| Feeling Alive, Vibrant and Well: Bringing Balance into Your Life | |
by Jennifer Whitney, from the August 2006 newsletter
Part 1: Housework
How many of our activities are enhancing and fulfilling our lives?
Do we find ourselves mostly doing three or four activities that are necessary,
but also time consuming? Are you able to find the time you need for yourself?
I'll cover some major categories that take up our time followed by some ideas
to return that time to you, to use in ways that keep you feeling alive, vibrant
and well.
Housework
-Eliminate or reduce your clutter. Forty percent of our cleaning time is spent shuffling junk around just so we can clean the areas under the junk. This doesn't even count the time we spend looking for things we need that are lost in those piles. You will feel more at peace if you have less junk to be worrying about and tripping over. (If you need more motivation, read Clutter's Last Stand; for a step-by-step guide, read Not For Packrats Only, both by Don Aslett.)
-Make sure everything has a place and always put it there. The biggest cause of clutter is that the items don't have a home; they are stashed, stacked, shoved and stored in random places all throughout the house. If you love it or need it, give it a home.
-Cut your wardrobe in half. Get rid of everything you hate, remotely dislike, isn't your color or style, doesn't fit you, is ripped, broken or missing something (unless you actually plan to fix it today), is high maintenance, and don't need. Also get rid of anything you haven't worn in the past year. The clothes you do keep will be the ones you enjoy, feel good about yourself in, and it will be much easier to find and use them.
-One towel and one washcloth per person per week. If your family is using towels right and left, this will greatly reduce the amount of laundry you wash. It will save water, time and money.
-Jennifer's personal "Are my clothes still clean" check: if it smells or looks dirty, then wash it. If not, they are worn on another day. We too often wash clothes just because they have been worn; let's wash them because they need to be cleaned! If you've cut your wardrobe in half, and assigned family members towels, your laundry chore could be close to mine at 3-5 loads a month. (Note: I have 3 children under the age of 8.)
-Dishes: eliminate the extras. Do you really need 6 casserole dishes? How about 40 spoons? Dull knives, broken kitchen gadgets, hard to use cheese graters, 600 used cottage cheese containers, without lids? Again, if you haven't used it in the past year, get rid of it!
-You use it, you wash it. This method of dishwashing can put a dent in that dish pile, especially if we are persistent with our children. My children still don't wash right after they use, but if they want to use another plate at the next meal, I require they wash the old one first.
-Use a highly effective doormat. Eighty percent of the dirt in our homes is tracked in. A good doormat will save you much dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping. For the best kind on the market, try AstroTurf® doormats. My dejunking guru, Don Aslett, tested these and found the results leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
- Let go of perfection; have reasonable expectations for yourself. It is exhausting having to constantly keep a "dirty" house in check; especially if our definition of dirty was set forth in the advertisements of cleaning product manufacturers. Unbeknownst to us, they have provided our culture with the standards of cleanliness we judge ourselves by; spotless glassware, mirror like windows, flower scented bathrooms, the whitest whites, the softest soft and the like. We must ignore those, and allow ourselves our own realistic expectations. Start with questions like, "Is my home easily usable and do I feel at peace there?" Find what works for you, so you can devote your energies to bringing balance and well-being to your life.
Other categories I'll cover: Children, Job, Significant Other, Parents/Extended Family/Friends, Volunteer Work.
Sources:
Clean in a Minute; by Don Aslett
Living the Simple Life and Simplify Your Life; both by Elaine
St. James
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