For some reason, whenever the weekend comes I feel like I need to tackle all the house projects I have been putting off. In my head, I’ll unpack the last few boxes (we moved this Summer), go through and organize all my craft supplies, deep clean the bathrooms, and hang all the art that’s been leaning against the living room wall for the last 10 weeks. But when it comes time to actually start one of these projects, I find myself not knowing where to start. By the time the weekend is over, all I have done is paced around the house staring at the projects making up my mental to-do list.
There is a lot of mental load that goes into managing a household. I find that when I’m behind on the never ending tasks (doing the dishes, sweeping the floors, things that will always need to be done) I don’t have the space to do the fun tasks (things like designing new organizational systems, or other creative projects).
SO- when I find myself having one of these unproductive weekend days, I go back to the basics. If you can complete these three things, you may find that you have opened up enough mental space to do something bigger. And if not, that’s ok too.
- Do the dishes. Empty the dishwasher, put dirty dishes in it. Put EVERYTHING away. I mean everything. Those little utensils that seem to always live out on the drying rack have a place too, put them away.
- Wipe down and vacuum. Wipe down your kitchen counters/bathroom counters. After you do the wipe down, vacuum. Focus on the high traffic areas of the house. You can get as detailed or be as haphazard as you would like. Sometimes I do the whole house, sometimes I just do the kitchen and living room.
- Take out the trash. Not just in the kitchen, empty all the trash cans in the house.
That’s it. You are done. Realistically this can be done in 30 minutes. Notice how you feel after finishing these simple things. Do you feel accomplished? Lighter? More energetic?
Cleaning is something I have been thinking about lately as I find myself with more and more to do around our new house (which is not new, but around 30 years old, and with what feels like 30 years of dust). I’ve realized there is no destination when it comes to maintaining a space, only the never ending process of sweeping away the dust, and taking out the trash. Your room is a reflection of your mind, and the simple act of cleaning has an almost immediate calming effect on the mind. Doing these simple things might just open you up enough to do something more.
“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.” — Zen Kōan
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