2011 Making more of life (1): HOUSE WORKS

2011 Making more of life (1)
(1) is HOUSE WORKS.


Why?  Let's pretend.  Here's where we live....

....a clean and comfortable home, fragrant, and a joy to be in, 

with space to work creatively, or relax, with inspiring artwork and music....

Nice?  Oh hey.  That's the dream, you wouldn't care for the reality.  Trust me.

I live in a big muddle.  BIG.  And I'm prone to major understatements. 
This cannot go on.  So (with a little help from blogland) this is what I'm going to do

1. Analyse what (A) makes me unhappy and (B) stops me having fun.
2. Make a plan to tackle (A) and have more (B)
3. Share the plan and share responsibility for actioning it with the person I live with 

Analysis
FACTS

• We live in a big muddle
• I'm ashamed, embarrassed, and depressed about this
• I have very good reasons *for letting things slide
• Living in a (constant) mess depresses me my creative joyful and purposeful nature
• Visitors say OMG.  Or how can you live like this.  Or leave
• I like a clean house
• I don't like (wasting my time) cleaning
• I want to play more (and clean less)

THE WORST OFFENCES

• Not clearing up as we make a mess i.e. take a bath, cook a meal, sew a quilt, etc.
• Bringing in ten bags of shopping and stepping over it for two days until it drives me mad and I chuck it into the cupboards and fridge which is (still) stuffed with five consecutive cabbages
• Letting the clean and dirty laundry breed until it takes over every room in the house
• Being addicted to covering every available surface with stuff
• Letting the dirt dishes breed and take over the house until we resort to using the camping gear
• Bringing home more stuff and leaving it in carrier bags and boxes until there is no room and having to look in the bags and boxes before I can remember what was so important that it had to be brought home so urgently.

The Plan
Rules for our tidy house

• if something comes in something goes out
• if something comes in it finds it a home straightaway
• bedtime routine - ten two minute tidy-up
• bathtime routine - ten two minute tidy-up
• mealtime routine - ten minute tidy-up including sweep the floors
• laundry routine - clean and dry and back in the drawer by bedtime
• the only surface to be covered in stuff is the one in use right now, i.e. when cooking
• pre-shopping routine - check and clear the food storages no more 'five consecutive cabbages' scenarios,(don't ask)
• shopping routine - put it all away before the kettle/tv/computer goes on

and two others Keep the Kitchen Sink Clean and Empty, and Nothing to be Left on The Stairs

Phew, feeling better already;)

"I have *very good reasons *for letting things slide" see 2011 Making more of life (2)