Okay, here I go! Today I happen to have my older girls home, so I’m a bit more free from baby duty to catch up on housework
-Loaded the dishwasher.. the sink was so full I will have to do another load by lunch.
-Put away folded laundry and gathered hangars.
-Put away hanging clothes…took me two trips! And I found and put away a stack of clean shirts that has been languishing for at least a month.
-Vacuumed the bathroom – my hubby just cut his hair in there. Ewww.
-On to vacuuming the living room.
-Replaced a lightbulb in the laundry room. This is my first day of NOT procrastinating, after a 33 year run!
– Now going to clean the disgusting high chair, and then get out the Nativity!
1) Clean Kitchen – Check
2) Pick up and SWEEP (no carpet) living room – Not so much. In my defense / excuse, I left the house early and only got back at 7pm. So I started when I got home and pittered out half way through, Its a big job right now.
3) Fold one load of laundry – Not done either. I went down to the laundry room to get the laundry I had in the dryer from, cough fourdaysago cough, and turns out some one (probably my 19yr old daughter) had pulled them out and put them in a basket that had dirty clothes in it. So now I’m just irritated and disappointed the I only got 1 of the three done on my list.
I am starting an abbreviated version of your first day, RIGHT NOW. {It’s abbreviated b/c I have 1.5 hrs to do this b/f I have to go to my daughter’s school to volunteer}
I just wanted to say that Nony, I feel like you are my twin I didn’t know I had (I’m sure you’ve heard this before).
Thanks for sharing your honest struggle in this blog. I <3 you for it.
🙂 Cindy
So I just finished reading the “28 days to hope for your home” and “Drowning in Clutter” ebooks and I’m pretty inspired. I really didn’t know there were others out there like me! I have periods of cleanliness but it always turns back into a pile after awhile.
I feel overwhelmed whenever I walk in the house and it doesn’t help that I work from home and can never seem to have a usable desk at tax time. (Yes, I’m a tax preparer).
So today I take my first step and just keep repeating “just wash the dishes” over and over in my head to not freak out.
-I have loaded the dishwasher and its running now, and washed a sink load of dishes that are drying. I still have probably three more sink loads (ack! Too many dishes) but I stopped to clean the bathroom since someone is visiting tonight.
-washer down bathroom sink including pedestal, washed & scrubbed toilet, hand wiped floor of obvious stuff (hair, gross), wiped the walls and a few base boards, closer the shower curtain and pray they don’t look inside.
That’s about it for now. I plan to finish the dishes before bed and switch the load in the washer I’ve already washed twice, to the dryer.
I’m am more than ready for this journey. I may need something to keep me accountable so I may try a journal.
I am looking forward to reading this blog. My daily list is a lot bigger but who needs sleep. I do have older children who have daily chores also so that helps.
I’m reading backwards for the second time. I want to read all the comments this time too. Just reading Nicole’s comment above reminded me how much of a difference it made for me to write everything I did down. It helped so much. I might feel overwhelmed right now but 2 pages into re-reading backwards and I remember how much worse things were the first time. Yesterday I got some laundry done, I sorta cleaned the bathroom, I did most of the dishes and I swept and cleaned most of the house. It was catch up day (again) instead of just laundry day. Today I want to get the rest of the laundry and some decluttering done. And exercises which I resist doing again and again. I don’t know how you do boot camp I really really don’t.
im soo happy to read all these comments… Im a first time mom with a almost 2 year old and a newly wed wife. Ive always had this mind sit that i can do it later tomorrow is better just a few hours of sleep and …. well i guess you guys know the rest. today i started making new habits….. thank you for your blog
I have put off for years figuring out a real plan to stop being a slob. Usually I say it is because of my health and that I am too busy with other things I do outside from work. The real problem is I had no idea where to start.
Everytime I have tried to get the cleaning thing done it just doesn’t work. So today I am going to start reading your blog and get started.
My plans are to just get the dishes washed when I come home and get a load of wash done. I have a meeting tonight so can’t get much done but hey its a start.
Thank you for doing this. Today was one of those days when I woke up and thought “I can’t be happy unless something changes here.” I was looking at Flylady, which I enjoy when I saw a link to your podcast. I was looking for something that I could put on my phone and listen to as I cleaned. I listened to a couple of yours and so much was as if I were listening to me talk to me. I am going to continue listening from the beginning while I read your blog posts. I have a problems with focus and like you said, “I don’t even see that the cupboard doors are open”. I have a great job, wonderful children, a successful husband and family that loves me very much. Now I just need to create a home environment for my family and MYSELF that enhances our lives and our relationships.
I am so happy to have found this site!! Unlike most of the people here, I am not a Mom. I’m just me, a plain old slob! LOL. I’ve struggled with depression almost all my life, and I know that it factors into my slobishness. But I also know that my slobishness contributes to my depression, if that makes sense. Every time I try to clean up, I end up getting overwhelmed, and I quit. No more! At least, I hope no more!
I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of your posts. Thank you so much for sharing your journey, it’s so nice to know that I am not alone!
I too am not a mom. It’s just me in my studio apartment. I can relate about depression factoring into slobishness. That apathetic outlook that springs from depression is under control, but I am finding that habits that were built while I was under it are not contributing to my success now. I love how this blog (and her books) teach “Just do a bit, NOW.”
Hi nony! I’m so glad I found you. I’ve been to a zillion websites about cleaning, de-cluttering, organization, but I so appreciate you come from a point I understand….in other words you dont seem to be a obsessed perfectly organized person. I loved your book, and you’re right that my home slides back into chaos because of a lack of routines. So I’ve washed my dishes, and I’ll wash them again tomorrow and build some routines. Thank you for sharing your ideas and exoerience with us. Oh by the way I’m a Catholic music director. Oh, and you ARE funny!
So, here I go my biggest problem is I can’t seem to get pat the kitchen. It is evening an my son an I have just finished eating dinner. So I guess I need a plan I will need to clean up the supper dishes and the kitchen, maybe sweep up and something does not smell right in the fridge I should probably figure out what that is. We then need to pack for the cottage. While there I will read about getting your children to help you clean because he is 6 and while he does help with some things he maybe could help with more. I wonder if you have written anything about getting your husband to help you clean, now that would be helpful! Anyway off I go whis me luck:)
When I first visited your blog my initial thought was to look around for your first post and read through… and then I read that you recommend I do that very thing lol. That and going through the comments definitely makes me feel like I’m not alone. Alright lets do this.
Magic-erased the playroom door (a chalk rainbow appeared sometime yesterday) sigh
washed down all of the chairs and table
dusted the dining room walls, ceiling and maybe a years worth of grime off of the ceiling fan.
folded and put away a load of laundry (found a lace tablecloth for the table and now it looks so much better)
Picked up the living room and swept the floors.
My toddlers helped me fold and put away another load of laundry (I didn’t clean the kitchen, only cleared the dishes to the sink from dinner..but it’s 11pm and who knows? the night is still young (;
Day 1 of reading this blog. I’ve already gotten started with working on a new routine. I’ve gotten my kids’ bedrooms nice and neat and vacuumed, and their bathroom and the laundry room clean and organized in the past week. I’m try to keep the laundry up pretty well and keep the rooms that are clean in pretty good shape. My new routine is making the kids’ beds when I go get their sippy cups from their rooms in the mornings. I also try to pick up and put away anything I see not being used that is out of place when I walk by a room. I’ve set some weekly reminders on my phone for getting certain chores done but so far not keeping up with more than a few of them. It is holiday get together maina this time of year and my best friend and her kids are moving away at the end of the month so it is hard to be focused and productive when time and energy are short. I’m trying. I’ve seen this blog recommended several times in various Facebook groups, so here I am.
What my husband and I got done today:
Clothes to dryer, put away those clothes, washed/dried/put away load of towels, 2 loads of dishes through the dishwasher, supper for today and tomorrow cooked, table wiped down multiple times, kids rooms picked up, trash in bathrooms taken out and bags replaced, wiped down the fish aquarium that hasn’t been cleaned or dusted in ages, empty bottles and toilet paper roll to the recycling bag, and shaved my legs! 😂 we had a Christmas get together today and our kids are 3 and 5 so looking at this list makes me actually feel productive! We are trying to just do a little work here and there because it adds up! Our house is still slobby put I think it is on its way because I’m learning how to do frequent “sprints” instead of occasional cleaning marathons that leave me frustrated and depleted. I love the idea of doing a list. I might get a small notebook just to keep track of what I’ve done! It would be neat to look back on!
You give me hope. 10 years of depression and barely functioning and my house is borderline hoarder status. ”I see the value” really resonated with me. What if I need it? The last 2 years I’ve been trying to crawl out of this mess and I’m getting better. I really am. It’s just taking SOOOOOO long!!! It’s a very slow process and I’m determined to do this on my own. I have to know I can do it. I’m scared. But I am also ready. When I get home from work ( on days I don’t work 2 jobs) I relax 30 minutes and set a timer for one hour. My son and I work together. One day it was in, on, under, and around the couch. Next day it was the coffee table. Today I think we will do the 5 minute thing to refresh what’s been done. Thank you and thank God for putting you on this refreshingly honest path. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s going to be a long haul but knowing I’m not alone helps.
Hey Twila,
I am here starting this journey with you. I remember at some point long ago discovering this blog when I was trying to keep up with the Flylady cleaning method. Over the years, I have completely lost all of the routines and the progress that they had created. I am choosing to not beat myself up over allowing my home to slide into disaster status again. I am instead allowing myself to shake it all off and start this recovery process all over again.
I just finished reading Dana’s book “How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind,” and am on roughly Day5 of doing the dishes each day. Saying that reminded me that I need to grab a calendar or a “28 days to a Cleaner Home” checklist to keep track of where I am in the process.
Your post was exactly a month ago now, and I hope that you have been able to notice progress as you are building new routines. If you haven’t read her book that I mentioned earlier, see if you can get a copy of it(or the audio version) from your local library and give it a read. It has helped me see the importance of creating a cleaning routine. I am still working on her “put it there now” rule. This week I have been noticing that I have a habit to keep making little piles as I work instead pausing and putting it away (especially if I know that I can’t access the area where it needs to go — stupid cluttered house!).
Alright, I need to go swap some laundry to the dryer before I forget about it….again.
Okay, here I go! Today I happen to have my older girls home, so I’m a bit more free from baby duty to catch up on housework
-Loaded the dishwasher.. the sink was so full I will have to do another load by lunch.
-Put away folded laundry and gathered hangars.
-Put away hanging clothes…took me two trips! And I found and put away a stack of clean shirts that has been languishing for at least a month.
-Vacuumed the bathroom – my hubby just cut his hair in there. Ewww.
-On to vacuuming the living room.
-Replaced a lightbulb in the laundry room. This is my first day of NOT procrastinating, after a 33 year run!
– Now going to clean the disgusting high chair, and then get out the Nativity!
Great job!
Ok, so check in time:
1) Clean Kitchen – Check
2) Pick up and SWEEP (no carpet) living room – Not so much. In my defense / excuse, I left the house early and only got back at 7pm. So I started when I got home and pittered out half way through, Its a big job right now.
3) Fold one load of laundry – Not done either. I went down to the laundry room to get the laundry I had in the dryer from, cough fourdaysago cough, and turns out some one (probably my 19yr old daughter) had pulled them out and put them in a basket that had dirty clothes in it. So now I’m just irritated and disappointed the I only got 1 of the three done on my list.
I’ll try again tomorrow I guess,
Laura
I am starting an abbreviated version of your first day, RIGHT NOW. {It’s abbreviated b/c I have 1.5 hrs to do this b/f I have to go to my daughter’s school to volunteer}
I just wanted to say that Nony, I feel like you are my twin I didn’t know I had (I’m sure you’ve heard this before).
Thanks for sharing your honest struggle in this blog. I <3 you for it.
🙂 Cindy
Thanks, Cindy! And there are so many more of “us” than I ever imagined!!
I thought I was the only one! Glad we’re all in the same boat together in the beginning!
So many mums manicured and make up and there’s me just managing to keep on living
So I just finished reading the “28 days to hope for your home” and “Drowning in Clutter” ebooks and I’m pretty inspired. I really didn’t know there were others out there like me! I have periods of cleanliness but it always turns back into a pile after awhile.
I feel overwhelmed whenever I walk in the house and it doesn’t help that I work from home and can never seem to have a usable desk at tax time. (Yes, I’m a tax preparer).
So today I take my first step and just keep repeating “just wash the dishes” over and over in my head to not freak out.
-I have loaded the dishwasher and its running now, and washed a sink load of dishes that are drying. I still have probably three more sink loads (ack! Too many dishes) but I stopped to clean the bathroom since someone is visiting tonight.
-washer down bathroom sink including pedestal, washed & scrubbed toilet, hand wiped floor of obvious stuff (hair, gross), wiped the walls and a few base boards, closer the shower curtain and pray they don’t look inside.
That’s about it for now. I plan to finish the dishes before bed and switch the load in the washer I’ve already washed twice, to the dryer.
I’m am more than ready for this journey. I may need something to keep me accountable so I may try a journal.
Wish me luck!
You can do this, Nicole! And welcome!!!
I am looking forward to reading this blog. My daily list is a lot bigger but who needs sleep. I do have older children who have daily chores also so that helps.
I’m reading backwards for the second time. I want to read all the comments this time too. Just reading Nicole’s comment above reminded me how much of a difference it made for me to write everything I did down. It helped so much. I might feel overwhelmed right now but 2 pages into re-reading backwards and I remember how much worse things were the first time. Yesterday I got some laundry done, I sorta cleaned the bathroom, I did most of the dishes and I swept and cleaned most of the house. It was catch up day (again) instead of just laundry day. Today I want to get the rest of the laundry and some decluttering done. And exercises which I resist doing again and again. I don’t know how you do boot camp I really really don’t.
im soo happy to read all these comments… Im a first time mom with a almost 2 year old and a newly wed wife. Ive always had this mind sit that i can do it later tomorrow is better just a few hours of sleep and …. well i guess you guys know the rest. today i started making new habits….. thank you for your blog
Welcome, Monique!
I have put off for years figuring out a real plan to stop being a slob. Usually I say it is because of my health and that I am too busy with other things I do outside from work. The real problem is I had no idea where to start.
Everytime I have tried to get the cleaning thing done it just doesn’t work. So today I am going to start reading your blog and get started.
My plans are to just get the dishes washed when I come home and get a load of wash done. I have a meeting tonight so can’t get much done but hey its a start.
You can do this, Tracy!
Thank you for doing this. Today was one of those days when I woke up and thought “I can’t be happy unless something changes here.” I was looking at Flylady, which I enjoy when I saw a link to your podcast. I was looking for something that I could put on my phone and listen to as I cleaned. I listened to a couple of yours and so much was as if I were listening to me talk to me. I am going to continue listening from the beginning while I read your blog posts. I have a problems with focus and like you said, “I don’t even see that the cupboard doors are open”. I have a great job, wonderful children, a successful husband and family that loves me very much. Now I just need to create a home environment for my family and MYSELF that enhances our lives and our relationships.
I appreciate your sense of humor.
Thanks Again,
Jamie
Welcome, Jamie! I love hearing how people find me!
I am so happy to have found this site!! Unlike most of the people here, I am not a Mom. I’m just me, a plain old slob! LOL. I’ve struggled with depression almost all my life, and I know that it factors into my slobishness. But I also know that my slobishness contributes to my depression, if that makes sense. Every time I try to clean up, I end up getting overwhelmed, and I quit. No more! At least, I hope no more!
I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of your posts. Thank you so much for sharing your journey, it’s so nice to know that I am not alone!
You’re definitely not alone!!
I too am not a mom. It’s just me in my studio apartment. I can relate about depression factoring into slobishness. That apathetic outlook that springs from depression is under control, but I am finding that habits that were built while I was under it are not contributing to my success now. I love how this blog (and her books) teach “Just do a bit, NOW.”
Hi nony! I’m so glad I found you. I’ve been to a zillion websites about cleaning, de-cluttering, organization, but I so appreciate you come from a point I understand….in other words you dont seem to be a obsessed perfectly organized person. I loved your book, and you’re right that my home slides back into chaos because of a lack of routines. So I’ve washed my dishes, and I’ll wash them again tomorrow and build some routines. Thank you for sharing your ideas and exoerience with us. Oh by the way I’m a Catholic music director. Oh, and you ARE funny!
Oh, thank you so much for this comment, Susan!!
So, here I go my biggest problem is I can’t seem to get pat the kitchen. It is evening an my son an I have just finished eating dinner. So I guess I need a plan I will need to clean up the supper dishes and the kitchen, maybe sweep up and something does not smell right in the fridge I should probably figure out what that is. We then need to pack for the cottage. While there I will read about getting your children to help you clean because he is 6 and while he does help with some things he maybe could help with more. I wonder if you have written anything about getting your husband to help you clean, now that would be helpful! Anyway off I go whis me luck:)
Do you have my e-book, 28 Days to Hope for Your Home? It will help you conquer that kitchen!
When I first visited your blog my initial thought was to look around for your first post and read through… and then I read that you recommend I do that very thing lol. That and going through the comments definitely makes me feel like I’m not alone. Alright lets do this.
Magic-erased the playroom door (a chalk rainbow appeared sometime yesterday) sigh
washed down all of the chairs and table
dusted the dining room walls, ceiling and maybe a years worth of grime off of the ceiling fan.
folded and put away a load of laundry (found a lace tablecloth for the table and now it looks so much better)
Picked up the living room and swept the floors.
My toddlers helped me fold and put away another load of laundry (I didn’t clean the kitchen, only cleared the dishes to the sink from dinner..but it’s 11pm and who knows? the night is still young (;
Can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Thank you
Day 1 of reading this blog. I’ve already gotten started with working on a new routine. I’ve gotten my kids’ bedrooms nice and neat and vacuumed, and their bathroom and the laundry room clean and organized in the past week. I’m try to keep the laundry up pretty well and keep the rooms that are clean in pretty good shape. My new routine is making the kids’ beds when I go get their sippy cups from their rooms in the mornings. I also try to pick up and put away anything I see not being used that is out of place when I walk by a room. I’ve set some weekly reminders on my phone for getting certain chores done but so far not keeping up with more than a few of them. It is holiday get together maina this time of year and my best friend and her kids are moving away at the end of the month so it is hard to be focused and productive when time and energy are short. I’m trying. I’ve seen this blog recommended several times in various Facebook groups, so here I am.
What my husband and I got done today:
Clothes to dryer, put away those clothes, washed/dried/put away load of towels, 2 loads of dishes through the dishwasher, supper for today and tomorrow cooked, table wiped down multiple times, kids rooms picked up, trash in bathrooms taken out and bags replaced, wiped down the fish aquarium that hasn’t been cleaned or dusted in ages, empty bottles and toilet paper roll to the recycling bag, and shaved my legs! 😂 we had a Christmas get together today and our kids are 3 and 5 so looking at this list makes me actually feel productive! We are trying to just do a little work here and there because it adds up! Our house is still slobby put I think it is on its way because I’m learning how to do frequent “sprints” instead of occasional cleaning marathons that leave me frustrated and depleted. I love the idea of doing a list. I might get a small notebook just to keep track of what I’ve done! It would be neat to look back on!
You give me hope. 10 years of depression and barely functioning and my house is borderline hoarder status. ”I see the value” really resonated with me. What if I need it? The last 2 years I’ve been trying to crawl out of this mess and I’m getting better. I really am. It’s just taking SOOOOOO long!!! It’s a very slow process and I’m determined to do this on my own. I have to know I can do it. I’m scared. But I am also ready. When I get home from work ( on days I don’t work 2 jobs) I relax 30 minutes and set a timer for one hour. My son and I work together. One day it was in, on, under, and around the couch. Next day it was the coffee table. Today I think we will do the 5 minute thing to refresh what’s been done. Thank you and thank God for putting you on this refreshingly honest path. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s going to be a long haul but knowing I’m not alone helps.
Hey Twila,
I am here starting this journey with you. I remember at some point long ago discovering this blog when I was trying to keep up with the Flylady cleaning method. Over the years, I have completely lost all of the routines and the progress that they had created. I am choosing to not beat myself up over allowing my home to slide into disaster status again. I am instead allowing myself to shake it all off and start this recovery process all over again.
I just finished reading Dana’s book “How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind,” and am on roughly Day5 of doing the dishes each day. Saying that reminded me that I need to grab a calendar or a “28 days to a Cleaner Home” checklist to keep track of where I am in the process.
Your post was exactly a month ago now, and I hope that you have been able to notice progress as you are building new routines. If you haven’t read her book that I mentioned earlier, see if you can get a copy of it(or the audio version) from your local library and give it a read. It has helped me see the importance of creating a cleaning routine. I am still working on her “put it there now” rule. This week I have been noticing that I have a habit to keep making little piles as I work instead pausing and putting it away (especially if I know that I can’t access the area where it needs to go — stupid cluttered house!).
Alright, I need to go swap some laundry to the dryer before I forget about it….again.
Bev