28 Day Decluttering Challenge: Days 4-7

Cleaning Calendar

Copyright 2013 by Deborah Bolton
I can do all things through Christ which [strengthens] me.
                                                          Philippians 4:13 (KJV

DAILY
Morning/Afternoon

Make bed

Take meds and supplements

Wipe counters/sinks               

Empty dishwasher                  

One load of laundry
Work on zone (for 15 minutes or less)

Chore of the day
Night

Load dishwasher

Wipe kitchen counters
Pickup using baskets

   Adapted from  M. Cilley's

      Flying Lesson: Zones 

                Weekly 

                                       MONDAY:  Vacuum Centers and dust

                                       TUESDAY:  Clean Toilets

                                       WEDNESDAY:  Mid-week planning,

                                                             Anti-procrastination Day 

                                       THURSDAY:  Mop floors

                                        FRIDAY:  Catch-up Day

                                        SATURDAY:  Family Day

Copyright 2013 by Deborah Bolton

It is my pleasure to share this with you, my readers and fellow travelers in the chronic illness zone  and for those who are reasonably healthy, but find this approach to cleaning an easier one.  I am going to print this out and frame it to see if it works for me.

Experimenting again,

Deborah Bolton

                            

Decluttering With A Timer

Image:  Balancing Act by D. Bolton

Hi Everyone!  I was just picking up clothes to hang up or put in the dirty clothes in my master bedroom.  I was in the closet, and I realized I was holding my breath.   Also, I began to feel shaky.  This made me think other people may start to breathe faster or hold their breaths when working with at timer.  Either one is not a great idea if you have a problem with chronic fatigue.

Decluttering with a Timer

• This is not a race!  The timer is being used, so you know when to stop.
• A timer is a tool to encourage you to work in an amount of time that will not wear you out psychologically or physically.  The timer is your friend, not your competitor.
• Breathe.  I began taking slow deep breaths in my closet when I realized what was hPpening.
• If you give out before the timer does ( I am talking about legs shaking, body says sit), Stop.  The clutter won't run away, and you can come back to it later.
• Work in increments of 5 to 15 minutes.  I have found I can start with 5 minutes or less after a flare-up (relapse), and that gives my muscles a chance to grow stronger.  If I jump into things too quickly, I end up too tired to do anything and discouraged.  As I grow stronger, I can add more minutes.
• Sometimes, you can go to a less physical activity after doing something  that requires a lot of effort, but listen to your body.  You should take breaks.
• The rules here are not ironclad, but they are a guide to help you pace yourself.  Sometimes, I am able to go past 15 minutes, but I often pay for that by being more fatigued the next day.

Drive-By Cleaning

Today, I came up with a new phrase for a very simple way to pick up the clutter--Drive-By Cleaning.  My inspiration came from the 27 Fling Boogie, another FlyLady technique.  Drive-By Cleaning is when you pick up or throw away something on your way to somewhere else.  My aha moment came to me after I got dressed today.  I saw my worst slippers, which I consider uncomfortable and dangerous;  so, I picked them up and tossed them in the trash.  I have been thinking about doing that for months;  but, my husband bought them for me, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings.  I tried to prepare him for this moment a couple of days ago, when I said, "Honey, I love the way these slippers look and feel, but I can't walk in them.  My feet always slip to the side:  I'm afraid I will trip in them."

How many times do we walk by something that needs to be picked up?  And why?  I haven't figured that out yet.  I still have 2 blouses that had to be hung to dry, which need to be put away--one on a hook in the hallway and one on the chandelier in the dining room. Go figure, they have been there for 4 days:  it would take less than a minute to put them away.  I think it is time to do more drive-by cleaning in my house.  How about yours?

My FlyLady Makeover - Day 2 - Dressing to Your Shoes

This is the second day of my FlyLady Makeover--well actually this is very early in the morning after the second day of my makeover--but I had to write this, because I don't want the momentum to fade.  If I start skipping reports on whether I did the babystep of the day; I may start skipping the babysteps. If I can do all thirty-one of FlyLady's beginner's flying lessons, it will be the first time I have gone all the way through them. 

I wore those sandals out.

Today I was supposed to Get Dressed to my Shoes.  That meant I was supposed to get dressed first thing in the morning; do my hair and face; and put on moisturizer or makeup.  My shoes were supposed to be the kind that lace up.  I have to confess:  I did not do number two perfectly.  I got out of my pj's in the afternoon, after I had already done some household chores; and I did not wear shoes that lace up. I do nod to the fact that Cilley (FlyLady) is probably right, that for many people her methods are tried and true;  however, she also says that chores done imperfectly are better than not doing them.

This is what happened to me.  I had a hope, a dream, and a memory of what I could do in the past.  For years, I had this ideal of what should be done in my home, but I couldn't keep up with it.  Therefore, things kept piling up on me, because I would think about all the stuff I should be doing; and if I ever got around to doing it, I would have to hide clutter in closets and under beds.  Finally, I got to the point, that I couldn't walk if stayed on my feet and walked for too long.  The pain increased in my leg and hip, and it would take several days or weeks for me to recover enough from the Chronic Fatigue to do a little again.

So here I am, adapting FlyLady's methods to work for me; wearing supportive sandals in the summer, instead of lace-up shoes, and being satisfied with having gotten dressed in the afternoon.  And I must say, I looked smashing.  I was clean from the top of my head to my toes, my outfit was cute, and I felt good.  I even wore a little bit of makeup.  And I have done things today that amazed me:  I finally started working on my messy dining room table.  It still held paraphenalia  from a project I finished 2 or 3 weeks ago.  I made my bed before I got dressed and tidied up the master bedroom.  It looked gorgeous, just like walking into a hotel with the beautiful bed awaiting me. 

And  I did not feel at all guilty asking my husband to fix some rice and a vegetable to go with the leftover pork chops from yesterday.  Nor did he mind.  I am blessed to have a supportive husband,  If I was alone, I would have fixed a frozen dinner for my supper, because I was in pain and tired. I am happy and satisfied, because I am a few steps closer to a clean house and a beneficial routine.  Ahhh {smile & sigh}, I am still basking in the afterglow of success.