That one thing that can jumpstart your next cleaning project

 


Home.

Laundry. Dinner prep. Dishes. Sweeping. Toy pick-up. More laundry.

 

There are just some chores that, no matter the size of your family unit, require almost daily attention. And often it’s all we can do just to stay on top of those daily tasks.

 

You’ve got other housekeeping items you would like to get to. But they all seem to require more time that what you have on a Tuesday evening. If you find you are stuck in getting started on any of those big-sized cleaning projects in your home, then it's time to start small.

 

Look at the large project as a whole, and then break it down into smaller tasks that can be accomplished bits at a time. This will help you start to make progress without leaving the house feeling like it’s been pulled apart in the middle of a big undertaking.

 

For example, I know our kitchen cabinets need cleaned out, everything wiped down, and reorganized. I generally don't have a 2 hour chunk of time that I can devote to tackling this project. So, instead, I break it down into smaller steps and set a goal for when I want to get it done. That goal is vital because otherwise I may lose steam halfway through and never get it done! 

 

So, for the kitchen reset I’m giving myself a month. A couple days a week I will tackle a different cupboard. While the soup is cooking on the stove I’ll pull all of the spices out of the drawer, sweep it out, toss what’s gone bad, make a shopping list of what I’m low on, and then put everything back organized. The next time I have 10 minutes, I’ll do another cupboard. Eventually, the kitchen is reset, and I treat myself to some dark chocolate that I hid in the back of the cupboard for such a time as this.



Perhaps you’re in a state of life where even that seems overwhelming. However, the chaos of clutter in your house is almost a perceptible noise that you can’t quiet. What do you do? Again, start small. Set a timer for 10 minutes and clean out a junk drawer. Take a section of counter and clear it off, putting everything away, tossing junk mail, handing the kids miscellaneous items to take to their rooms, and then wipe it down with a clean rag for a final polish.

 

I think we sometimes stall ourselves into doing nothing because we believe the lie that if I can’t do it all right now, I might as well not do it at all.  But mountains are climbed by small steps, not leaps and bounds. And we can control our living space with small, intentional acts.

 

Even if it’s one small corner that is intentional and gives us peace of mind, we are still one step closer to having it where we want it to be. Let’s celebrate the small steps and see them for the big impact that they can give.

 

What space are you going to tackle this week?

 


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