Living Room Before

Living Room After

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Bedroom Before

Bedroom After

The truth is that it’s been waaaay too long since I’ve vacuumed.  Like, weeks too long.  And I feel guilty about it.  I found some ants around last night and I’m sure there are more bugs lurking somewhere.  It’s got to be done.  It’s my one big goal for the day.  It won’t really take that long–probably 30-45 minutes for the whole apartment, tops.  I’ll feel so much better when it’s done.  Colin is about as interested in whether the floor is vacuumed as he is interested in going to a craft store, so he’s never going to get around to it.  The whole house will be cleaner because of the picking up it will take to get around to vacuuming.  It will be healthier for all of us.  I’m going to get it done.

Here’s the plan for un-procrastinating this task today:

1.Take a before picture.

2. Eat lunch

3. Put kids down for naps

4. Pick up floors as fast as I can, using my timer to get myself to do it fast

5. Move furniture, using timer again

6. Vacuum, using timer

7. Move furniture back, using timer

8. Take after picture

9. Post pictures on blog

10. Take kids swimming (the pool is open!!!)

I feel so peaceful when things are orderly that I'm sure if I could just remember the feelings I have when things are clean I wouldn't mind cleaning so much.  It would be a great motivator.  But somehow when it comes time to do the dishes or laundry or vacuuming cleaning becomes a nearly insurmountable task and the only way I can convince myself to do it is to tell myself that I don't have to do the whole thing–that I just have to start.

For example, I require myself to empty the dishwasher every morning.  I don't have to wash any dishes.  But simply starting with anything dishes-related and seeing the empty dishwasher gives me enough momentum that I rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher without even thinking nine times out of ten.  Then I notice that the counters are clear except for those crumbs, so I wipe down the counters and sink and often the stove, too.  If I have the time and I'm in the mood, sometimes emptying the dishwasher even extends to sweeping and mopping the floor!  But I only have to empty the dishwasher.  If I require myself to do more then I don't even begin.

Sonja, my mother-in-law, taught me a great lesson soon after Colin and I got married and I was struggling to get laundry done (yes, even with only two of us!).  I asked her how she managed to do it when she was a working mother, and she told me that she started one load in the morning before she left for work, switched it to the dryer when she got home, then folded and put it away before bed.  I haven't yet perfected this system in my own life, but I do think to myself in the morning "Hey, I can put just one load in the the washer.  No big deal."  This method has saved me from my cycle of doing no laundry until I had eight loads to do at once.  Thank you, Sonja!

Vacuuming is still a big problem for me.  How in the world can I motivate myself to vacuum?  The thing is heavy and makes a ton of noise that scares the kids.  Excuses, excuses–I know.  Really, I just dislike the chore.  I haven't figured out what my one little step I have to do is to get me motivated.  I'll let you know when I get it.