Have you ever shutdown your house before? Did you even know that was something that needed done? Well, either way, I’m going to teach you! I’ll explain it as if you’ve never heard of one. So forgive me if this is too basic for you!

Let’s first cover the “why”. Why is a house shutdown necessary?

Most people wake up in a deficit. The deficit is everything left over that you didn’t finish the day before. It’s when you’re operating in red, in a negative. Just like a corporate CEO doesn’t want to see a deficit on their books, we as the CEO of our homes don’t want to see one either. When you have a deficit, you open your eyes and immediately start ‘reacting’ to the mess from yesterday. As the CEO of your home, that’s unacceptable. We don’t leave today’s problems for our future selves. We ‘Shut Down’ the house at night so we can protect our morning margin. When you walk into a clean kitchen at 6:00 AM, you aren’t just looking at a clean sink; you’re looking at a mental head start. You’re giving yourself permission to start the day with a strategy, not a struggle! A shut down is how we create peace. This shutdown doesn’t mean we go above and beyond on cleaning. It has absolutely nothing to do with deep cleaning. It’s simply everything we need to do to get back to zero, that blank slate. We shutdown the house to wake up to a fresh start, not yesterday’s messes.

Now let’s talk about the “how”. How do we shutdown the house? What needs cleaned? What doesn’t?

This is actually really easy. I’ve already given you the list…the 6/10 list! I created the 6/10 list to help people keep their homes manageable. So it would make sense that we would look at the 6/10 list when it comes to shutting down the house, right? Now don’t freak out! We are not going to do everything on the list. We are going to focus on the Daily 6. This is exactly what it sounds like. Six daily tasks that must be completed every day. You can find it here: https://organizedchaos4bus.com/2022/02/10/the-6-10-list/

1. Make the bed.
   • Now you might be thinking, “Audrey, we’re shutting down the house why on earth are we making our bed?” And you’re right. We’re not making the bed. I absolutely recommend doing so in the morning, it’s actually vital to a productive day! But since it’s on the Daily 6 let’s switch it up for the shutdown and call it “turning down the bed”. Why is this important during the shutdown? It’s a cue to our brain! It’s letting our brain know that it’s time to start moving from “doing” to “resting”. It’s going to help our nervous system power down. Not to mention, it improves your sleep! You’ll never sleep better than when you’re climbing into a bed made for sleeping. Pillows fluffed, blankets straightened and laid open. (Now, I’m going through the Daily 6 in the order they are on my pdf, but I would save turning down the bed for your last task of the night.)
2. Wash the dishes.
   • Get the sink empty. The sink is the heart of the kitchen. If we clear the sink, the whole room feels clear. And if you have a dishwasher, this is when you start it. Don’t run it until you know you have all of the dirty dishes from the day in there.
3. Scrub the sink.
   • This goes right along with number two. If you don’t clean the sink once you’ve emptied it, the task isn’t done right? It’s like flossing without brushing or vice versa. Now, technically when I say scrub sinks I’m including the bathroom sinks too. I’m not good at getting that done myself, but we should be cleaning those daily too.
4. Wipe the counters.
   • Here at Organized Chaos we HATE visual noise right? So clear those surfaces and wipe them down! There is nothing more stress inducing than waking up to a clean kitchen and then you put your hand on the counter into some mystery, sticky substance. UGH! So wipe down those counters, including the bathroom ones!
5. Vacuum.
   • I absolutely do not expect you to vacuum your whole house daily. BUT, if you don’t take care of crumb piles they will multiply and spread. So, take your hand vac or stick vac and suck up any noticeable debris in your main living areas like the kitchen and living room. This is a proactive step to prevent dirt from growing.
6. Finally, do one load of laundry.
   • This means wash, dry, and put away one load. Laundry is a river, not a lake. It never stops flowing. So do your part to chip away at the hill before it becomes a mountain. Because I do a load every day, it takes me like 10 minutes to get everything put away.

That’s everything on the Daily 6, but there is still one more very important task I want you to complete and that is my ‘basket method’. This is where you grab a basket and toss everything in. All of the clutter sitting out. It should take less than 60 seconds per room. This ensures that we’ll wake up really feeling that reset, that blank slate. You may want to include a few additional steps of your own here like straightening the shoes at the door, closing the curtains or locking the doors. You add your own twist here.

Now that I’ve covered everything, let me give you a few additional tips. First, I know this sounds like a lot. I get it completely. I promise you, it’s not! BECAUSE I don’t do all 7 tasks at once. A successful house shut down begins at least an hour or two before bedtime. If you do a little here and there, you’ll ensure you actually finish everything. If you leave all of it for right before bedtime, you’ll be too tired to finish.

Here is a sample schedule for my tasks. In the morning or throughout the day the house is tossing their dirty laundry in the washer. So, before I start dinner I know I’ve got all of the clothes in the washer and I will start it. Once dinner is over I will go ahead and get my sink emptied. Now, unless my dishwasher is absolutely packed, I will not start it right away. I’ll let straggler dishes make their way to the sink. I’ll move on to wiping the counters. I’ll fluff up the clothes in the dryer then go spend time in the living room with the family. Then, I’ll move the clothes from the washer to the dryer and they’ll stay there until tomorrow. After laundry, I’ll check the sink again and then start the dishwasher. I’ll vacuum what’s needed and do the basket method on the living room. And that’s it. The main area of the house is shut down. Then I’ll go to my room and do my skincare, get ready for bed, turn down the bed, and go to sleep!

This all sounds like a lot of steps! SO, if you’re struggling to remember these, this is where those little lists pay off. Don’t use your brain to remember the list, use the list to free your brain!

I said “I” a lot throughout this, but I absolutely do not expect you to do everything! Even if you stay at home and your spouse works. You, your partner, your kids, everyone should be taking part in the house shutdown.

Now, the house is quiet. The counters are clear. You have successfully shut down your house and guaranteed a restful night sleep!