Cleaning diaries Entry #1Beginning
I have had a growing sense of wanting to finally take control of my schedule in order to get things cleaned up. You see, I am really a very clean person stuck in a messy person's life. You would have to be one of us to even understand the statement, but for those of you who don't struggle, l will try to explain.
Overwhelm. That sums it up perfectly. Dealing with overwhelm is as all consuming as trying to tackle any new project. It is at the centre of everything you can see and it clouds your judgement.
I am a busy woman. I work about 55 - 60 hours on an average week, and it is spread out over 7 days. The nature of the jobs I have means that I am squeezing in my work where I can, often starting a second round of work at 8:30 at night when most people are sweeping their kitchen floor and organizing for the next day. Suffice it to say, when you have a day job, a part time business that you operate with your computer on your lunch breaks in the evenings and weekends, and you are on staff part time at the church... it is easy to become overwhelmed and housework starts to fade into a distant priority. Even though it is a top priority, work and family and social demands seem to push the housekeeping you want to do further and further down the list.
This produces a mild depression because everywhere you turn you see areas you and your husband are desperately trying to keep up with, but haven't quite maintained fully. You know you are both trying your best, but yet... the house suffers.
I should qualify that I am grateful to have work. There was a time I would have given ANYTHING to have work when I was unemployed. So, while my work demands are high, I need to be grateful in these times that I have work.
Now that you have a background as to why I am so overwhelmed and behind, and I suspect that my story is not unique, and that there are many with my story.
Let's start the Cleaning Diaries and journey together to a cleaner, happier home and life. I know that you are like me and you have an inner Clean Freak that is waiting to break free. I am not talking about an OCD kind of clean freak. That is delibitating to life, and no-body wants that sort of issue. Rather, I am referring to the inner Clean Freak that will naturally keep your life on track and make things easier to manage, therby producing some inner peace and freedom in life.
Your assignment today: Start a new inner dialogue. "I am the type of person who...." (Who has to clean the kitchen before bed, who has to dust the car, wipe the winter mud off the floor, etc, etc) Start talking to yourself as the kind of person you expect to be, and the kind of person you know you are deep down inside. DON'T let yourself say "how did that get so dirty? Of COURSE my family would leave that to get ruined. It figures my family is the one that is disorganized or not ready or messy, etc" You get the idea.
Later today I will try to post a new housekeeping assignment and/or reflection.
Thanks for Reading
Cassie
