Hey, it's a new year! It's time to get more organized, right?
One of the things that surprised me about becoming an "Empty Nester" is that my house is not any cleaner than it used to be, even though I have more time to clean.
I guess having more time doesn't make me like cleaning any better. What a sad thing to realize...that I'm just naturally messy. Fortunately, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help me keep my house "clean enough," a level that seems to work just fine, and is usually "company ready," at least in the main areas.
So, if you're naturally messy like me, you might yearn for more time, more energy or more enthusiasm for scrubbing to help you dig out from your piles of clutter. But before we guzzle a double-shot espresso for that shot in the arm, let's consider how we got here in the first place.
First, you are in good company.
Millions of smart, capable and attractive people struggle with creating order in their homes. Lack of organization does not mean that you are less intelligent or less worthy than those whose homes seem spotless at any given moment. Let's just say that we ALL have our issues.
Organizationally Challenged people are often perfectionists.
We need the right containers, proper storage and ample time to put things in order. When none of these planets align, they cannot complete the tasks at hand. I fall into this category, which I call the Messy Perfectionist.
Messy people are often "People" People.
Our social obligations and personal desire to meet the needs of others outweigh the need to clean. If someone needs a shoulder to cry on, you are the person for the job because organizing can always wait.
We are savers.
We want to hold on to precious memories of our children, so we keep burp cloths and broken toys, and every scribbled picture and craft they ever made. We keep old Halloween costumes and Christmas outfits, just because they were soooo adorable in them. We hang on to Grandma's baking pans and Aunt Martha's sewing machine because we are keepers of the family mementos. But all that stuff can keep you from enjoying life when it starts suffocating you.
We are busy.
Our plates are so full, there is only so much you can do. We rush from one obligation to another, with scarcely a moment in between. Family activities are important, but they can wreak havoc on household management.
OK, we have some bad habits.
We think of our homes as a place to "relax and hang out," like when we were kids. We let things go so long that it seems impossible to even begin. We see housework as drudgery.
And maybe we lack focus.
We start cleaning one thing, see something else that needs our attention, and before you know it, the original item is long forgotten. Plus, Facebook just sent you an alert that someone commented on your status.
Sometimes we simply see housekeeping as not worth the effort.
It will just get messy again, so why bother? Besides, there are so many more important and interesting things to do, it is hard to take the time to do such boring, menial tasks.
There can be scores of reasons that your house gets out of control, but the result is almost always the same.
Disorder affects your family's ability to function, it brings friction to your relationships, and robs your family of peace.
If it's any comfort, most people struggle in this area to some degree. But we Company Girls want to be free of this, and that's why I'm sharing my strategies with you.
So where do we start??
Today, we'll start with a prayer. If you are like me, you might be sick of bringing the same "GOD HELP ME!" prayer to Him, but we need to realize that He really does care about us. He wants us to come a million times to Him, if that's what it takes, because He knows that dependence on Him is a good thing. He WILL help you. He wants you to have peace and joy in your home.
Next, institute Minimum Maintenance.
What's Minimum Maintenance, you ask?? Well, I've made you read enough already, so I'll talk about that on Friday. Stay tuned....help is on the way.
Question for you: Do you see yourself in any of the above characteristics? How does this thinking affect your ability to organize and keep house?
