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Post by hiding on Nov 11, 2011 19:59:21 GMT -5
Not rocket science, but if I already had this innately, I wouldn't be in the mess (literally) that I am. Owl. Ha! I think rocket science is easier! With that, if you understand the physics principles, have the right variables, and do the right math, you will be successful. With this house de-cluttering and maintenance there are literally hundreds of thousands of decisions to be made with several various outcome for each. That's much harder to address, especially for those of us who had no training in the matter.
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Post by Owl on Nov 13, 2011 19:16:11 GMT -5
Completed breakfast occupation - breakfast weighed, coffee made, breakfast eaten, breakfast dishes washed plus a few more, coffee pot washed, food diary updated, dishes dried and put away and used the opportunity to wipe clean the draining board. Four days on the bug persists - recording in chat my 'occupation' - albeit my temporary occupation to 'have breakfast', creates a sense of review: "What would someone whose occupation was to make my breakfast daily do?" dare I also say it: "What would a grown up do?" So I relook at the tasks that make up the temporary occupation and see what a paid individual would be doing and add that extra step that matters (like drying the dishes, not leaving them to drip dry). If you are looking to catch 'the bug' - I believe it important to spend time in that 'try on the idea' section of this thread, what is needed to call something done and when something falls on the floor pick it up and deal with it, e.g. trash to trash can. So "a job isn't done until you are ready to do it again" Imagine a parachutist who conducted their 'occupation' the way I conduct my home ... I'll pack my chute tomorrow but try and jump out of the plane today. An unreal scenario? How about running my car the way I run my home, ... I'll put gas in the car next week ... finding myself running out of fuel would be unworkable, yet I have run my life this way.
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Post by gtdtogether on Nov 15, 2011 5:16:26 GMT -5
This thread along with you other thread is sparking ideas for different uses of items I have sitting around not being used for their original purpose and therefore being a 'waste of space' I have this 'egg-cup' which is a interesting to look at but I can't remember the last time I ate a soft boiled egg. Here it is being put to another use. I can slide my library cards, cafe cards etc in between the 'springs' and they are easily accessible!
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Post by Owl on Nov 30, 2011 8:02:26 GMT -5
Going to post on a basic tool I use with washing my dishes. My dishes are recently being washed immediately after the meal. As I usually don't run a sink full of water, I've borrowed a handy idea - the spray gun, bought from my supermarket for about $2. I've added a little water to allow it squirt better. I squirt the items and have the tap running. It works for me right now. The journey continues, Owl.
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Post by Owl on Nov 30, 2011 8:28:02 GMT -5
A new creation today. Something that has been turning over in my head for a few days now. I'm going to trial a map / physical plan. The map is based of a scan of my home flyer when I bought the place. Then editted, a grid added, laminated and marked with a whiteboard marker to indicate attention needed areas. I could even premanent ink some areas to show furniture - I can test is on the laminate back and use a spirit or essential oil to remove permanent line. Each 'cell' on the grid is about 10 inches / 25 centimetres square - so very achievable! As work is done, I'll mark off / or clean off the done areas. Periodically, I'll review the play and update it for new mess or omissions to cleaned up areas etc. I've marked around 220 cells and if I spend say 30 minutes per cell. At around 4 hours per day, it might be done in a month. Maybe just maybe, I'll get some really pleasant results! The journey continues, Owl.
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molly14
New Member
Joined: November 2011
Posts: 15
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Post by molly14 on Nov 30, 2011 8:31:32 GMT -5
I love this thread! So many great ideas, you are all an inspiration!
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Post by gtdtogether on Dec 1, 2011 17:27:37 GMT -5
I DO like the diluted washing up liquid in a spray idea! What I'll do is soak dishes in hot water first then take each one spray it and use sponge to clean it, pile them up ready to rinse altogether. This will definitely use less washing up liquid then me pouring it onto a sponge.
I might even try and add bicarb to the solution and see if it shifts grease with less soap. Less soap means less rinsing, less rinsing less time at the sink!
I also like this thread because of the visuals in it. So easy to pick up the idea being shared instead of or before reading the text.
I may use the map idea in a more general way, maybe dividing each room into 4 or 6 squares and working my way through them.
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Dec 1, 2011 20:16:31 GMT -5
Most people have a strong visual sense. when I was at work and I needed a certin form, I knew exactly where it was in the stock room. yeah the green form on the very top left. I relied on the stock room file clerk to keep the forms up to date and restocked when they got low. So i knew when I headed in, the green form in the upper left slot. I try to keep my house visually neat. And I know where things are-in the drawers, closet, etc where they belong. as I said earlier, I adopted my office "tickler" filing system for home paperwork, bills,taxes,etc. tomorrow I'm going to go through my tax drawer and put everytjhing in its proper order. last time I was in there, I found what I wanted but it was pretty badly out of order. Fortunately, I keep that drawer closed so I'm not constantly looking at the mess inside. Tomorrow I will straighten it all out.
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Post by crazycatlady on Dec 5, 2011 0:15:35 GMT -5
A member at the old site (Squalor Survivors) used a system similar to yours, Owl, but it was done on the computer in "paint", I think. It gave a visual of her home, with splotches for the mess. It really looked nice as it cleaned up! Maybe for your map of the home, you could cut out cardboard furniture and use double sided tape to stick it in place. Then it would be easy to use. A tip: the inside of my cupboards had gotten very messy. Partly because the kids are older, and they put away a lot of the groceries now, and they don't keep like foods together. I used some boxes, but mostly labels so we all would know where foods belonged. I used colorful duct tape and a sharpie for the labels. It is easier to find foods now, and the kids have followed the system. I moved from a huge pile of dirty laundry on the floor of the laundry room, to a huge bin to hold it all. Then to 4 tall laundry baskets used as hampers to sort into lights, darks, jeans + black socks, and towels + underwear. DH recently built me a tall shelf to stow my laundry hampers. Now I have much more floor space, and can more easily see which load needs attention the most. Best of all, the empty laundry baskets fit right on top. I think his brain works like yours, Owl, and tries to puzzle out a way to find order. Luckily he is good with a saw and hammer!
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Post by Sunshine on Apr 16, 2012 4:34:46 GMT -5
Owl, your diagrams have made my day - thank you I do business and process analysis in my job, and I can look at those and "get it". Gorgeous
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