All or nothing

As a general rule, I have two speeds - frenetic and stationary. Momentum easily overwhelms me - if I'm doing nothing, I find it hard to get started, but equally once I'm up to speed I struggle to slow down.

This generates a number of challenges - it affects my sleep because if I'm active late in the evening, I struggle to stop and wind down, or alternatively if I'm inactive I don't really feel tired because I've done pretty much nothing.

It also means that I struggle to maintain routines - I let the dirt build until I go on a cleaning frenzy (known as a 'Monica moment'). I would so much rather get the housework done gradually, so the house is never a tip but never spotless and I feel generally positive.

This morning my boyfriend and I were very busy and productive. We took apart the toilet to find out why water was constantly draining into the toilet bowl, and have managed to both identify and partially fix the problem without forking out any money. He replaced the toilet seat. I cleaned the bath tub (oh boy did it need a clean).We cleared out our basement and chucked quite a bit of stuff.

When we got back up to the flat, I sat down and started pondering the bookshelves in the spare room. My boyfriend had to intercede and remind me that we need down time too - that weekends are good at getting things done but should also involve time to soak in the bath, read a book and generally relax.

I'm wondering about trying to do just one thing a day for the housework - no particular order at first, just to get into the habit of doing something when I come in from work. I did once embark on an elaborate cleaning routine and it lasted several weeks before it collapsed. But when I started decluttering, the one-a-day approach really helped me.

Do you have any favourite tips for building up a routine to stay on top of housework?