@yahoo.com
Marj M.
email subscriber
gourdsrmylife@yahoo.com
Marj M.
My biggest time waster is having to go from living room to bedrooms because we have gates everywhere to separate dogs and cats.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
email subscriber
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
My biggest time waster would have to be putting the dishes in the dishwasher before cleaning the kitchen…
My rule is always put it in the dishwasher when you are done….that rule never gets followed
I follow
I follow on twitter
I tech fave
I have your button on my blog
I have your button on my blog:
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Suzanne/
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
My biggest time-waster when it comes to house-cleaning is ME! I tend to think it must be done perfectly, and since that's obviously impossible, I tend to put things off. :/
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
I follow your blog.
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
I subscribe.
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
I faved you on Technorati.
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
I follow you on Twitter (HSBSuzanne)
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
My biggest time waster is having three levels. Putting things away becomes a cardio workout and takes alot of time when I keep finding things that belong on another level of the house.
dftrew(at)gmail(dot)com
Honestly,I think my biggest obstacle in cleaning house is that I always have to tidy up before I can start cleaning, and by the time I've "tidied up" (really, throwing things into closets to get them out of the way so I can clean!) I'm either out of time, or worn out, and I never get to the real cleaning. :-/ The other problem is getting overwhelmed and wasting time not knowing where to start. (I also get sidetracked if I try to actually organize or declutter when I'm supposed to be tidying or cleaning). Ugh. I've got issues, apparently!
Focusing too much on the details – instead of just loading the dishwasher, I want to clean out all the kitchen cabinets, re-organize and re-arrange, etc. Wastes tons of time and the rest of the house gets neglected and I wind up exhausted!
follow your blog
twitter follower @mannabsn
technorati fave mannabsn