Ok, so I am by no means an expert in this area.
Alright, here goes….
So, I have a problem cleaning. The problem is that I can’t really just tidy. I have to bust out with the toothpicks and clean the gap between the sink and the fixtures…I have to get out the floor polish and do the floor….Instead of making the bed, I have to wash the sheets and everything else…
It goes something like this…
The dining room table is becoming a catch-all for our junk…so, I will sort it and put it away. Ok, mission accomplished. But wait…the table looks a little dull…I should polish it….ok done. (Heavy Sigh) This room isn’t really clean until i straighten that bookshelf in the corner….(bend down to straighten the last shelf) MY GOODNESS! Look at these dust-bunnies. I should sweep up. I should swiffer. I should swiffer wet-jet…I can’t just do it in this room, though…but the living room is messy too and I can’t swiffer wet-jet in there until that is clean. Pick things up, put things away–oh my gosh…when was the last time I dusted these shelves??? The lightbulb is burnt out here AGAIN!??! What is this chair still doing here anyways?? I was going to put this on craigslist months ago…speaking of craigslist…I should look for a house…I’ll just take a quick break and look online…
Ok…you get the point…Anyways….
I have come up with a solution…I now look at a room and say to myself “Self, how long will this room take to clean??” I have some favorite time increments….I have three personal favorites for time…so it is either 5, 8, or 10 minutes.
So, let’s say I look at the livingroom and I think that I can clean it in 8 minutes. It’s a challenge…it’s on. So, I set the timer on the micro for 8 minutes…and I say that whatever I don’t finish in 8 minutes, I don’t do. So that gives me incentive to finish.
Alright, so I just go at it full force and prioritize cleaning-needs in my head…it doesn’t allow me to get distracted…then the alarm goes off.
Now, I know I said whatever doesn’t get done doesn’t get done….but I am lying. Actually, I give myself an “overtime”. For 8 minutes, I give myself 2 extra minutes to do whatever it was that I didn’t finish and still needs to be done. (For 10 minutes it is an extra 5 minutes, for 5 minutes it is an extra 3…don’t ask me why…it’s just what works)…
Ok, so it’s kind of fun and keeps me focused…gets things done quickly…in theory I can whip the house into shape with only 15 minutes per room….MAX…
Alright but there is another rule to this game…Let’s say I think…”I will do this in 10 minutes” and I finish in 8..well, well….I have earned bonus minutes….and this means that I can tack this onto another room if I like…so instead of adding 2 minutes to an 8 minute round, I can add 4 minutes….OR…I can SAVE my bonus minutes to do something like cleaning the floor or bleaching the tub….
Good times. Thanks for indulging me and making me feel like Heloise…
0 Responses to “A loverly little cleaning tip…”