One thing about living in a house with four kids, even with one away at university, there is always something to do. Something is out of place. Something needs to be done. Laundry. Dishes. Dusting. Cleaning. I'm forever living in a state of irritation with unfinished projects and clutter. To make my frustration worse, the only domestic chore I truly enjoy is folding laundry, it makes for wonderful meditation time. The rest? I clean, organize, purge and decorate in fits and starts through my days.
This year? With the help of Apartment Therapy I'm hoping to to construct a plan to increase my peace. It's taken a long time to realize, but more than anything my inner peace can be found only in an outer space of cleanliness and order.
Last week I pulled my cards for the New Year. My reading held within it a few really interesting insights. One of which was "decorate" which, after reading the full definition, made it clear that "clear the clutter" was the message. I spent 2013 clearing a lot of head and heart clutter. This year I think it's time for me to clear the physical clutter around me. This might be tougher than the work done last year! I have a number of habits that add to clutter: books, craft/art supplies, journals and projects.
THE FIRST STEP: Create a Project List
According to the site: The key is to not jump in and start doing, but to write a complete list of everything - big and small - needed to be fixed or improved within the house. This is just an initial assessment and not to be overwhelming. Just a list. Not one that has to be completed immediately.
Though I'm a bit late starting, I figured better late than never! I spent Sunday morning writing my list, from the top floor of my townhouse - where the boys reside (read: scary) - and made it all the way down to the basement and the garage. As for my back yard, which is not really a yard but a back deck, I just looked out the window and tried to remember what is located under the snow!
It took a little over an hour to complete the full 4-floors and 2500 square feet of home. I made what turns out to be a (surprisingly) not-too-overwhelming list of things that need to be completed to make me feel complete calm.
Three typed out pages.
Totally do-able. All sheets are now analyzed a bit closer and I've used my highlighters to prioritize the projects.
As much as I look forward to my kids all being home I often believe that while they're around they'll "help" me accomplish projects around the house. This holiday proved that they just want to sleep. I don't blame them! They work hard. So, it's really up to me to handle all but their spaces. Earlier this week all of the kids returned to school, and we all returned to routine.
Time for me to get busy completing the chores on my list!
