September, October Swish-Swash, Week 1

This month we are going to start our preparation for the fall holidays.  For me that begins with the house.  I want our fall holidays to go smoothly, so I thought we could plan to work in a different room each week, starting this week.  If we start now, there will not be that last minute panicked rush in November to ready the house for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Image Courtesy of nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Each week in September, we are going to choose a room in our home to concentrate on.  Everyday, we will do a different task in our special room for the week.  The key to this challenge working is to reinforce good habits as you get each room cleaned.  We will carry this challenge into October to go through at least 7 rooms in your house and your patio or porch.  The idea is to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day working on the project for the day.  If you do not need to work in the room that I choose for the week or you see something that is more pressing, work on that.  The idea of this challenge is to find satisfaction in preparing ahead instead of leaving our "deep cleaning"  for the end of November or mid-December.

Four things will make this to work for you.

1. Break your big jobs up into smaller jobs.
2. Use a timer.
3. Work in 15 minute increments, so you do not lose your focus.  (If you tire easily, it is alright to break your 15 minutes into 5 minute segments, and rest in between them.)
4. Remember.  This is not a race.  We are going for reasonably clean, not perfection.*

The Living Room or The Great Room (Set Timer for 15 minutes)

Day 1
Starting at the door, pick up anything you see that does not belong.  Work your way around the room in a clockwise pattern.
Day 2
Clean off your hot spot for 5 minutes.  Use a Swiffer, Vacuum Cleaner, or Dust Cloth and dust all surfaces.
Day 3
If you have a pet, use the long handle on your vacuum cleaner to pick up pet hair, especially around the doors.  Pick up any items that do not belong in the living room.
Day 4
Vacuum or Sweep
Day 5
This is your day to scan the living room, and pick up anything that has been left in the room that does not belong there  Use the vacuum cleaning tool for dusting sofas Or  you can clean the windows.

This week would be a great time to implement The 1- Touch Rule, or you will only be starting all over in the living room by the time we finish this challenge.