Random Gets the Job Done
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Homemaking on Thursday, April 30, 2009 1:00 PM
Thanks to Sr. Patricia, I think the Dr. Wicked writing tool is going to become a new friend of mine. I’ve spent too much time staring at blank documents, waiting for the words to come, when I know well enough that the only way to produce them is to jump right in.
It works with housework, too!
Before I had kids, I used to attack my chores systematically. But after my daughter’s arrival I learned very quickly that if I waited until I had time to clean the whole kitchen, the kitchen would never get cleaned.
So now I use a system that is more like the absence of a system. Un-cleaning, you could call it. It works like this: if I have a minute, I do a housecleaning task. Any task that’s nearby. And if I keep at it, I eventually get the work done.
I do prioritize somewhat - diaper laundry must be washed and the dishwasher must be run if we are to have clean diapers and dishes - but even those tasks are accomplished in bits and pieces.
If I’m walking through a room and happen not to have a baby in my arms or a toddler on my leg, I pick up things and return them to their places as I go. If I have a spare moment, I run downstairs and switch the laundry or step into the kitchen and wash a pan.
I had to get used to the system, which felt very disorganized and random at first, but now I like it. It has become second nature to me to clean as I go, and if I’m lucky and we have a calm day, I don’t have to face a mess after we get the kids in bed. That prospect in itself is enough to motivate me!
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