Welcome back! If you are just joining us in our
Speed Cleaning series, we're glad you're here!
You're not too late, but be sure to read over the previous rules before you move on to Rule #13.
Speed Cleaning Rule #13: Work as a team.
If there are more than one of you, work as a team. You’re what the biologists call a “superorganism.” If your partner gets done ten minutes faster, the team gets done ten minutes faster. And that is a wonderful thing. You can’t stop being vigilant for one moment about what will speed up or slow down your partner’s progress.
The key to finishing together is to identify the longest job and get it started at the right time. The longest job is the one that takes the longest time and that no one can help with. This is often the vacuuming.
When this longest job should be started is crucial. Get the longest job started early so it isn’t still going on when the rest of the team is finished.
In a team of two, one person starts as the Bathroom Person and the other as the Kitchen Person. The Team Leader is the one who finishes the initial assignment first ”normally the bathroom. The Team Leader then changes the bathroom tray into a duster tray and starts dusting. The Kitchen Person starts vacuuming with the Big Vac after finishing the kitchen. Make adjustments so that each time the two of you clean you come closer and closer to finishing at the same time. It is simpler for two people to finish at the same time than three, since there are fewer possibilities for how to divide up the work.
Important Points: Back to Basics
I hope all this doesn’t sound difficult, because doing it is very easy:
1. If the longest job isn’t finished when the rest of the jobs are, then start the longest job sooner the next time you clean the house.
2. If you end up in the same room at the end, then dust that room sooner or vacuum it sooner or empty the trash from it sooner.
3. If the dusting job is taking too long, then have the second team member do some of the dusting.
4. If you aren’t finishing together even after getting the longest job started earlier, save all the short jobs for last ”emptying trash, putting throw rugs back in place and finishing touches.
If you are not able to clean with someone else, be encouraged. Working on a team of one is the most efficient way possible. No decisions, no negotia tions ”just follow the Speed Cleaning methods and you get faster every time you do it.
Question of the week: How many people do you normally have on your team?
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