You've inspired me to try meal planning again!
Everytime I do it it's great - I know what to buy when I shop and I don't spend any time wondering what to cook for dinner as it's already planned. But, somehow, I always seem to stop doing it after a while - too lazy to make a plan so I just wing it at the grocery store and cook with what I have.
Using a timer is great for cleaning. I often set 5 or 10 minutes on the clock and tell everyone in the family to start putting things away or clean something until the timer goes - it works a treat!