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| In case you thought I was kidding about the "mountain of laundry" - JUST the boys' stuff. |
I'm terrible at these things. I don't really make official "New Years Resolutions" because I know they'll be broken before the week's end. But there is one thing I absolutely MUST do this year - which is clean my shit up.
I am not a naturally organized or tidy person and neither is my husband. Together we're a disaster. And I hate the way our cluttered, messy home looks and impacts our kids. ("Wait a minute honey, we can't leave for school yet because your mother needs to find this very important paper in that pile of chaos over there.")
And this year I really NEED to do something about that. So of course, I turned to the internet for help.
I am NOT a "Flylady" type. I get hives just stopping by that site. But Joslyn of stark. raving. mad. mommy. is my type of woman, and she, in her own, likewise ADD-rific whirlwind of disorganization put out the call for help to her readers (Please Help Me: My New Year's Resolution is to Get Organized).
One of them pointed to this site: Unfuck Your Habitat (or UfYH for those who don't like to curse - obviously not me). Their tagline is: "Terrifying motivation for lazy people with messy homes" - PERFECT!
I also like their attitude, which is small goals, work for 20 minute chunks, then do 10 minutes of something else. Try for multiple rounds (but if one is all you can do at first, it's OK) and do it EVERY DAY.
From their site: "We deserve to live somewhere with nice things we love, and to have a clean, calm place to be, when we’re not at work or school or any of the fifty zillion other places we go."
AND: "...it’s about motivation, and support, and accountability."
And it's not just about housekeeping, it's universal: "And our homes aren’t the only things that need to be unfucked. Our finances, our jobs, our relationships: there’s no end to the things we can fuck up. The important thing to remember is that there is nothing that can’t be unfucked. You just have to do it."
So I've found my guru. The kind of inspiration I can live with: ironic, realistic. Written by my people for my people (messy, disorganized, drowning in inertia) with the simple credo of: Do. Something.
And that I can live with.
And I'm starting today. Just 20 minutes, right?
(After I get the laundry put away - TODAY, I promise!)
Unfuck your habits, I have NO problem saying that, admitting that. I MUST CHANGE.
ReplyDeleteThe laundry counts as your 20 minutes doesn't it? Good luck with the unfucking. Are there rules for safe unfucking? Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteI spent the days before the new year cleaning my shit up. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and the clutter and mess was just getting to me. I did a lot of organizing, sorting & throwing away. But there's more to be done.
ReplyDeleteYOU CAN DO IT VARDA!! YOU. CAN. DO. IT.
Oh, MAN. I live in a small house. With four other people. A lot of stuff. Few resources (monetarily speaking) and little time. I really love organization, but every day it alludes me, no matter how I try to make things better around here. ARGH. Good luck to you! It's SO HARD to take back your house. :) Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteClutter affects my mood and I find being organized makes living in and cleaning the house so much easier. I think the mistake people make is that they plan to "Get Organized." You don't just "get organized," you have to live organized, and that's a bigger challenge. I have done the 25-minutes a day thing, with a timer set, and it does help so much. A lot of clutter is about being/feeling busy or overwhelmed. When you see how you can actually do in just 25 minutes, it's so encouraging!
ReplyDelete