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Post by kirakira on Jan 27, 2015 7:55:11 GMT -5
Hi everyone. I've been a member here for a while but a pretty sporadic poster. I cannot tell you how much this site has helped me, and helps me even when I don't log in.
My apartment is very close to being 'finished.' I've had times of goat trails, giant toppling piles and messes that seemed impossible, but I am not there anymore (again, in large part due to this site.) Now, it just looks like the house of a super messy person who starts things and doesn't finish them. Which makes a bit of sense...
I have maintenance work to be done, and while the state of my home is not 'that bad', it's nothing I have pride in. I don't want to call this a crisis cleaning, since my landlord has seen the place, and while I doubt he's thrilled, he won't do anything. I've been waiting for months for some of these repairs. While I feel indignant about waiting on maintenance, I'm not taking care of the property like I should either. I want the work needing to be done to be a catalyst toward making the changes I need to make anyhow.
My week is relatively free and I want to get this DONE. I will have a mess-free apartment by Saturday, January 31st. It's completely doable. And I will not have to worry about maintenance or anyone else coming over. I might even get to have guests!!!
I'm writing this here because I really need the accountability and I do not want to give up. I need to do a final push to get the messy areas organized, clutter reduced and some spots deep cleaned. I have finally wrapped my head around the idea that cleaning isn't ever really something you finish, since it needs to be done every day. Do other people know that intuitively? I used to think that once you cleaned something, it just stayed that way unless you messed it up. That is not the case.
I'm posting this before I go to bed (it is LATE here) because I knew if I waited til morning, I would lose my nerve and not post. I'd end up putting it off for another stretch of time, or until some issue comes up and I really do have to crisis clean. I'll write up my plans more tomorrow. Before bed, I am going to gather any trash that isn't in a wastebasket, and put my recycling in a bag.
The countdown to the 31st begins... I appreciate any cheering on and/or advice I can get!
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Post by phoenixcat on Jan 27, 2015 8:02:21 GMT -5
I'm not as ambitious as you but I'm in the middle of unpacking so would like to finish my office and our master bathroom by the 31st. Good luck!! PC
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Post by ohblondie on Jan 27, 2015 8:12:39 GMT -5
I promised myself I could buy a treadclimber if the back of my living room was cleaned out by 1/31/15...... that is 5 days (counting today)
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Post by kirakira on Jan 27, 2015 8:30:33 GMT -5
phoenixcat-- That sounds like a good goal! I am concerned I am being over-ambitious, but I won't know until I try. Unpacking is a bit of a pain but it can be fun too, so I wish you luck! ohblondie-- Treadclimbers are cool! I hope you can make headway toward your goal. Good luck! I'm grabbing coffee with a friend around noon tomorrow, which is perfect because I will be dressed for the day and caffeinated! I better get some rest. I did gather trash and recyclables as I said I would.
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Post by ohblondie on Jan 27, 2015 8:33:08 GMT -5
kirakira have you ever used a treadclimber? The commercials look so good - and the product has been aroun forever.... Good job on gathering the trash and recyclables.....baby stepping toward our goals...
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Post by hollyhock on Jan 27, 2015 10:13:21 GMT -5
kirakira - on getting your house to this point! That is great. Wishing you great success in finishing it up so you can have the house that you want and deserve. I too have a few finishing up tasks here that I just posted on my blog this AM - that I want finished up by the end of the month as well.
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Post by dtesposito on Jan 27, 2015 10:58:12 GMT -5
Hi kirakira, you have a great goal and a week to finish it, you can do it!
My advice would be to figure out how much time you have each day and make a rough plan for each day--divide the work up into the number of hours you have to work on it each day--you don't have to stick to it perfectly, but it gives you an idea if you're making enough progress to finish everything.
For example, if you divide the work by 5 days, and you finish the first day but haven't done most of the work for that day, you'll know you're behind and have to step it up. It's easy for a week to just disappear before you know it.
Good luck, and keep posting with progress!
Diane
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Post by Unswamping on Jan 27, 2015 11:18:50 GMT -5
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Post by kirakira on Jan 27, 2015 21:57:56 GMT -5
Quick check-in: Today hasn't gone quite as I planned. I went out for coffee, but started feeling sickly on the way home. Once home, I dealt with straightening out my health insurance, so I was on the phone for a while. I picked through receipts and got rid of some junk while I did that. Then I laid down for a nap in the late afternoon. I slept for a while (didn't get nearly enough sleep last night) and now I feel good. I just sorted my laundry (all FIVE big Ikea bags of it!) and threw away some clothes not worth washing. I'm washing my pillows and mattress pad as well. The laundromat is a pain in the butt, but front load washers are nice and everything will be done in a few hours. Bonus: I was trying to figure out what to wear to the laundromat (the age old issue ) and I found a pair of size medium leggings. I've lost around 80 lbs., but I used to wear a super tight XL. These medium fit perfectly! Yes! Okay, more later. I am going to get the laundry done. I'll respond individually later, but thank you for the replies!
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Post by Unswamping on Jan 27, 2015 22:11:04 GMT -5
on the phone calls, tidying up, laundry and the weight loss. So to hear that you didnt feel well earlier. Glad it passed and the nap helped. You can do it!
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Post by needmorecoffee on Jan 27, 2015 22:17:26 GMT -5
Kira as others have said, have you broken it down and made any lists/plans? WTG getting to the laundromat. Clean bed = way better sleep!
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Post by kirakira on Jan 28, 2015 0:11:52 GMT -5
I'm at the laundromat! Everything is in. I brought my notebook so I can make a list while I wait. I agree it needs to be done. There's no way I can make this goal doing a little here, little there, haphazardly.
A couple of days ago, I made diagrams of my cabinets, drawers and wall unit so I would have an idea in advance where to put stuff. I'm really good at planning but my plans often aren't realistic. I know what needs doing, but I have trouble prioritizing.
Okay, list-making here I come!
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Post by needmorecoffee on Jan 28, 2015 0:44:34 GMT -5
I was thinking the laundromat would be and ace place to make lists
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Post by aquamarine on Jan 28, 2015 3:51:25 GMT -5
Taking care of your side of things where putting your home in order is a good strategy. Sometimes this subtly influences others. If you have done all you can to make the place look good, it will be the landlord's turn.
Unfortunately, maintenance is ongoing. Things certainly do not stay clean and tidy all by themselves. But once you learn to do what needs to be done each day, those stressful crisis cleans will be a thing of the past. However, I am convinced that microfibre cloths have a dust and dirt repellent quality.
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Post by kirakira on Jan 28, 2015 5:48:41 GMT -5
kirakira have you ever used a treadclimber? The commercials look so good - and the product has been aroun forever.... Good job on gathering the trash and recyclables.....baby stepping toward our goals... I actually had it confused with a stepmill, which is another elliptical-stairstepper hybrid, but way more evil. www.superfitnessgroup.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=7000PT They're huge and very intense. The one you're talking about looks really nice and low impact. As long as you'll use it, it looks great! And thanks! Sometimes I forget that progress is progress, small or not.
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