Monday, March 3, 2014

Speed Cleaning

I have not been working the past two weeks and I am preparing to return to work with a former employer on Tuesday. During the past two weeks I have been doing major cleaning and organizing around the house to make life easier. I was inspired to clean and organize my own home after spending some time cleaning, purging and organizing at my parents home.  My Mom was diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia in the spring and before her diagnosis she spent most of her time purchasing items that she has never used and my Dad was unaware that this was happening (that is a post for another day).  The house is not at the stage of a hoarder, but every nook and cranny of  that house is filled with unnecessary stuff that is not being used or will never be used.
Mom likes books, especially self help books.  Dieting books and cleaning  books have her book shelves overflowing. This is a sampling of some of the cleaning and organizing books that I brought into my house hoping to help me kick the clutter habit.
 I started to read some of these books and was becoming discouraged because some of the actions they suggest are ridiculous, time consuming and not made for real people.  However, what I did take away was cleaning for 15 minutes.  I fall into the excuse trap of saying I do not have enough time to do this or that.  I did take away a helpful hint that does work. It involves setting a timer for 15 minutes and working on a small project such as a drawer or cabinet for 15 minutes and then stopping when you hear the timer.  You stop whether or not you have completed the task.  If you have additional time to complete the task, set the timer for another 10 or 15 minutes and work some more, but do not continue without an end time.  It is amazing how motivating and rewarding this type of cleaning can be.  It makes cleaning a game of beat the clock. This method is very helpful if you are prone to "Cleaning ADD", the affliction where you go from room to room starting projects and never finishing any (I am sure I am not the only person with this affliction). This simple rule allowed me to organize my china cabinet catch all cabinets, home to glass ware and miscellaneous junk. The photo may not be magazine worthy, but is a huge improvement.
  BEFORE
AFTER

This is a cabinet in the kitchen that is home to craft supplies, coloring books, candles and my address book.  My children have not opened a coloring book in seven years, but I had about twenty-five stashed in this cabinet with a container filled with thousands of crayons.  Cleaning these two cabinets took less than forty-five minutes, but I had been putting it off because I never had "enough time".  I also cleaned my linen closet and organized the bathroom cabinets, each taking less than 30 minutes
BEFORE
AFTER

 Getting rid of the clutter gives you a feeling of control. It may not surprise you, but now my family can find any item they want.   Keep your kitchen timer handy and get to work! You will be amazed at what you can accomplish. I tried this method on my children and it worked for them also.  This could be the miracle cure for our messiness.