I was recently introduced to the delights of Hyperbole and a Half and specifically this Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I'll Never be an Adult post that REALLY resonated with me. It was fun to see someone articulate my housekeeping style so well.
Even so, I was not proud of this part of me. I think at work they would be surprised to find that I have problems with keeping my space clean because I have a very neat desk at work. My neat desk stems from sharing a desk for a long time, and then the refusal to let things get out of control in such a shared space.
Home is where you relax, right? Relaxing and cleaning rarely go hand in hand (I have one dear friend who might say otherwise). It is, however, much easier to relax in a space that is tidy and not lost under mess.
In the last few weeks I have focussed less on grand plans and more on trying to establish a routine that works for me.
I have an app called Home Routines that has been invaluable. I first downloaded the app months ago and used it a lot to start with. Then life got in the way and I got resentful that I was the one doing all this "stuff" and I stopped using it.
The house was a mess. Life was hectic. It bothered me.
In an effort to move on/grow up/find sanity, I figured I'd already bought it, I really should use it. So, I revisited it, I re-jigged my lists, I got specific.
Getting specific helped me a lot. "Empty all bins" is less likely to get done than listing 4 or 5 bins that need emptying, at least I could then check off 4 out of 5 bins that I emptied.
I also gave myself room to have down days. I don't get through everything on my lists every day, or even most days. I aim to add to my "regular" list of things I do every week though, just slowly expanding the routine to regularly be getting a little bit more done, I have a goal to have a minimum number of tasks done each day and a desire to slowly grow that number.
So far it is working for me. I'm getting more done each day, I am developing a pattern, I am finding little ways to slip the small tasks into everyday life without them being a big deal. BabyCakes has even started making the bed if he is the last one out! The simple act of walking into a bedroom and seeing the bed made is very satisfying. Don't get me wrong, you still have to look past the piles of "stuff" stacked along the wall, but I'm getting there.
I am still yet to make peace with the politics of cleaning, but again, I am working on it (more on this at a later date).
I still have a long way to go before I get remotely close to the kind of clean house I aspire to, but progress is being made.
