I need to do my daily checklist, right? I have to get it done or that would be procrastinating, right? It’s not that I’m putting off the desk cleanup. Not at all.
Today I:
Made bed.
Made lunches (forgot to last night).
Cleaned kitchen.
Swept kitchen.
Ran some laundry.
Did 5 minute walk through.
Checked bathrooms for floor clutter and counter clutter.
Fortunately (or UNfortunately), this post took all of 2 minutes to write, so I guess I should get after that desk. Blech.
To be totaly honest, I’m loving this blog….but not for the reason most seem to; see, I’m not a slob…far from it. I’m actually one of those people who helps other people get organized. Technically I’m a housekeeper, but I do lots of decluttering/organizing for my clients. I would get so frustrated when I would work with someone to organize the family laundry system on Saturday, and come back to clean on Monday and find clothes all over the living room. I’d ask what went wrong, but the client hadn’t noticed the clothes. This is mind boggling to me….I am married and have two small kids, but I have systems in place that keep the whole place in order….my crazed running around before guests come over is to do things like swap out framed photos to make sure the in laws were seeing pictures of themselves, and turning around books that my parents dont approve of so they wouldn’t be offended. Now, I’m not crazy….my kids run around in their undies to make their clothes last longer, we leave the house with dirt on their faces, and I never have gotten around to sanitizing their toys….but I could never, ever even consider leaving for a day with the beds unmade or dishes in the sink….it’s just part of the routine.
What your blog is doing for me is teaching me how my clients think and see things….that they don’t notice the clutter, didn’t realize the table still has dirty dishes on it or ever even considered that the blinds might need dusted. I’m learning to relate to them better, and that makes me better at my job. Thanks for that…and good luck! It’s a hard thing to do by yourself.
I love hearing this, Doug! Accepting that my own brain works differently from an organized person’s brain was a huge step in this process for me.
Here we are at the end of 2018 and I’m just now reading your blog. I found you on Facebook at the beginning of the year and finally clicked on your blog. I started at the beginning and am slowly making my way through your posts. I feel as though you took your thoughts right out of my head. I’m a sahm of a 14yrs old, 12yrs old and 2yrs old. I have struggled with the fact that I can’t keep my house clean like everyone else or why the clutter doesn’t bother me like it does “normal” people. While I’m glad that I’m not the only one who struggles/struggled with this, I’m sorry that you too have endured it. I actually stopped reading and went and did a huge load of dishes and cleaned the kitchen counters. I look forward to continuing to read your blog. Thank you for speaking out and going on this journey.