Thirty Minutes of Maintenance

Something has got to be done about this mess.

Where do you begin when the whole house is a disaster area and you have a million things on your mind? Should you begin at the front door and work your way in, or start at the back of the house and work your way out? Should you purchase a new planner and set up a schedule? Maybe get all the laundry done? Go to the store and buy storage solutions for all the stuff that’s piled up here and there? It’s easy to be overwhelmed by it all, and to just sit down with a bag of chips and do nothing. But that won’t alleviate the situation at hand. It’s time to take action!

I have read so many books on how to get one’s house and life under control, it’s downright embarrassing. Some were filled with brilliant ideas, and some have been disappointing. But I believe that by combining the best of what I have read, maybe I can make some progress in my quest to get organized. I already made great strides on my closet when I implemented the ten item wardrobe plan. So let’s see where this leads.

The trouble with major decluttering operations and cleaning marathons is that, while I am working on one part of the house, the rest of the place gets totally out of control. After all, laundry still has to be done, meals need to be prepared, and dishes must be washed. Life goes on, even when one is in the midst of combating clutter. So my first strategy is Thirty Minutes of Maintenance, before getting seriously involved in anything else. I will throw a load of laundry into the washing machine so that it will be working for me while I spend about five minutes in each room tidying up. This is not the time for mopping floors or cleaning cupboards; it’s just a quick pick-up. Now admittedly, before any decluttering has been done, this may not make much difference, but at least a few things will get put away, and I will see other things that can be added to my to-do list for the future (more on this to come). So what can be done in five minutes? Here are some ideas:

Thirty Minutes of Maintenance

• Unload the dishwasher and reload with breakfast dishes.
• Empty the dish rack.
• Change the tablecloth.
• Pick up and put away stray items.
• Make the bed.
• Put dirty clothes in the hamper.
• Throw away loose trash.
• Wipe off the bathroom sink.
• Empty trash cans.

Once I finish my Thirty Minutes of Maintenance, I can sit down with a cup of coffee, check my calendar, and make my battle plan for the day. I have already accomplished something, and the day has just begun! I can do this! Next up: A Strategy of Attack.