A looooooooooooong, long time ago, I cleaned my sink.
I thought “finally I am going to be tidy!”. I thought perhaps the days of living in fear that someone might want to, I don’t know, come inside the house at some point, might be over & that I would no longer be such an incredibly messy person…
I thought wrong.
I was bombarded with Flylady emails & when I changed that to just one email I deleted it without looking at it.
The shiny sink lasted maybe a week?
I’m looking into new motivational/domestic tools… because believe me, I need all the help I can get.
Because I am permanently attached to my iPod, the HomeRoutines app looks like a good choice… but do I REALLY want to pay six bucks?!
Chore Wars looks like fun for some, but not at all for me.
Habit Hacker looks cool, maybe even like something I could do… but will I be assed to look at it everyday…?!
How do you manage your domestic duties? Are you practically Martha Stewart or more like me & Louie the Fly? Tips welcome, my excuse that “Creative types are messy” is starting to wear thin… even with me.
I know so well what you mean!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm dreaming of the day when I will be able to NOT be shocked when somebody rings the doorbell and try everything to keep them out of the house (much easier in summer than in winter!) but instead stay calm and invite them in without having to think about all the dirty dishes, the floor that hasn't been vacuumed in weeks (well, it COULD be even months sometimes...), the dirty laundry - well, you know what I mean!
The thought of not having to clean three days (and I mean three whole days) before an overnight stay visit of friends and family always makes me want to learn how to get and STAY organised so soooo much.
So, since I thought it would be a good way to start with baby steps, I told my boyfriend (who is absent during the week due to his work) one week ago that I planned to do the dishes every day, or, at the latest (e.g. in case of me going out in the evening) the next morning.
Sounds good, doesn't it? Yeah, let me just tell you that I have already managed to accumulate the dishes of two days again...
I just try to see each day as a new chance to start a new routine, but I don't know if that will ever happen...
Problem is, I KNOW how I could/should do it, I just seem to be unable to GET myself doing it. I'm still waiting for the famous "click" in my head...
I wish you good luck and, if you happen to find a way that works for you, I would be very grateful if you share it with us!!!
Fine
I dont full stop!
ReplyDeleteDomestic Goddess I am not, only tonight my man asked Me to wash him some t=shirts and underwear as he has none clean.
The upside...............he's going commando ;o)
B x
How funny, I just now finished scrubbing the sink and thought I'd take a break from my cleaning jobs to read some blogs.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a Martha as I have never had a maid :)
I do come from a long line of neurotically clean women. I rebelled my 14th year but, after that went back to tidiness.
I was one of those people that had to have the house clean no matter what but, in the last few years I have come a long way and can occasionally be found walking through a rather wrecked house. Though it doesn't take too long till I go a bit batty and have to clean.
I find choosing one room, or one task per day helps. Oh say on Mondays, after the Mr. and PG have done their damage over the weekend, I pick up toys and clothes and papers off the floor. Not too much trouble. Next day I sweep etc.
This week I have decided full on cleaning was in order in hopes of coaxing spring out into the open. Ugh! I still have so far to go!
I'm not much help am I? Good luck to you Madam!
I tidy a bit every day. I don't like to but if I don't it is out of control. Dishes are done every night, mostly by DH which is a big help.
ReplyDeleteThursday night is cleaning night. Everyone in the house pitches in and tidies. In half an hour we can have hte house clean which is a great way to start the weekend.
I need to get the clutter off everything :( Clutter is my biggest issue.
Skipper domestic guru on FB is good, but I can't keep up with programmes like that very well.
She does a daily update on FB with a list of set tasks, usually one room per day.
I had to look up Flylady on wikipedia to know what you meant! I don't know any secrets - in the same boat right now - but I think it's one of those "finding what fits for you" things. I saw apartment therapy had a "21 day cure" project about cleaning and clearing out (and also taking a day off to buy flowers sometimes which at least sounded a bit more pleasant), but haven't actually done it...
ReplyDeleteOh I hate cooking and cleaning. Today I broke the vacuum cleaner. The smell of burning plastic and sparks is enough cleaning for one day
ReplyDeletelol I think that I remember the time that you cleaned your sink ;)
ReplyDeleteHow do I cope? I follow the principle of the magnet on my fridge..."Dull women have immaculate houses" Let's just say, I'm far from dull apparently :P
Vic, THANK YOU, for normalising me! I feel shit that I am a crap organiser and tidier. It annoys me that I am not efficient at cleaning, can't follow routines (I like a bit of spontaneity). I have no answers, and am often paralysed by indecision and ineffectiveness. Hopefully my despair gives you some comfort! (i too am the creative type...)
ReplyDeleteI suck at housekeeping. I'm far too lazy. I've subscribed to a few home-making blogs for inspiration but there hasn't been much success yet.
ReplyDelete'Cause, you know, I actually have to get up and *do* some housework, not just read about it.
I HATE cleaning. I think part of what i hate about it is that 1. i don't think I do it well and 2. you just have to do it again and again and again. It pains me. We constantly argue about getting a cleaner- Chef against it me all for it... but I have no answers, i think it is worse wehn you are home full time as ther is an expectation that you do more AND you see more to do... I am tidy, Chef is untidy however he cleans better than me but isn't great at the tidying bit. it works well most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI always say- when poeple come over for dinner- Chef cooks but i do ambience.
I really suck at housework. I get all fired up to do some (I've shined my sink) but I always run out of motivation before I finish and then it all falls apart again...
ReplyDeletei have no f ing idea, my messiness is spiralling out of control. when you work it out Vic, let me know!
ReplyDeleteI think I am somewhat of a happy medium between clean freak and don't give a damn. I do daily cleans (I vacuum at least once a day) and then weekly cleans (toilets, showers, bathrooms, etc) and then monthly cleans (windows, oven etc).
ReplyDeleteWith three kids under four it doesn't always go according to plan...but as I tell many people. It's my mess...I'll clean it when I want.
i bet you think that I must be a dommestic goddess with a perfectly shiny home..but I must confess, i hate housework.
ReplyDeleteI am sitting here now procrastinating & knowing that i NEED to start cleaning, I mean it is the end of the week and all, but I'd rather sip on another cup of tea!
my mum & sister are OCD with housework & when they come over I feel like that messy sheep of the family but I can't be like them.
My family don't pack things away, they take shoes off & just leave them there, toys everywhere, dirty handprints on things, three full laundry baskets begging to be folded & packed away, it's a mad house here most of the time.
so in answering your question...life is too short to stress over the shiny sink, enjoy your cuties & smile.
♥
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ReplyDeleteSorry darl, that last comment was meant for Pea Soup. Anyhoot, cleaning. Hmmm. I can do it. Sometimes I even like doing it but it never feels like a job done when the family just craps it up again. It's never ending. Once done I want everyone to leave the house so I can bask in my clean house over a cup of tea and 15 lousy minutes.
ReplyDeleteHow I manage:
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear that someone is actually coming to my house, which is probably as seldom as to yours, I fly into a panic and enlist every last child in an emergency "pick up and shove as much in the cupboards as possible".
I never invite people in. Not even the church people who rock up on the door step, whens its 3 degrees, wet and windy. I *want* to, but I know that my limited seating for 4 has cats or crafts in three spots. My butt occupies the 4th.
ReplyDeleteExpected visitors can be assured that in the hour prior to the estmated arrival time I will have decluttered the visible mess (us a hidden room) and made sure the toilet is flushed! And I always forget to dust the guest mugs, coz you know..I have hot drink drinking guests soooooo often ;)
On the other hand, reading blogs like this and seeing pictures, I'm starting to wonder just what a NORMAL everyday house looks like. Coz its starting to become apparent that I'm NOT the worst housekeeper in the world.
Maybe I'll do wash those dusty mugs...before I get...sidetracked..oh look...shiny..
Honey, you will cet there. It takes time adjusting to everything and finding a balance that you are happy with. I am a terrible house wife. I am finding that domestic guru is good although a work a week behind her (I see what she is doing and write it in my diary for the following week) I need to learn to put thongs away as I go and really need to declutter. This house is slot smaller than our last two and I don't have a room for my craft stuff or study and the housecalways feels messy.
ReplyDeleteI am terrible! I even dedicated a post to HOW terrible I am at being tidy.
ReplyDeleteMe too, a drop out that is. I like the idea, the theory is sound, the reality bites big time. My biggest downfall I think is actually the base level of clutter in my house so I've given the Flylady the flick until the house has at least half the clutter gone and then maybe she might get another look in. I also sort of have an objection to someone else telling me to clean my house and which bits when, I really should get over it. On the other hand, somebody mentioned Domestic Guru....
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes right down to it, the only way my house would be "clean" all the time was if I paid someone to do it and honestly it's never going to happen so, mess and low level grot is the way it is. Except when I know someone is coming and the bathroom sink (generally covered in mud) and the toilet (also with mud in it) and the kitchen sink get the once over to make them "socially acceptable" Good thing my friends accept me and like me for me and not my cleaning habits!