The biggest thing working for me this week is sending the kids to Grandma’s house for the week! No. Seriously. And while they are gone I am CLEANING, CLEANING, CLEANING. Which leads to my other thing that works for me:
Working around the room.
When the room is just a MESS and you don’t really know where to start or don’t really even want to start… pick a corner and just. start. working. In my kitchen, I always start on the counter by the back door. Clean off the counter, the whole counter and nothing but the counter. YES, grab as many things as you can, don’t you dare walk away with only one thing in your hand. Load up everything that needs to go in the sink or in the trash can and take them in one trip (just don’t get confused!)
I don’t know about you, but I always work clockwise. I don’t really think that’s a rule. I wonder if a left handed person or a left brain person would do it differently? (Since I am a righty for both..) Hmmm… Anywho….
When that counter space is done, I move to the sink, then the counter on the other side, and so on and so forth around the room in a circle. I do the same thing in the other rooms, too. I know I am not the only one who does this, experts have recommended this for years, and it really does work for me.
This week while the kids are gone, I’m applying this principal but on a deeper level- instead of just picking up the space, I’m cleaning the space thoroughly. I started in the living room at the bookcase and took that opportunity to declutter it, dust it, and reorganize it. Moved to the chair next to it, cleaned behind it, under it, under the cushions, etc, and kept going. Yeah, okay, so I had the vacuum on half a dozen times instead of doing it all at once, but it felt good. I could visibly see the room getting cleaner piece by piece and once I was done with a space I never had to go back over it for something else.
The older I get, (or after having 3 children and using up all my brain cells), not only do I often have trouble focusing but I also frequently suffer from a serious Lack of Want To. I know you know what I am talking about. That’s why this really works so well. I don’t really have to think about it. I do have to get up and do it, but it gets done quickly and easily and truthfully,… I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER ONCE IT’S CLEAN.
Oddly enough, I can think better when it’s clean too.
Huh.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by Kristen @ We Are That Family!
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My kind of tip – simple yet effective. I’ll be employing this one today. Thanks!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..How to Overwinter a Wooly Bear Caterpillar =-.
Hmmm, this must be a bug that everyone has. We are deep cleaning this week, too (but my 9 kiddos are at home – and being put to work!). This working around the room really does work! And, yep, I think better when the house is clean, too. I’ve often told my husband, “If you want to know what kind of mood I’m in when you get home, just look at the house…” Sad, but true. 🙂
That is a great tip! I often feel overwhelmed when I look at a messy space, and don’t know where to start. This sounds like a great way to overcome it – I’ll have to give it a try!
.-= Amber @ Strocel.com´s last blog ..Trying out the Ergo =-.
[…] Summer break for us yet. So how do you get caught up when you get behind? Just dig in. Just do it. Work around the room. Do some school, then some housework, then some more school and some more housework. Piece by piece […]
Funny ~ I’m a lefty & I work counter clockwise….
Our first year homeschool & the state of disorder in this house is the one thing that makes me question my sanity in bringing them home, 😀 Thanks for sharing it helps me to know i am not doing something wrong.