Somedays I feel like I’m trapped in a bad Cinderella story. The clutter seems to take over and I feel like I’m drowning in mess. No matter how hard I try to overcome the Chaos, I cannot find a way out.
I know I’m not the only one who feels like this. Millions of women fall prey to the clutter overtaking their life. Daily we search for the magic key to find our way out of the mess. We read books and visit websites about cleaning, organizing, and overcoming this part of our lives.
I have read many books myself, frequented websites like Flylady.net, and attempted to put into action tons of plans to help me get organized and learn the important aspects of housekeeping. Each time I have failed. These same things that have worked for tons of women, do not work for me.
So where to start when you are overwhelmed, overworked and overly stressed? Where do you start on the days when it’s just too much to get out of bed and face the mess in your home? What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
I have learned that the first thing I should do is take my mess to the Lord. I pray and ask God for guidance, allow Him to work His magic on my life. While He is healing my clutter on the inside, I work on our home.
Second thing I do is pick a place and just start. For instance, today I cleaned out a cabinet in my bedroom, refolding the clothes inside, threw out the clothes I no longer like, and I went through a file of photos that were stashed in there too. It wasn’t much but it made a big impact on my bedroom.
I find that my time on the computer takes a lot from my day, preventing me from getting things done that I need to. In order to prevent this distraction in my life, I have been limiting how much time I am spending on this time waster. This is allowing me more time to get my housework done.
Small things, like investing in a dishwasher have helped me a lot, too. Instead of washing dishes, I am able to load the dishwasher and then get something else done while the dishes are being washed by the machine. This is something my children are also able to help out with giving me even more time to work on other tasks that need done.
I distribute easier tasks to my children. I have them pick up their own messes as soon as they are done. They help our preschooler put her things where they belong. They are being taught that living in a home requires everyones help to keep it in control and they enjoy the results of their efforts over time.
I am still learning about homekeeping and organizing. It’s been a long hard road for me to travel but I have learned bits and pieces from the materials I have read, though the methods haven’t worked for me. I am taking the bits and pieces and creating my own style of cleaning and organizing that does work for me and my family.
What are some of your best homekeeping and organizing tips? Which tasks do you do yourself and which do you distribute to other family members to do?
