It’s Sunday, and that means that it’s time to add a new non-negotiable task for the week. I’ve been debating about this one. I could add the swish to the swipe from last week. Flylady calls the daily bathroom quick-clean the “swish and swipe.” This would mean that when I wipe down the counters and toilet in the bathrooms, I would use the toilet brush and a little cleaner to swish the toilets each day.
I could also add laundry. Laundry has been better since I started this, just because I am staying more focused on the house in general. But it is FAR from being under control. Last week I had to move the clean laundry pile back and forth from the living room to the master bedroom more than once. I moved it, but I didn’t fold and put it away. I also had three mornings in a row when I had to search-and-sniff for a pair of wearable socks for my boys. Each time I told myself that I had to remember to do a load of whites, but it wasn’t until Saturday that I did.
My point is that there are so many things I could add, and these two are just a fraction. But, I’m still feeling overwhelmed by the daily wiping down of the bathrooms. Unlike other tasks, this one still feels totally unnatural, even though I did do it each day this week. It slips my mind, I resent it, and I haven’t seen the light about it, even though I should have, since my bathrooms are looking (and smelling) so nice. I think that part of the reason for this is that I need to make it a more time-specific task. This needs to be done first thing in the morning or last thing at night, so we can wake up to clean bathrooms. I think first thing in the morning sounds the best, but it doesn’t seem realistic because I don’t want to wake my kids by cleaning their bathroom at 6 am. So I’m going to try to do their bathrooms in the evening after they go to bed, and mine in the morning when I very first get up. Here’s the fear I have: I don’t want to fail just because I put a time on something. I’m not going to count it as a failure if I have to get up from my daily checklist post to do it because I forgot the night before. But I am going to be honest about when I did it. And I’m going to put a post-it note on the computer to remind myself when I shut it down before I go to bed.
I’m frustrated with myself for not adding a new task this week. It feels like I’m copping out. Maybe I am. But I also know that I don’t feel that the bathroom task is under control at this point. I would rather get this down than add something else and end up overwhelmed. This is going to be a long process for me to break the habits I’ve had for my entire life, and build new ones.
Thanks for sticking with me. It means a lot.
I think you are doing awesome! I've not started doing daily tasks yet, I'm dreading it and excited by the prospect at the same time. To be honest the hardest part for me will probably be not telling my hubby what I'm doing – for the same reasons you outlined earlier. And I'm such a big mouth, it'll be hard! I'm totally jealous of you and the accomplishments you've made! You are doing fantastic!! 🙂
Thanks so much! Your encouragement means more than you know.
I made the bed today. I said nothing. He noticed and said thank you! I'm a dork because it made my day! 🙂
Go Susan! You're not a dork, I totally understand.
This is very helpful Nony! I always think I need an external thing to keep me on track and be accountable to but what? I think it’s brilliant you started the blog. I have just switched from reading funny mom blogs all the time to organizing/ cleaning blogs since my mom was just talking about “you start to act like who you hang out with and pick up their habits”. Just changing blogs has helped keep my mind more focused on housework and organizing and what it will add to our life.
I have every trait you have written about so far and read all the same books and Flylady! You are way more accomplished that me though because I rarely “cook” dinner ever because my husband isn’t home til bedtime.
I just squirt toilet cleaner around under the rim every 2 or 3 days and this seems to eleminate the need for “swishing” at all and storing a yucky toilet brush. I do it at bedtime then they are disinfecting all night.
This swish and swipe thing is a stumbling block for me too,
Swishing is easy, it’s the swiping that I have trouble with…
1) It bugs me to use wipes because it seems so wasteful to use several wipes EVERY day on something that doesn’t really seem dirty
2) However even if it doesn’t seem particularly dirty, the cloth that I use to do the wiping seems too gross and contaminated to just put in the dirty laundry unless I am going to do a load RIGHT NOW!
3) Laundry is pretty controlled now, so I don’t always need to do a load RIGHT NOW.
4)If I wait a few days between swiping, so that using disposables doesn’t seem so wasteful, it becomes so icky, that I just rebel about having to clean the bathroom at all and keep putting it off… LOL
Yes I can hear all the stupid arguments I am making with myself, but I can’t help it, …
Okay, I’m going to be wasteful and use wipes everyday, but they will be the homemade paper towel ones…
I’d be with you on this decision. The quickest way to fail at anything is to start feeling overwhelmed, so hitting the pause button when necessary can save a new routine or habit. It was a good choice. 🙂
Nony, I’m writing about swish and swipe on my blog tonight. I plan to reference you, and of course link here. You are so wonderful!!!
I’m so excited about your paper and ink book coming soon!!
I’ve read your others.
Non-negotiable tasks have really helped me maintain my home. I used to feel guilty about things like doing a small load of laundry, running a half full dishwasher or taking out the trash when the trash bag is only 3/4 full. Bags are expensive and I don’t want to be wasteful, so I wouldn’t take it out, but by the time I noticed again (slob vision) it was overflowing with stinky garbage and I’d have to mop the floors and wash out the bin, or worse, one of our pets gets into it, making a mess or getting sick. Reading your blog reminds me that it costs me $0.13 a bag, and it’s ok to take it out 3/4 full if it saves me an hour tomorrow, and since it’s non-negotiable, if I feel really guilty, I just walk around collecting garbage to fill the bag up- I always find enough and my house gets cleaned in the process! Glorious!!
I’m really encouraged by your flexibility while still holding yourself accountable. This is something I have struggled with. I am definitely an all-or-nothing thinker, hence the tornado that is my home. Thank you for sharing this. I know it’s an old post, but I’m working my way through methodically, trying to do some “easy wins” and “DUHs” each day – even at my desk at work.
Hi Dana,
First, thank you for documenting your home-rescue journey. I find it so helpful to see how you are slowly able to not only clean various areas of your cluttered home, but how you are managing to keep them clean even while fighting the “but I don’t want to” thoughts.
This post in particular gave me an ah-ha moment!
We are homeschoolers, and the writing program that we use teaches the students how to enhance their writing by adding different types of dress-ups and sentence openers. The author of this program encourages the parents/teachers to introduce the new dress-up style using the easy+1 method. All he means is to allow time for the student to practice the current dress-up skill until they can easily incorporate it into their writing. Once it is easy for them, it is time to introduce the new skill. This is one of my favorite aspects of his writing program!
Your post here made me realize that, just like with teaching my students new writing skills, I can use this easy+1 rule to teach myself cleaning/decluttering habits! As Gru would say, “Light bulb!”
Today is the beginning of Week 2 for me. I had been trying to squeeze all of the “28 Days…” tasks in each day because they didn’t seems that difficult to keep up with, but I have noticed the last couple of days that I have been having a rough time trying to complete them each day as well as doing the needed decluttering to make them possible. (I checked that ICD Clutter Hording Scale that someone had shared on a previous post, and I was quite shocked at how badly I scored on that one! Change must happen!) So, just like you, I am determined to NOT FAIL this time around! I am going to slow my pace just a bit and use that easy+1 skill to work in my new habits. I have been successful with keeping the sinks empty and unloading the dishwasher when it is finished running as well as sweeping the kitchen floor. I think for my week 2 I will just stick with those and add in the bathroom pickup next Monday.
Thank you for your encouragement, and for allowing us newcomers a chance to following along with you from the start of your journey while knowing that you have been able to successfully continue moving forward in your journey to better your home these last 13 years.