Maybe you've just had a baby. Maybe you've been depressed. Maybe you've just been plain lazy and really don't have an excuse at all. Maybe the entire family has just gotten over the stomach flu. Either way, your home is a mess. Not just a little untidy, not just a little sticky in spots, but a giant, bona-fide mess. So messy, in fact, that you don't even know where to start to remedy it. Your spirits are low, your children and husband are antsy, and you are still sitting in your pajamas, staring bewilderdly at your living room wondering how you'll ever get the energy and motivation to fix this giant mess.
With that in mind, I have come up with a plan for an "emergency" cleaning plan designed to give you a little push to get things whipped in to shape. This is not designed as a long-term solution, but rather a nudge in the right direction. Any die-hard flybabies (http://flylady.com) probably shouldn't read this at all; you'll be far to busy cringing to even get through it!
I've designed it in a number of steps, since I am a chronic list maker and I think things are easier to accomplish if they are laid out in a simple format. So, are you ready to take your home back? Good! Here we go!
1. Pick one room in your house that you would like clean. I usually like to start with either the kitchen, because it's always the messiest, or the bedroom because I use it as my sanctuary, and love having it clean.
2. Turn on the radio or your CD player. Or your MP-3 player if you are technologically advanced and have one of those things. Pick something up-beat and very rock & roll to listen to. Something that will pep you up!
3. Divide the room and any clutter in to quarters. Simply walk down the middle of the room, pushing things to one side and the other with your feet. Then walk across the room, doing the same. You should end up with four clearly-defined areas.
4. Give yourself three songs to work within each quadrant. Work as quickly as you can, and if you finish one step before the song is over, move on to the next.
a) SONG ONE:
Pick up anything that doesn't belong in the room. Is there anything
that needs to go into the laundry? Anything that needs to go in the
dishwasher? Anything that belongs in the bedroom? Any
"miscellaneous?" If you don't know where it goes, simply put it in
a plastic grocery bag and hang it on a door handle in another room
(hey, I said this wasn't a long-term solution, didn't I? lol...)
B) SONG TWO:
Time to actually clean. Give any furniture in the area a quick dust,
vacuum, wipe down anything sticky that has mysteriously become
glued to anything. Throw away any garbage. Organize what you can;
re-stack the books on the shelf, straighten the cushions on the
couch, put all the mail you need to deal with in a little box.
C) SONG THREE:
This is your catch-up time. Is there anything you didn't get done
the first two songs? Get it done now. If you have finished, good
for you! Go have a glass of water and catch your breath.
5. Complete the three-song method for the other three quadrants.
6. Now, look around the room? What still needs to be done? If you are finished and the room looks fairly good, congratulations! You get to skip the next step!
7. If there is still some work to be done, give yourself one or two more songs to get done what you can.
8. Time for a break, and time to get out of the house! Everyone feels better when they get a little sunlight and fresh air, so bundle up the kiddies and get in the car. Drive to the grocery store or to Wal-Mart, where you will purchase the following: something for the house, something for you, and a treat. Oh, and something for the kids if they've been good! Don't feel like you have to spend a whole bunch of money, either. All three things can be purchased for under five dollars if you're careful! My favorite combination would be, however: a small scented candle (for the house), a cherry lip-smackers lip gloss (for me) and a candy bar (a treat).
9. Go back home, and enjoy your new treats in your nice clean room. Doesn't that feel better? And now that you see how nice one room can look in under about 30 minutes, maybe you'll feel motivated to do it again in another room. And now that you've been out and about, maybe you'll find that you have just a teeny bit more energy than before.
Remember, do your best, try to keep it up, and don't forget that we all have those periods in our lives where nothing seems to go right, and our home keeping suffers. Don't feel bad about it, just fix it and move on when you think you can.
With that in mind, I have come up with a plan for an "emergency" cleaning plan designed to give you a little push to get things whipped in to shape. This is not designed as a long-term solution, but rather a nudge in the right direction. Any die-hard flybabies (http://flylady.com) probably shouldn't read this at all; you'll be far to busy cringing to even get through it!
I've designed it in a number of steps, since I am a chronic list maker and I think things are easier to accomplish if they are laid out in a simple format. So, are you ready to take your home back? Good! Here we go!
1. Pick one room in your house that you would like clean. I usually like to start with either the kitchen, because it's always the messiest, or the bedroom because I use it as my sanctuary, and love having it clean.
2. Turn on the radio or your CD player. Or your MP-3 player if you are technologically advanced and have one of those things. Pick something up-beat and very rock & roll to listen to. Something that will pep you up!
3. Divide the room and any clutter in to quarters. Simply walk down the middle of the room, pushing things to one side and the other with your feet. Then walk across the room, doing the same. You should end up with four clearly-defined areas.
4. Give yourself three songs to work within each quadrant. Work as quickly as you can, and if you finish one step before the song is over, move on to the next.
a) SONG ONE:
Pick up anything that doesn't belong in the room. Is there anything
that needs to go into the laundry? Anything that needs to go in the
dishwasher? Anything that belongs in the bedroom? Any
"miscellaneous?" If you don't know where it goes, simply put it in
a plastic grocery bag and hang it on a door handle in another room
(hey, I said this wasn't a long-term solution, didn't I? lol...)
B) SONG TWO:
Time to actually clean. Give any furniture in the area a quick dust,
vacuum, wipe down anything sticky that has mysteriously become
glued to anything. Throw away any garbage. Organize what you can;
re-stack the books on the shelf, straighten the cushions on the
couch, put all the mail you need to deal with in a little box.
C) SONG THREE:
This is your catch-up time. Is there anything you didn't get done
the first two songs? Get it done now. If you have finished, good
for you! Go have a glass of water and catch your breath.
5. Complete the three-song method for the other three quadrants.
6. Now, look around the room? What still needs to be done? If you are finished and the room looks fairly good, congratulations! You get to skip the next step!
7. If there is still some work to be done, give yourself one or two more songs to get done what you can.
8. Time for a break, and time to get out of the house! Everyone feels better when they get a little sunlight and fresh air, so bundle up the kiddies and get in the car. Drive to the grocery store or to Wal-Mart, where you will purchase the following: something for the house, something for you, and a treat. Oh, and something for the kids if they've been good! Don't feel like you have to spend a whole bunch of money, either. All three things can be purchased for under five dollars if you're careful! My favorite combination would be, however: a small scented candle (for the house), a cherry lip-smackers lip gloss (for me) and a candy bar (a treat).
9. Go back home, and enjoy your new treats in your nice clean room. Doesn't that feel better? And now that you see how nice one room can look in under about 30 minutes, maybe you'll feel motivated to do it again in another room. And now that you've been out and about, maybe you'll find that you have just a teeny bit more energy than before.
Remember, do your best, try to keep it up, and don't forget that we all have those periods in our lives where nothing seems to go right, and our home keeping suffers. Don't feel bad about it, just fix it and move on when you think you can.
2 comments:
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This was just what I needed to read today. My house is SCARY right now and this strategy sounds like it will work for me. :) Fun yet productive...
I love your emergency cleaning plan! I am a former flybaby, but had to change that a bit once my little girl arrived on the scene last year. ;o) This plan seems much more do-able when those occasional nutty days come and mess up my good home routine.
The picture you used on this post is great. :o)
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