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A "Tidy" Attitude
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Journey to Homemaker
I've discovered lately that there is a big connection between the condition of my home and my emotional state. When I keep up with the housework and everything looks at least a little tidy, I am calmer and happier. The better the house looks, the better I feel. If I let the house get cluttered during one afternoon and don't clean it up, my mood deteriorates quickly. By the next morning I'm in a terrible state. I let too many small things get to me, and it can get to the point that I break down and cry, or get depressed and shut myself up in the computer room.
For the first time in a very long time, for the last week or two, I have kept the house tidy more often than messy. It has really improved my emotional state and attitude so much that even my husband noticed.
One thing I have done to make a difference is not let myself say "I'll do it later." Instead I tell myself "I'll just put a few things away now." I either end up doing it all, because the hardest part is getting started, or I do a little bit whenever I pass through the room, and it gets done over a short time. When the kids are eating lunch, instead of sitting and relaxing, I clean the kitchen and organize some things, a little at a time. That does the most for keeping up with the kitchen...which is always the messiest room.
The hardest thing is to keep up with it. If I get busy and the kitchen gets messy all of a sudden, I am at risk of letting the whole house get sucked into a vortex of chaos. Flylady often talks about "hotspots". In my case this is so true. My big hotspot is the penninsula counter in the kitchen. If I let a mess "flame up" there, next thing I know the whole living/dining/kitchen area is one big inferno of chaos! With four small children, it doesn't take long for a mess to crop up, particularly with all the meals I need to make them.
A lot of the homemaking blogs I visit talk about how it takes 21 days to form a habit. Unfortunately I never seem to be able to maintain a new routine for more than four days. But I'm improving, at least!
I've discovered lately that there is a big connection between the condition of my home and my emotional state. When I keep up with the housework and everything looks at least a little tidy, I am calmer and happier. The better the house looks, the better I feel. If I let the house get cluttered during one afternoon and don't clean it up, my mood deteriorates quickly. By the next morning I'm in a terrible state. I let too many small things get to me, and it can get to the point that I break down and cry, or get depressed and shut myself up in the computer room.
For the first time in a very long time, for the last week or two, I have kept the house tidy more often than messy. It has really improved my emotional state and attitude so much that even my husband noticed.
One thing I have done to make a difference is not let myself say "I'll do it later." Instead I tell myself "I'll just put a few things away now." I either end up doing it all, because the hardest part is getting started, or I do a little bit whenever I pass through the room, and it gets done over a short time. When the kids are eating lunch, instead of sitting and relaxing, I clean the kitchen and organize some things, a little at a time. That does the most for keeping up with the kitchen...which is always the messiest room.
The hardest thing is to keep up with it. If I get busy and the kitchen gets messy all of a sudden, I am at risk of letting the whole house get sucked into a vortex of chaos. Flylady often talks about "hotspots". In my case this is so true. My big hotspot is the penninsula counter in the kitchen. If I let a mess "flame up" there, next thing I know the whole living/dining/kitchen area is one big inferno of chaos! With four small children, it doesn't take long for a mess to crop up, particularly with all the meals I need to make them.
A lot of the homemaking blogs I visit talk about how it takes 21 days to form a habit. Unfortunately I never seem to be able to maintain a new routine for more than four days. But I'm improving, at least!
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