Home "Reboot" Challenge #1 ~ Distractions

"Reboot" Challenge #1 ~ Distractions

I have cleaning ADD. I have always been afflicted with this condition. When I was younger, my mom would ask me to clean my room and 2 hours later it would look worse than when I started. Why? Because I would start to take every single thing out of every drawer, empty out the closet, etc. etc. With everything ALL over the place, I would start reading old magazine subscriptions, notes from friends that I'd kept in a shoebox--you get the idea. Then, without fail, I would take a look around and become so overwhelmed by the mess that I would be paralyzed to do anything about it. I still do this at age 33.


Now, as an adult, the opportunities for distraction are even greater. Instead of old magazines--I've got the Internet, like Facebook and Pinterest. Then there's TV (although not a huge distraction for me personally), the kids, shopping, blogging, reading and even cooking. Oh yeah--cooking is a HUGE distraction for me. I would much rather cook than clean, so if I am faced with a gigantic pile of laundry or a floor that needs mopped I am notorious for whipping up some baked good to distract me from doing what I don't want to do. I avoid cleaning at all costs.


What about you? What distracts you from tending to your home? Sarah Mae's blog post this morning talks about distraction. You DEFINITELY need to check it out! She is distracted by television shows, Netflix and whole seasons of shows on DVD. She recognizes the problem and even decides to cancel her subscription to Netflix. What things keep you from getting your house in order and as Sarah Mae says, "suck the life out of your productivity"?  Consider this verse:

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure."

Psalm 39:4-5 NIV


 

Today's Challenges (from Sarah Mae)

Mary Challenge: Meditate on Psalm 39:4-5. What is your biggest time waster? What can you do to get rid of the distraction or lessen it? How many days do you have left, if you live until you’re 75? How do you want to use those days?


Martha Challenge: We’re starting with our bedrooms! Today, clean out your bedroom closet. Get rid of the clothes you don’t wear (be honest, are you really going to ever wear that shirt?) If this is a big job, split into two or three days. I’ll post my before and after pics tomorrow.


Get Your Babes Involved: Find a way that your children can clean out your closet with you. My oldest (6) loves to organize (I know, I know, she didn’t get it from me) and so I’ll ask her to organize all my shoes in my closet when I’m done. I’m sure I’ll have some clothes I can give to my children as dress up clothes and let them play while I clean. Your children could fold clothes for the Goodwill bag, help you throw things out, or just color on the bed while you work. You could play some music and have a cleaning dance party (I love listening to music when I take on a big cleaning project…any cleaning project, actually).


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Thoughts from Ashley
I hate this challenge! I mean, seriously loathe it with a passion. My clothes aren't really even stored in my closet. They're kind of all over the place. On the chair in my bedroom, in a clothes basket, on the bedroom floor, in the laundry room, etc. Bill has even started using the empty space on my side of the closet for his stuff. So today, my project is to reclaim my closet and work hard at getting my clothing (the stuff I like and wear) INTO my closet. That is going to require doing a ton of laundry (who knows what's clean and what's dirty at this point--and I don't intend to iron anything that's been on a chair for 4 months!). I will update this evening on my progress. Did I mention that I DO NOT want to do this project? But, it needs to be done! Come join me as we tackle the closet today (and tomorrow and possibly Wednesday...LOL!).


What is the biggest distraction that you face in keeping your home clean and clutter free?


Day #1 Challenge UPDATE


This is what my closet looked like yesterday when I started this Day #1 Challenge. Notice there is one lone sweater of mine and the rest is all stuff that my hubby started putting on my side to have extra room. Guess he figured since I wasn't using it, he might as well. 









Since my clothes weren't in the closet, you're probably wondering where they were. Well...the pile in the laundry room (clean, not put away) for one.

The chair in our bedroom makes a great closet, don't you think? Ha ha!  Honestly, the majority of my in season clothing is in the hamper to be washed. I don't really own a ton of clothes (even though it SEEMS like it!). Most of them are either too small or old maternity clothes or out of season.

Here's the finished product! Looks great, huh? I found the plastic bins in the bottom of the closet, so I put them on the overhead shelf for small things like scarves, etc. I also found an organizer thingy that I bought from IKEA to hang on the bottom bar to hold shoes and other things. A multi-tiered skirt hanger on the side wall means longer skirts won't drag on the floor or get all crumpled up due to the lower bar. Speaking of floors...I ACTUALLY HAVE A FLOOR! I am still working my way through the piles of laundry and adding pieces one at a time, but now they have a nice organized "home".



Follow along with the 31 Days to Clean "Reboot" at www.sarahmae.com and don't forget to watch her video on today's blog post where she shares that this is more of a journey of the heart than getting a pristine home. I *love* that Sarah Mae admits to not being a "cleaning person" and I appreciate her book 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way. You can get the e-book from her blog for $2.50 with the 50% off code "Reboot".