Return to Clean
I took an unplanned blogging break, for no reason other than months of children-induced sleep deprivation catching up on me (and Masterchef Australia filling my small amount of “recreation” time). Baby Little Miss and Toddler Little Man have been ganging up on me to minimise the amount of sleep I get! Things are on the improve though, so I’m trying to get some order back in my life.
Cleaning got put on the back-burner along with blogging when I was feeling exhausted (and rightly so!), and I was doing the bare minimum to keep the house in order – really only laundry and keeping the kitchen hygienic, with occasionally cleaning something if it really started to get on my nerves.
The state of the house was getting me down, and I felt so overwhelmed I didn’t know where to start. So of course, my solution was to procrastinate and so the downward spiral continued.
One of my procrastination tools is an internet parenting forum. A week or so ago, I read a post asking how to catch up on housework when your routine gets out of whack. One commenter said (in that blunt way reserved for the anonymity of the internet), “How long is actually going to take to do? 3-4 hours? Just do it!”, with an implied “and stop stuffing around on the internet!”.
This was just the shove I need (plus slightly more sleep). The next day, I just got into it, and cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed and dusted. Not perfectly, but just a quick run-through to get the ball rolling. Wow, did my outlook on life suddenly become more positive!
Since then, I’ve tried to tackle the annoying jobs each day, and avoid the internet until I’m done. Slowly I’m getting back in control. It’s spilling into other areas of my life too. With a more positive outlook, I’m cooking more interesting meals, am having more fun with the kids and my crafty inspiration is returning too. Shock horror: I’ve even done some exercise!
It will still be a while before I feel totally in control (maybe when the kids start school in a few years?), but my attitude has improved and I feel so much better.
Have you been staying on top of your housework? What has sparked you to get back in order when things got out of control?
I think we have all been there at some point. I know exactly what you mean. For me when I start to feel that way (I usually stuff around the internet) I make it a rule that I can only check all my stuff once in the morning and once before bed. I also limit myself on T.V. I hate it when I get in a rut but I know when enough is enough and kick myself in the butt. I also use alot of Flylady cleaning techniques in my cleaning and they really help. For me I need a list. For some reason I am much more productive if I can check something off. I am glad you are feeling better and back. Looking forward to your post!