Summer is over. As I sit here in my eerily quiet house, I’m back to blogging. So far, “blogging” has involved a phone call which moves me one step closer to making a very exciting announcement. It has also included starting (but not finishing) several different posts that have been rolling around in my head over the summer.
But alas, I want to get a post out NOW. Just so I can say I’m back.
I looked at my photos. Like any self-respecting Slob Blogger, I can’t clean without a camera nearby.
This one from Saturday seemed perfect.
It’s a two-second task. Yes, it’s irritating that this task even existed.
I pitched the empty shampoo bottles in my kids’ bathroom.
Right. The ONLY difference in these before and after pictures is the absence of empty bottles.
Ugh.
I could blather on and on about how I obviously hadn’t been doing Habit #3 from 28 Days to Hope for Your Home lately. I could lament the fact that my Slob Vision Genes are clearly dominant and have been passed down to my children.
Whatever. I’m going to focus on the amazing difference achieved in less than a minute. Yay for trash bags or recycling tubs or whatever you have!
Need a win? Grab a trash bag!
Sometimes you just need to get something done.
Like this post.
How was your summer??
Ummm, in the spirit of total honesty, I should probably show the other ledge. The other ledge of the same bathtub.
For detailed guides, check out my books: How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind and Decluttering at the Speed of Life.
--Nony
Welcome back!
I’ve been drowning a bit with the “normal” person blogs I follow. Can’t wait to see your current efforts and know that we are normal too!
Love this post! I hate this task and always put it off, but when I do get around to it, I feel so accomplished. The tub always looks so much neater. I wonder why we always procrastinate the quickest, easiest things? I the world’s worst…lol. After I get done, I always ask myself why in the world I did not do it sooner!
the bottles didn’t look empty to me . I would have kept them for one or two more uses
Probably why they were there. But when used, nothing came out. Kids aren’t always as frugal as we try to be.
Glad you are back!! I did the exact same thing this morning. Seems like we use it until the last inch or so then get out a new bottle but never throw out the old one. Thanks for your inspiration.
Yay! I caught up on reading your blog just as you took the summer off. I’ve been anxiously waiting for your return!
Ugh… I was under the delusion that summer didn’t make a difference to me, because only my oldest went to school last year, and it was only preschool. I was wrong. Just that little bit of structure in the day, even though the younger two were still hhome, made such a huge difference. Still one more week until eldest starts kindergarten. And two weeks after that until middle child begins preschool. Of course preschool is am though, and kindergarten is pm, so only time will tell…..
So glad you’re back to blogging!
I must tell you- I have ‘decluttered’ my favorite blogs about organizing- now it is only you and ‘becoming minimalist.’ Welcome back!
Haha… This one and becoming minimalist are the ones I read the most!
Yeah….I just finished reading from your first post to your last yesterday. So glad to see you are back even though I know you miss the kids when they are at school. And thank you for posting your journey. My 19yo son has ADD and this opened my eyes so much on how to help him. Not that I am “normal” by any means 🙂
So, I accidentally applied your “container” concept to my bathroom. I purchased a floppy basket to use for kids toys, but it didn’t work very well, so I found one that did work well. The empty one sat in the bathroom for a while, while I tried to think of what to do with it. Then, it occurred to me to put the bottles in this round floppy basket, and what do you know, it was exactly the right size for the shampoos we use. Anything that doesn’t fit in the basket is likely to be an old, empty bottle. And out it goes.
Welcome back! 🙂
I was just thinking about you night before last! I could totally hear your voice in my head asking me “WHY!?!” I was spending all afternoon/evening cleaning out the closet floor, closet shelves, master bathroom floor, and under the bed of all things… “VISIBILITY RULE!!” you were screaming… 🙂
On the bright side there’s now a place to put the suitcases that alternated between use and collecting dust in our entry all summer. I also finally said goodbye to some perfectly good, but never going to be worn shoes to clear out enough room to actually fit all the shoes I actually DO wear. So now there’s absolutely no excuse for my shoes not to be put up neatly. And I discovered that the more things I have places for the more I realize that my problem isn’t so much that I am a slob, but that I just don’t have a place for everything!
I also had a wonderful moment when the Roomba started whining about needing to have its rollers cleaned and I couldn’t remember where in the world I put the cleaning tool when I stopped trying to think where I should have put it, and started thinking about where *I* would look for it. And voila! Found it!
Not to mention the fact that I’d had that Roomba for ummm… YEARS… and never been able to use it because we never could keep the floor decluttered enough and didn’t want it sucking up random stuff. And now… as I type it’s happily working it’s way across 3 rooms in the house while I am getting a little break! 🙂
Its the little things…
I promise I wouldn’t scream . . .
And go you on the Roomba! I’ve always wanted one (specifically the one that goes back to charge when it needs to), but that clear floor thing has always been a fear!
Glad you’re back! Now maybe my motivation will come back for my house!
Wow, I’ve never let an empty shampoo bottle just sit in my shower. We actually use a wall mounted dispenser for shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. That way, there aren’t bottles lined up around the shower.
Grabing trash and ditching it is my first defence against overwhelm. It’s even more effective if I listen to a ‘Nony’ podcast at the same time.