Finished

I like jobs that have a clear finishing point, that can be ticked off.  Like doing the laundry... wash, hang, fold, put away... the washing basket is empty, the clothes cupboards are full, therefore the task is DONE.  My favourite part of bookkeeping is finishing the bank reconcilliation.  It's the last thing I do at the end of the month, after all invoices, payments, etc, etc are entered.  When the bank rec is finished, I know everything, down to the last little 15cent bank fee is entered.  It balances.  It is DONE.  Ah, the satisfaction!

This is why I don't like cleaning:  I am never done.  I mop the floors, but can I then say that my house is clean?  No, because I noticed the dusty skirting boards.  As I clean them, I notice the marks on the walls.  If I tackle that, then I move the curtains aside and see the state of the window sils.  If I'm going to clean them, I should clean the windows too - heaven knows they need it!  And the curtains... when was the last time they were washed?  Dust flies if I give them a shake.  And speaking of dust, I really should do that too.  But first I need to tidy all the surfaces.  And if I'm going to do that, why not rearrange things to get rid of old stuff and make way for the new.  And to sort the shelves, some of it should go in cupboards, which means I really should sort them out too...

My house is never 'clean'.  I am never done.  Because even if I did manage to get all that done, it would take me so long that the floor would need mopping again.

I find it a tad overwhelming.  I have trouble knowing which task to start with.  Sometimes I start one, then get distracted and start another, then think, I'll just quickly do this... until I reach the end of the day with lots of half finished tasks and more mess than I started with.

Mostly I just ignore it.  Which obviously makes the problem worse.

Sometimes I have a good day though.  Like Saturdays when Jase isn't working and we're both home all day.  I try not to look at everything, instead just concentrating on accomplishing as much as I can.  I remember not to make my to do list be 'Clean house' and instead break it down into manageable bites that can actually be ticked off, like 'clean visible skirting boards'.  (I know they're filthy behind the couches, but I just have to let that go for now...)  I achieve lots of tasks, and feel good about myself and better about the house.

On these good days, I ask myself, "Why, oh why do I not do this every day??  A little cleaning every day, and one day I might even be able to say that my house is 'clean', or near enough to it." 

Little things blow me away.  Like today... I cleaned the pair of heels that had been sitting in the laundry with a little mud on them since Feb 7th!!  It took all of 3 minutes and they were back in my cupboard!  How on earth could I have left it so long?  Why do I procrastinate on these tiny tasks until I forget about them and they just become part of the clutter that I don't even notice anymore?

I so desperately want to teach Cooper to be a 'Just Do It!' person; to focus on the task at hand rather than getting lost in the big picture.  Maybe we can practise together.  :)