I have issues.
If you’ve read this blog before, you already know that. If you haven’t, it won’t take long for you to figure it out.
I’m a slob, BUT I don’t like to waste time. Doesn’t make sense at all, right? Issues.
I love Tackle it Tuesday (this linky party is no longer live.) It seems pretty much tailor-made for this blog. I’m blogging to stay focused on changing my slobbish habits. Tackle it Tuesday provides bloggers incentive to tackle something around the house.
So what’s my problem? I really considered not doing it today. I have several deadlines this week and the most visible rooms of my house look great. If someone walked in the front door, I wouldn’t even have a little heart attack. As long as they don’t open ANY doors, they’re totally welcome here.
One of my big issues is that I often view cleaning as a waste of time. If no one sees it, then why worry about it? This is so wrong. First of all, I’m calling my family no one. I would NEVER do that in any other situation. They are my top priority, but when it comes to cleaning, somehow they don’t count. Second of all, I love it when things look nice. So I don’t count either, I guess. Cleaning gets pushed right on down the priority list as soon as anything else comes along.
I knew that I couldn’t skip it, so I thought of something. Something that “mattered.” Not like the scary master bedroom, scary closets, scary office, etc. Something that really mattered.
I have a kindergartner this year, and the teachers bring the kids out to the cars and open the door, and . . . look . . . inside. For a slob, this is torture.
I often clear a 1ft by 3 ft square right at the van door that they open. I pretend that they don’t see the rest of the van. I also convince myself that they don’t notice my “workspace” on the passenger side of the front. This is my coupon space. Like I said, I hate wasting time, so I clip coupons while I’m waiting in the pickup line at school. I also do this whenever we go somewhere in the car with my husband driving.
It was baaaadddd. In the last few days, I went through my files and pulled expired coupons, and did what I always do. I threw them in the floorboard.
This is a great system when I actually throw them away as soon as I get home. Not so great when I don’t, which is about 9 times out of 10. I live in dread that the teacher will need to have a little conference with me when she comes to the car and will open that door, sending the coupon scraps flying. And, even worse, my husband gave someone a ride on Sunday night. In the van. The shame.
So for Tackle it Tuesday I took the 5 minutes to throw away the coupon scraps. Why don’t I do that more often?
I quite enjoyed your post! Keep it up I am a HUGE fan of Tackle It Tuesday.
Oh. my. goodness. This just takes the cake. I knew you sounded just like me but it's uncanny with this post, down to the clearing the space where the kids climb out at car rider line and pretending they don't see the coupon and various other clutter!! Anyway, I am reading backwards as you suggested and just had to comment on this post! Reading more…..
Reading backward still, and all in one night. I was getting a little panicky then I read this post and was pleasantly surprised because I have worked very hard over the last few months to keep my garbage truck, I mean car, cleaned out. I have felt so much more calm since doing this. It really makes me feel good to have my car nice and clean when I drive the neighbor boy home (we live on a mt thankfully so he never really had to sit or be buckled in before!!! )
Wow. And again Wow. I have listened to your podcasts and read a whole lot of posts and seen you bedroom and felt so much like you could be posting pictures of my house and talking about me but this sealed it. You know and share all my dirty little secrets. It is crazy how great it feels to know that I am not alone. Thank you yet again for being the first to step up and lay it all out. You are saving people from despair, allowing us to show ourselves and others a little more grace while encouraging us to keep going.
It looks like you could do with a container of some kind affixed to the door panel or glove box or something? No, scrap that, I know how you think because I do the same, and it wouldn’t get emptied. And a carrier bag looks ugly and isn’t actually that practical to just toss things in. Hmmm. Do you have those brown paper lunch sacks?
(Sorry, reading backwards. For I know you’ve tackled this between now and then!)
I just started reading your blog backwards. You are in my head. Everything you write I’m nodding a long with. this is ME. I’m determined to make a change and am glad to know it’s possible.
I love hearing this! I’m always amazed that so many people can relate to what I once believed were only my struggles!!
OMG we are so alike it’s scary And comforting at the same time. The only difference I can see is self esteem. Mine is lacking. But that is also how I found this blog, I am surrounded by OCD neat freak super moms. So I pretty much ways feel horrible that I am not.
Anyway after reading the first few posts I started thinking, yes but what does her car look like. Lol same as mine.
Put a small trashcan in the car! Seriously, this has changed my life. All those scraps of paper with directions on, gum wrappers, receipts I don’t need etc go straight in the bin (I line it with a sandwich bag). Once a week or so, I just lift the bag out and throw it in the trash I have to walk past to get to our front door. Top tip: keep the sandwich bag (liners) in the glove compartment. Then: no excuse for not relining it, and you have a wet bag when you need one in an emergency!
I have been following you on Facebook for awhile now, but I just started reading from the beginning last night. I have to tell you, the comment you made about your family being no one really hit home. I will spend days getting my living areas in order before I have other people over, but my family deserves to live in a clean space and not have to work around my piles too. Thanks for the inspiration! I already made my bed this morning, now I need to make breakfast and tackle the pile of dishes in my sink so I can get the crockpot started for dinner.
Wow! Couponer & a Slob — are you sure we are not long lost kin? 🙂
I know others have said it, but I’m going to say it, too. Are you living in my head? Because everything you put on here I catch myself saying “OMG – this is me!”.
I have the exact problem only with junk mail… I check my mail box on my way to my apartment. I sit in the car for a minute and look at what I got and for some reason throw anything unimportant right on to the floor of the passengers seat. Why??? Why don’t I just bring it in and throw it away??? I’m always afraid that someone will need to get into my car and see my ridiculous pile of junk, so I always avoid offering rides to people.
I’ve been reading a few of your blog posts each day, as I motivate myself to do my own non-negotiables. It’s comforting to know there are people who are (or were) just as slobby as me.
Thank you for sharing your revelation about calling your family “no one”. No-one-will-see-it-so-why-bother has been my justification for not keeping up with my home and clutter, and until I read your post today I didn’t realize what I’ve been saying to myself about my husband and my kids. There isn’t anyone more important and deserving of seeing a clean home than my family. This was life-changing for me.
I felt so much better when I saw your car picture, because mine looks like that too! And the very next day I took advantage of a few extra minutes before an appointment to clean out the front of my own car. Is the back seat still full of spare outfits for the kids and also random “special rocks” they brought in? Shh. The front is clean.
Another idea: While filling your gas tank, toss out any trash that has accumulated in your vehicle.
My husband once got asked if there was a vagrant living in my car…
At least when I had family living with me, I wanted to keep a clean home for them. But now that I live alone I’m finding it difficult to clean or cook decent meals for myself. I start thinking that there’s no point in doing these things just for myself. Things aren’t a disaster but they could definitely be cleaner and decluttering needs doing.
I like having a clean and neat house, but still have it cozy looking.
I have both of your books and whenever I’ve let things slide for awhile I’ll go through them again for inspiration. They do help so I want to thank you for that.
And it does make me happy to see my place looking nice, I just need to remind myself sometimes that I am worth it.
Side note, that’s not to say my house was neat and clean when I did have family with me. It’s always been a struggle, lol.