I've written about this before. I do a really good job of keeping everything cleaned up, the dishes managable, the room straightens, etc. But as soon as we go away and come back, or I get sick or something out of the ordinary routine happens and there is a mess that just keeps growing. I do what I can, but I look up one day and the whole room is overflowing again. It's when the house gets into these piles that I start to feel overwhelmed.
I like the suggestions Sarah Mae gives on p.23. A couple of my favorites are "Be generous to your trash can" and "Do the 15 minute thing." I feel like I am scared to throw things away. In fact, I know I am. It's not so much the pack rat syndrome (though it is a little of that too), but it's that I know as soon as I throw something away even though I haven't used it in a while, I'm going to want it again. And it takes us forever to replace things because there is always something else we need more. For example, I donated some bowls and plates because our cabinets were just overflowing and now Zoey is wanting to eat off of big plates or Stephen's family comes down and we run out of bowls after one meal. Things like this make me afraid to throw things away (or donate.) I'm working on that and the balance of it. Also, trying to think ahead. Any suggestions?
The 15 minute idea is one I want to try. I do it subtly and it works well, so if I do it more intensely, it should work better, right? The idea is to set a timer for 15 minutes and get as much work as you can within that time frame. I will generally start picking up stuff and putting it up or start cleaning something and just go until I am happy with it for the time being or something else distracts me (...usually Zoey.) This concept works for me, so if I can focus on it, I think it will help me get stuff done, especially the piles.
The big picture...
Today's challenge hits of trying to see the big picture. Imagining your home and how you want it to be. I envision our house one of fun. An atmosphere where Stephen and my friends as well as Zoey's friends can come and hang out and relax. I don't want to worry about every little thing, but just be. The ironic thing is, it takes a lot of work for the home to become worry-free.
My biggest emphasis when organizing is that everything has a place. So when I am picking up the inevitable clutter, it at least has a place to go. So often our mess gets in the way of where things need to go. So I spend my time cleaning off something else for the first thing to be put up. This aggravates me. I don't like having to do 3 things before I can do what actually needs to be done. So that is my step 1.
The big project I have in mind is to organize all of our crafts. I have my scrapbooking items that I like to have a certain way so I can get them in and out easily. But now I have a lot of other craft items for Zoey and those don't really have a place yet. I need to work on us a crafting area where everything has a place.
There are always other things to think about, but that is my focus right now. Trying to give everything a place. That will help me organize the clutter because it can be put up easily and crafts are very important to me so that is a priority. The day-to-day stuff is going really well right now, so I need to keep that up. It's a start anyway.
*Note: The challenge is associated with Joyful Mothering from the book 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae.
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