I'm a perfectionist procrastinator.
For example. there's a task that needs completing. Let's say it's unloading the dishwasher. But I don't see just that task. The way I see it, I need to clean the counters first to have a clean space to set stuff on as I unload. And if I'm cleaning the counters, I should clean the stove. And since the microwave is right above the stove I should probably just wipe that down, too. And, boy, the sink is looking kind of dirty, I should give that a big scrub down. And the table--where did all that clutter come from? Junk mail, bills, kid art work, etc. I should organize all that, too...
Wait, what needed to be done? I don't remember and I don't have the time to clean the entire kitchen now so I'll just come back to it later.
Does anyone else suffer from this?
Even though I suffer from this "affliction," I'm learning how to deal with it.
The biggest thing that has helped me is getting a baseline in our home. This involved a pretty massive overhaul, but it was spread out over a couple of weeks. But cleaning the house and de-cluttering and getting things back to a manageable place was essential to moving forward.
While giving my home that overhaul, the most helpful thing I did was take one room at a time and deal with it in its entirety. Because I can't tell you how many times I'm addressing one room and I take an item from it to put it away in another room and suddenly I start cleaning in the new room and lose focus of where I was. And at the completion of an hour I have about 10 projects started and nothing is finished. So, while I'm in a room, let's say my son's room, I make piles. But I don't leave that room, I stay and finish the job I started. Then I address whatever piles I may have.
Another thing that helped was to change my thinking. Cleaning and organizing doesn't have to overwhelm, it's all in how I look at it. Sure, there are times that my kitchen needs to big cleaning, but not every time the dishwasher needs to be emptied. Sometimes a task is just what it is. And nothing more.
A few other tips for maintaining an organized home:
- Baskets. I have baskets everywhere. They are a great tool for helping to keep things organized (especially toys) and they look cute, too.
- My closet is a constant struggle. One tip I've read on various blogs (and Pinterest) is to turn all your hangers in your closet so they face out. You do this one time and anytime you take something out to wear, when you return it to the closet, hang it the normal way. At the completion of a year (to get through all seasons), whatever hangers are still facing the wrong way, donate those clothes (or have a clothing swap--I love this idea!). Because if you haven't worn those things in a year, you're probably not going to wear them.
- Keep your counters and tables clean. What I mean by that is don't let those spaces that typically accumulate clutter (think junk mail, bills, magazines, just PAPER of any kind) do so. Recycle junk mail immediately (or even stop some of it--opt out of phone books, here), shred bills or other documents that might have personal information on it right away if you don't need them for documentation (especially if you pay a lot of bills online, the paper documents are typically duplicates of statements you probably already have via email or your online account). Or if you have a file for those papers, place them in it, right away. We have a wall organizer that I love because it keeps things off the table and because it's not huge, it forces me to organize on a regular basis. The key? Take action right away--if you don't let things accumulate, then that mountain of paper won't appear.
- Kids art work. My daughter just completed her first year of preschool and I can't believe the amount of paper that came home with her daily. There are a lot of great tips on managing this (great idea here and here) and I have a post coming up on how I tackled all her masterpieces...so stay tuned! But once again, the biggest tip I can suggest is to have a plan and deal with it right away. Don't let a year's worth of artwork pile up before you decide how--or if--you're going to archive it.
- Jewelry organization--I (obviously) have a lot to say about this...see my post about it here.
A clean home is a happy home...well, come on, a happy home is a happy home. But a clean and organized home makes me feel good. And whatever I can do to feel good I'm in, are you?
xo Sara