#28 Judy: Housework (gag)

I want to talk about something we all deal with--housework. I've always wanted a clean house, but since mine has always been full of people, it hasn't happened very often. I used to think that even if the house were really clean, just having all those bodies around makes it look cluttered. I have to say, though, that having only adults does help--a little. 

Anyway, recently I signed up with Flylady.net and it has helped me a LOT with keeping order. The sign-up is free and then you get daily emails, lots of daily emails. I usually scan them for the interesting stuff, delete the rest, and it takes less than five minutes. I do have to warn that you might feel overwhelmed at first with all the information on the site, but don't panic! Take things one at a time, which is what she recommends anyway--baby steps.

Here's one quote from one of the emails: "You can't organized clutter; you have to get rid of it! In order to find peace in your home the clutter has to find a new place to reside. 

Release your clutter. Spend just 15 minutes a day decluttering. When you bring home something new; get rid of something old." 

Another thing she says is keep your kitchen sink clean ALL THE TIME. And it's amazing what a difference this one chore makes. 

Her basic mantra is that we have to have routines/habits in place. If we don't, we can spend all day cleaning then the place just gets messy again immediately. But if we've developed routines/habits that we do almost automatically, we can keep the mess at bay.

Here is my daily schedule (to quote from an article I once wrote): think of it as B,B,C,D,F, which sounds like a poor report card but which stands for: Bed  (make it), Bathroom (a quick swish and swipe while you're in there getting ready), Clutter (quick pick-up, especially working on the "hot spots" that gather stuff to them--I do this pretty much all day), Dishes (keeping the sink clean and empty), and Floors (sweep daily). There are many other chores we have to do of course (for example, she also talks about conquering Mount Washmore), but even if I do only these five things every day, I can keep the appearance of a tidy home and not panic if someone comes over unexpectedly.

I highly recommend going to that web site and/or getting her book, "Sink Reflections" if you're ready to do something positive in this area. Hang in there!