It’s not a new idea, but having a daily theme for each day of the week can be quite helpful. Themes can be flexible and are easily adjusted while providing some structure or simply providing inspiration. If you need a way to stay on top of household tasks and figure out what to make for dinner, try the printable for cooking and cleaning below. Download the Daily Themes for Cooking and Cleaning pdf.
MENU THEMES
Manic Monday – pasta or pork
ham steak, smoked sausage, egg roll bowl, pork chops, pork tenderloin, pork roast, mac & cheese, chicken & noodles, beef stroganoff
Taco Tuesday – Mexican
burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, tamales
Wacky Wednesday – beef or fish
philly sandwich, kabobs, BBQ, roast beef, stew, tuna, salmon
Birdy Thursday – chicken or turkey
pot pie, French’s onion, mushroom, tenders, cordon bleu
Fried Friday – hamburger
quesadilla burgers, shepherd’s pie, goulash, sloppy joes, meatloaf
Special Saturday – Italian
pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, chicken parmesan, meatball sub
Souper Sunday – Soup & Salad
chili, chicken & noodles, beef vegetable, chicken salad, tuna salad
CLEANING THEMES
Monday focus – Extra Rooms
Clean: a. office b. guest room c. dining room d. deck or porch
Tuesday focus – Living Room
Vacuum rugs & sweep floor, dust, clean coffee & end tables, clean couch
Wednesday focus – Kitchen
Sweep & mop floor, Clean sink & stovetop, Organize pantry
Thursday focus – Bathrooms
Clean: toilet, tub, sink, floor
Friday focus – Bedrooms
Change sheets, sweep floors, do laundry, dust
Saturday focus – Monthly chores
a. Clean refrigerator inside & out b. Clean stove & small appliances c. Clean mirrors, light fixtures, switchplates d. File papers
Sunday focus – Soul
relax and review
While these choices are tailored to my life, they can be tweaked for your own needs. There is a more detailed cleaning checklist and a month of menus at Food is a Four Letter Word. These can be added to a household binder or other binder system. Daily themes are also an important part of making positive shift happen.
For a different view that combines daily themes for cleaning, menus, and activities to make Positive Shift Happen into one checklist for each day, Download the Daily Focus Themes printable. Make whatever changes work for your life!
Daily Regulars are things that need to happen every day:
- Make Positive Shift Happen: exercise, meditate, communicate, follow values
- Daily Duties: feed pets, make dinner, do dishes, declutter
- Daily regulars: to (always) do today
Daily themes can also be used for a general plan for your week. Michael Hyatt suggests designing an ideal week. Here’s some examples:
- Message Monday: emails, phone calls, meetings
- Arty Tuesday: creative work
- Whatever Wednesday: flex day
- Tidy Thursday: regular maintainence
- Focus Friday: planning
- Spa Saturday: self-care
Daily themes can help you PlanIt for success!
More Resources
- How to Better Control Your Time by Designing Your Ideal Week from Michael Hyatt
- Forget Time Management and To-do Lists Try This Instead from Matt Gallant