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Post by kirakira on Jan 30, 2015 2:10:50 GMT -5
I rested a lot of the day today. Made a phone call that needed to be done, took out the garbage, and made sure my already-cleaned areas are tidied. I might hop into chat to do a few challenges before bed. I did way more than I was accustomed to in the last few days. I feel much less worn out. Tomorrow I will take car of the car registration. I need to get an early start so I can get it over with. Then back to cleaning. I want to tackle the kitchen next.
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Post by aquamarine on Jan 30, 2015 3:51:04 GMT -5
Setting a deadline of 31st Jan. is not a bad idea. However, pushing too hard can be counter-productive. As it is your own deadline not one imposed by outside, perhaps you could extend it to the end of Sunday, or remove some tasks. You have made huge progress but are doing many things at the same time and it is important not to set yourself up for what might seem like failure. Days when you have made a big effort are best followed by days of small stuff or breaks.
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Post by aquamarine on Jan 30, 2015 3:54:06 GMT -5
It is a little early to think about maintenance, but the right tools, zoning and a schedule can help a lot. I envy you for living near a beach!
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Post by Unswamping on Jan 30, 2015 22:07:50 GMT -5
Kirakira youre making great progress. Please dont feel the need to respond to everyone individually. My house is a state similiar to yours. When youre doing through the living room and come across things that need to go into another room, can you make a pile or use a box or bag to put the items in. Then when youre done ith the living room, you can put each pile in its respective room. This would cut down on trips back and forth. I know your plce is small. I found it helped me stay more focused on tne room i was doing.
Aquamarine has given you some excellent advice. Please dont burn yourself out. Make sure you re drinking plenty of water (being hydrated helps your brain make decisions). You can do this!
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Post by kirakira on Jan 31, 2015 3:12:35 GMT -5
I got the car stuff done and not much else. But I did get that finished. I also talked to an insurance agent and I was able to get a discount that will save me several hundred dollars when I renew in May. My mouth is hurting after eating something cold and sugary... I just had a bunch of dental work done in the fall. Hoping it's just sensitivity. My mind is jumping to all sorts of conclusions and I'm getting upset. I need to go to bed. I'm going to tidy up to preserve what I've accomplished. Tomorrow will be a new day. aquamarine: I think that is a good call. I will be able to get a lot done on Sunday, so that should be good. Where I live is interesting-- it is very urban, then a few blocks away is the Pacific Ocean. I still get excited every time I see it. Unswamping That is good idea. I don't know why I'm being resistant to it. I guess I worry I will fill the tub and then not go through it, but I am wasting time trying to find spots for everything. Tomorrow when I work, I'm going to utilize a bin so that there is less back and forth distractions. I have a big issue staying hydrated. I don't know why that is, but I don't get thirsty until I'm parched. I've taught myself to periodically sip water regardless, but I have to keep after it or else. Weird!
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Post by aquamarine on Jan 31, 2015 4:07:53 GMT -5
Crisis cleaning usually involves immovable deadlines: an inspection, a move, people visiting for example. It also often involves panic, extreme stress, loss of sleep, stuffing stuff anywhere it hide it, having to throw good stuff away...
A major clean up operation arising from a decision to put your house in order need not be like that. You are in command. So long as you are making progress, you need not push too hard. Self-imposed deadlines can be adjusted and breaks, treats and rewards given. Is there a drink that you particularly like? I love anything with elderberry in it.
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Post by kirakira on Feb 1, 2015 22:16:41 GMT -5
Crisis cleaning usually involves immovable deadlines: an inspection, a move, people visiting for example. It also often involves panic, extreme stress, loss of sleep, stuffing stuff anywhere it hide it, having to throw good stuff away... A major clean up operation arising from a decision to put your house in order need not be like that. You are in command. So long as you are making progress, you need not push too hard. Self-imposed deadlines can be adjusted and breaks, treats and rewards given. Is there a drink that you particularly like? I love anything with elderberry in it. That's a really good point, Aquamarine. I feel very determined to do this the 'right' way. No closets stuffed full of stuff, bins filled, not to be looked at again until the next time I try to control the mess. I was hoping a deadline would give me a push but I just got discouraged once I realized I was unrealistic. I love elderberry, too! I don't know of too many people who are even familiar with the flavor. I don't drink alcohol anymore, but I remember a really nice elderberry liqueur I had. I've found elderberry flavored waters as well.
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Post by kirakira on Feb 1, 2015 22:29:29 GMT -5
I did not achieve what I set out to do; that is, have a completely clean house by January 31st. I did make progress and learned some invaluable things.
Setting unrealistic goals leads to failure. I think of goals as aspirational rather than using them as a blue print. I set an arbitrary date to be done without really figuring out just HOW things were going to get done. That's where the planning needed to come in.
For example, I knew I needed to clean my couch. In my list of things, I listed 'couch', and thought it might take about 15 minutes. Here's what 'couch' actually entailed:
-cleaning under -getting stuff off the armrests and top -getting stuff from out/under the cushions -getting stuff off of the top of cushions -dealing with the stuff from the couch -cleaning the base of the couch -cleaning (scrubbing!) the couch cushions, which were filthy with spills -putting it all back together
Does that sound like 15 minutes of work? It wasn't. It took longer than that to do the scrubbing. It did get done this week! I am proud of that. And I hope I have seared the memory of scrubbing stains so I can clean up after myself as things happen.
I did myself no favors by underestimating the amount of work left to do. When you've had a very dirty, cluttered house before, I think your ability to see a mess for what it is becomes off. It either looks enormous and overwhelming or like it will only take a few minutes when you get to it.
I got more done this week than I would've had I not started this thread, so thanks to everyone that posted to me.
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Post by jendela on Feb 1, 2015 22:42:32 GMT -5
Well done kirakira and thanks for sharing the process and the danger of underestimating the time needed to reach your goals. Yep, I am guilty of both under and overestimating time needed to do something. I will keep this in mind.
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Post by aquamarine on Feb 2, 2015 2:09:30 GMT -5
"Setting unrealistic goals leads to failure." I would say feelings of failure.
The deadline of 31st Jan was reasonably realistic, but some things take longer than we expect. How about March 21st, the first day of spring, with intermediate dates such as Abe Lincoln's birthday for certain rooms/tasks.
" No closets stuffed full of stuff, bins filled, not to be looked at again until the next time I try to control the mess."
Exactly. It is your project and is best done 'properly' with you feeling in control. You will make better decisions about what to keep and what to discard if you take your time, put like with like and spiral through. each time removing the worst items.
You are making progress. Coming on here and reporting what you have done should help you to keep going. You need to reward yourself not feel bad about not reaching that first deadline.
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Post by hollyhock on Feb 2, 2015 10:46:35 GMT -5
Hi kirakira. Congrats on cleaning your couch - that is a huge job. I wanted to add to your goal-setting. I have long term goals - like right now I have designated February for going through my clothes. (Note my clothes are all contained, and I try to do this regularly. Right now with a changing lifestyle I probably need different items, and I am trying to do this before spring.) But what I wanted to add was that even when my goal was a paper purge - or unpacking, etc - I also made a related daily goal - and that goal was something I figured I could do in about 30-60 minutes. In the case of your couch, if it had a lot of clutter on and around it, I would probably have made that a goal for 3-6 days, doing a bit each day (if the couch was not needed for daily use. When you break it down into these tiny steps, each step is doable - so rarely is there a feeling of failure. And then once the couch is done, you move on to the next item (goal) - like maybe baseboards. And as you move along and see how long each step takes, then you can readjust your long term goal as necessary, because you have realized that things do take longer than you assumed. Later on - when you get to maintenance, then things start to go a bit quicker, but I doubt that you could ever clean your couch in 15 minutes. I know I couldn't. Wishing you lots of success. Remember too that this is all a learning curve. And there is never failure - unless you just stop doing.
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Post by aquamarine on Feb 3, 2015 3:54:51 GMT -5
Enjoy the journey. You have time to check pockets before discarding clothes and inside plastic bags before getting rid of them. You will be able to get some idea of how you get the best results when you are not driven by adrenaline. You will be able to start implementing maintenance habits in areas you have cleared and cleaned.
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Post by kirakira on Feb 3, 2015 21:00:11 GMT -5
Thank you, hollyhock, jendela and aquamarine! I think I'm going to do continue on in my journal in the Private section. This really did manage to be a push forward. Jendela-- I think I tend toward extremes. Being moderate is hard! Hollyhock-- It's only been in the last year I ever really internalized proper goal setting. I'm still not there yet on utilizing it properly. I thought you just stated what you wanted to do and then somehow got there. I didn't break it up into smaller units. Aquamarine-- My birthday is March 20th, so I think that is a great goal. I have a 'check plastic bags' horror story. Or near-horror story. This happened in the Summer. I had cleaned my bedroom pretty thoroughly and decided to throw away my ratty fitted sheet instead of washing it. I have a bad habit of keeping things on my bed (that belong on a table or desk) so I sorted and had left the garbage to be thrown with sheet. I tossed the sheet into a garbage bag along with other garbage. Fast forward a few days, and I noticed I had paperwork missing. A lot of paperwork. Important paperwork. I tore through every spot I thought it could be, and some spots I knew it wouldn't be. Just for peace of mind, I ended up putting on gloves and opening up the bag of garbage. There, among banana peels and old potatoes, I found my papers. There were SAVINGS BONDS, irreplaceable, among the debris. I still get nauseous thinking about it. How lucky I didn't already take that bag of trash out. I took it as a very clear sign I desperately need to get my affairs in order. I was a little afraid to throw things away for a while after that, but I've been much more mindful and careful.
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Post by aquamarine on Feb 4, 2015 2:57:40 GMT -5
Yes, some bad experiences can be a wake-up call. How lucky for you that you were in time to retrieve the bonds.
You can set daily, weekly and monthly goals.
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