Home Sanctuary: What's in Your Pockets?

When my youngest child started school, I thought I would finally have the time to get organized. I'd have whole days to work on my photo albums, balance the checkbook, deep clean the closets and categorize all the stuff in the garage.

Unfortunately, that was right about the time that my man's job went buh-bye and we started scrambling to make ends meet. I printed up business cards and started painting anything that didn't move. I got a lucky break and got to do a Parade Home, and then things really got rolling. Suddenly, I was a working mom and I was (am) still struggling with getting organized.

Now, don't get me wrong, having a business like mine is really a dream come true. Getting to do something creative every day AND get paid for it is pretty sweet. But going up and down ladders, hauling bins of paint, setting up, breaking down, making samples and sketches at night and worrying about project schedules....all while trying to do the best job I could as a mom and a wife? Phew! Let's just say I'm tired a lot.

But what I've discovered is pockets.

Little pockets of time, here and there.

See, I rarely get big chunks of time to "get organized." But Pockets of Time, say 5, 10 or 15 minute pockets, can pop up at unexpected moments. Like when you're waiting for the highlights to activate on your Frost N Glo kit (or in my case, Root Touch Up Kit). Or waiting for someone to finish brushing their teeth so you can tuck them in. Or in between the nightly news and Wheel of Fortune. Or while talking on the phone.

Once, I made a list of all the things I could think of that could be done in 15 minutes or less. Many of the tasks were things that I never believed could fit into a pocket, so I timed myself just so I wouldn't have to add them to my list.

They fit.

Here are some of the things in my pockets:

Fold a load of clothes.
Unload a dishwasher.
Load a dishwasher.
Wipe down a sink and mirror.
Scrub a potty.
Clean the kitchen sink.
Pick up an entire room.
Make my bed.
Water the plants.
Straighten a junk drawer.
Read a story to a preschooler. (sometimes I would put it off, thinking I didn't have time...but it actually fits in a pocket, too!)
Shave my legs. (it counts as a task)
Clean a stove top.
Go through mail.
Make a bed.

Today's Small Thing is to see what you can fit into a pocket.

When you start to see all those giant, looming jobs for what they really are, they don't seem so bad. See? They can't be TOO big if they fit into a pocket!

All you have to do is fill two small pockets today...with any tasks of your choosing! Use any of the ones I've listed, or create your own list! I kept my list handy because I have a tendency to forget easily.