It’s Focus Check Friday!
Last week, I shared how the one thing that has made the biggest difference in cleaning up this mess has been . . . . focus. It’s easy for me to have selective vision, ignoring the mess and only seeing the fun stuff. But then the mess gets so big that I can no longer pretend it isn’t there.
Keeping my focus on my home has meant that I am much more likely (though never guaranteed) to see things like shoes covering the floor by the back door before they take over the entire room. Focusing means that it occurs to me that I should really run the dishwasher to avoid the sink pile-up, rather than wait until dishes have to be done in order to pour one of the kids a glass of milk.
My post last Friday also explained how much blogging about my efforts has helped me. It helps me to hash out what I’m doing or not doing that is or isn’t helping our house to get in better shape. It helps me stay focused by giving me an excuse to talk to myself.
So, with Focus Check Friday, my desire is to give to you what you have given to me. An excuse to stop and think about what is and isn’t working in your housekeeping efforts. How has your week been? Has it been crazy, and the last thing on your mind was the house? Has it been successful, and you’ve kept an area clean or decluttered a difficult spot?
I’m just encouraging you to check your focus. Stop for a moment to blog about it, leave a comment, or talk to yourself in the mirror, and either pat yourself on the back or decide what could be changed to help you do better next week.
I’ll go first.
How’s my focus? Ummmm . . . a little off, honestly. The only day this week when I did my designated task for the day was Monday, and I didn’t even fully complete that one. There’s a small amount of clean-and-dry-but-not-folded-and-put-away-clothes (though not a full-fledged laundry mountain) on the loveseat. Tuesday I felt I didn’t have any choice but to nix Clean the Bathrooms Day so that I could get an early start running errands. Wednesday I did do my grocery shopping, but had to rush because I enjoyed myself a little too long at lunch with friends. And Thursday? Today involved my mom’s group meeting and Field Day for my kindergartner (hot, humid, yucky Field Day). So . . . no mopping.
Have I failed? I don’t know how I want to answer that at this point. I think that if I let next week be like this one (full of good excuses), then yes. But considering that our home used to suffer from way-more-than-a-week’s-worth of neglect on a regular basis, I think it’s okay to miss a few tasks as long as I take special care to do better next week.
In some ways, I’m glad that I got to see how much of a difference one week off has made in how clean the shower feels. I mean really, I went . . . ummm . . . . quite a while longer in the past, totally ignoring how bad it was getting. Even though the change isn’t terribly visible after a week, I do notice it. Additional proof that the more I force myself to be consistent, the more my focus improves. Hmmm . . .
My goal for next week is to get back to checking off my non-negotiable tasks. I haven’t been physically checking them off of my chart in quite a while, so I know that I’m ignoring some. Since starting this blog, those tasks have kept this house in pretty good shape, even before I added the bigger weekly tasks.
As I kick into high gear to prepare for my garage sale a week from Saturday, I need that list to keep me focused.
So how’s your focus?
Please feel free to share in the comments, or if you’d like to write a post on your blog, you can submit your link below.
***If you do link up below, please put something like “I’m linking this up to A Slob Comes Clean’s Focus Check Friday” somewhere in your post. And then link to this post within your post. If you need help to know how to do that, let me know. It’s easy.
I’m so hoping at least one person links up! I can’t wait to see how your focus has been.
Lenetta @ Nettacow says
Focus…um…yeah…about that… :>) Did I mention I finally bought a can of Bar Keepers' Friend and scrubbed my shower floor? It looks practically new. Took like 20 minutes, probably less. Why did I wait so long? Who knows. Now I need to hop on the four baskets of laundry that's been sitting for a few days. I got to go see a cousin and her new baby (2 hours away) yesterday, I worked this morning, and I started mowing this afternoon while Hubs was home to keep an ear on the little one in quiet time. And I spread the clippings I'd piled up on the garden.
But I really need to get to that laundry!
gretchen says
I've linked up! Of course, in accordance with everything I was just whining about, I just now checked out your link, so I'm a little late in the game, but now I know it's here!
Courtney says
So, it’s now 2014 so I don’t know if you’ll see this. (I haven’t gotten a response from previous posts & not sure if I should expect them this early in your journey). Anyways, I’ve been able to focus this week because it’s Christmas vacation & Christmas is over. I have time on my hands that I don’t usually have. I started reading your blog almost a week ago & have been mimicking most of your progress but in fast-forward. My house looks tons better. I’ve kept the dishes & counters clean, the kitchen floor swept, my laundry is under control, the living room is picked up, the dining room table is cleared, the girls’ bedroom is clean (playroom is covered in a foot of toys), the bathroom got scrubbed, and even the bed made. I’ve never been a bed-maker. I even pulled out my chore chart I made a while back & adjusted it a bit. My concern now is that I go back to work on Monday & the evenings become super-busy again. I’m not sure how I will keep up the momentum at this point. I’m hoping the chore chart helps and the fact that I’ll be starting a pretty clean house will help.
Dana White says
It’s so hard when real life starts back up! But keeping those most basic habits up like doing the dishes makes such a huge difference.
I definitely read comments on old posts, and love them! (I’m just OUT of routine with it being Christmas break!)
Karen Luebke says
Trying very hard to keep that “Task Completion” thing in mind, the task being the Massive Clothing Purge in my firstborn’s room. Step 3 was sort all the clothing into piles, and we’re on Step 4 where I need my son to weed out the things that he knows don’t fit or that he doesn’t want to wear, and then I try and fit what’s left into the dresser and closet.
HOWEVER – Toddler Boy managed to knock down the blinds covering the window that gets the most sun. I had to move all kinds of crud to be able to even move the piece of furniture that’s blocking the window, to try and put the blinds back. And it’s all dusty back there, and needs swiffering, and vacuuming, and can’t this crud go somewhere else? And what about the piles of books that were in the crud from the book purge I started but – gasp! – didn’t finish yet? And I think the vacuum needs to be emptied, and, and, and, *hyperventilates* Oh, and our family will want to eat supper soon.
But it’s really important that I actually finish a project. (Important to me, at least.) So all the stuff by the window will just have to go back where it was, minus the dust, while I deal with the mountains of shirts and pants.
It’s been really helpful to read these old posts about the baby steps, daily checklists, and “declutter first, organize later.” So thanks!
KayDee says
I just found your blog a week or so ago and have been reading it from the beginning forward. It is very inspiring to me, and you are able to articulate a lot of things that I have never put into words. I’m in a different phase of life (working full-time with young adult kids and 3 dogs and a cat + hubby.) But I struggle with clutter and disorganization of my household. I spend Sundays with my dad, so that leaves me one full day (Saturday) to run my errands and do my chores.
Monday I started my new journey. I set my alarm 30 minutes earlier in the mornings, but I still find myself sometimes hitting snooze a few times (and yes I have to get up and walk across the room to get to the alarm clock…) I make my bed (but not with the bedspread and pretty pillows yet.) And I have swept my kitchen for 3 mornings in a row! I am amazed at the amount of dirt that was there Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning. I had no idea we tracked in so much in *one* day!
Next week I will start unloading the dishwasher in the morning, as well. We may not fill it up every day, but it will be loaded as I go and unloaded in the morning after it runs.
The hardest part for me is keeping this a secret! I did tell my husband that I had swept the kitchen 3 days in a row and how amazed I was at the amount of dirt each day. And I want to assign him chores (like I want to assign him to wipe down the toilets each night)–but I guess I won’t for now.
I’m looking forward to getting current with your blog and continuing to follow you. You do an amazing job juggling all of your responsibilities! Like I said–such an inspiration. Thanks!
Jeanine says
I was hoping to read a lot of posts here about other’s journeys. I’m disappointed there are so few.
I started about 2 weeks ago. The first week went pretty well with emptying the dishwasher, clearing off the stove and emptying the kitchen sink. Oh, and closing the cabinet doors. I have now found myself noticing open drawers and cabinets all over the house, and closing them. This week I added sweeping the kitchen floor. I missed one day so far, but have done it 3 days. Each day I’ve done a more thorough job. I’m hoping to mop later this week. I’m thinking that maybe I don’t need it to be a daily task though. I no longer have little ones traipsing through all the time. I might make my daily task be “sweep something” and then I could do the upstairs bathrooms one day and the entry hall another.
Doing this much and reading on here has helped me do more than my daily check list. I cleaned a bathroom, and wiped it down again another day. I’ve also been sorting out the piles in my upstairs hall and cleaning the guest bedroom (company coming at the end of next week). I still have lots of papers in the kitchen I need to sort and am putting off. *groan*
Kimberly says
So I have been Reading for about a week now. Going to officially Subscribe when I get caught up to current posts. 5 years of posts might take a month or two.
I am a Overwhelmed Slob who 15months ago got what all overwhelmed moms need (A Bogo Baby) For someone who always wanted 3 kids and had 4 years of trying for the 2nd. We have been blessed with Twins last year. But I used to be able to pull it together and have company over twice a month. Not so with 4 little ones and age gaps. We have the big kid schedule, the Preschool schedule and the babies who we have struggled to try and put on the same schedule with all the other schedules.
So recently I started my daily list here is my check list. It is a mile long and has little things That I can Check off to make it look like I am Making progress. And it is helping. I haven’t been so scattered I have been content to work on tasks in the same order daily and once those are done see what else I can do.
Reading your blog is my between chores break it motivates me just to know that I am not alone in the struggle and that complete decluttering of the house is not ever going to be a weekend project.
So my Focus is on my list. Getting through it everyday and once I can do that I can focus on Organizing some of the problem areas and finding solutions.
Lydia says
I am slowly working my way thru your blog. You are addressing my slobvision/focus. Thank you for the corrective lenses.
Cheryl says
Good one!
Wrenne says
I’ve got that brand-new, first week focus, which is to say, it hasn’t been *really* tested yet. I have managed to get up the last two out of three mornings and make my bed. I’m also filling my dishwasher in the morning and emptying it during the day. Today I also worked on my laundry and put away most of the pile that has been lurking all over the couch (I’ve been sitting on the floor.) I just need to a) do enough to set myself up to be ready to go back into the classroom this fall, and b) set up a pattern that I can continue successfully. I’ll keep adding to my daily checklist a task or two at a time so I can build as solid a set of practices as I can.
Julia says
So far this week, my focus has been bad. Work has been so stressful with our already under-staffed department in danger of losing another employee I’ve been so tired when I get home I don’t have a lot of energy for the housework that I find so terrible. BUT! That’s why I came back to this blog today, to read a few more posts and work up some motivation. I have to say it’s working! After I finish writing this comment I’m going to try and at least do some basic tasks (like the dishes) to keep things under control. If I don’t keep things at least maintained, and then go out of town this weekend… next week I’ll be in real danger of things descending into a pre-daily checklist disaster.
Sharon says
I had to make a note about the opened cupboards and drawers. It used to drive me crazy that my husband would leave kitchen cupboards open ALL THE TIME. Then he passed away 18 months ago, and I learned that *I* was as much to blame as he was. Got a good laugh and shaking of my head over that one!
Pam P says
My progress…. I make my bed almost everyday now, before I always resisted. I am just going to mess it up in a few hours right? But it does make the room look so much better and provides a staging area for other projects. It doesn’t even take that long to do if done everyday instead of when I change the sheets 😄. My dishes are done each day also. Sometimes in the evening sometimes in the morning. Husband is thank goodness a rinser of plates but won’t load for some reason .Being thankful for what he does …. Sweep something each day. Dinner plans, amazing how husband doesn’t care about other things as long as he is fed.😂 Having good luck with the declutter at least two items each day from 2011 challenge that was on a linked site even tho it’s 2019. Hehee. Doable is sustainable and we are in this for the long haul. Go me!