I got a call last night from an old friend and we had a great chat. Caught up, had some laughs. It was nice. I'd just started in on my bedroom when he called - stripped the bed, taken the covers outside on the landing to air, turned the mattress - but, by the time we said goodnight, it was late and I was yawning. I made up the bed with clean sheets, finished my evening chores, and called it a day. So I was happy to get back to work this evening and finish the job. This will actually give me a chance tomorrow to see if I can clean all my of kitchen - or even just a little bit more of it than normal - in the one morning. I'd better set my alarm, though. That Saturday morning beauty sleep is not a busy housewife's best friend.
Neither is perfectionism.
It seems like it should be, right? You'd think that somebody who was a perfectionist would keep a spick and span house. But it's always been an obstacle for me. On the rare occasions that I cleaned house over the years, I would be frustrated not to have the time and energy to get every nook and cranny shining. What I'm discovering these days is that even though I can't possibly get a room perfectly clean on any given day, if I keep after it regularly, I get to every nook and cranny once in awhile. And the room begins to look a little cleaner as a whole with every month that passes. It's a different kind of perfection. One I haven't been acquainted with before...
Well, it's late and there are a few dishes in the sink that need cleaning before I go to bed. I've got lots to do tomorrow morning!
8 comments:
You know, I think a tendency to perfectionism really gets in the way of housework. I can spend half a day cleaning out a cupboard perfectly, in the midst of a chaotic house. I am really having to limit the time I spend on any one task so that I can get all of the jobs done. Of course my other strategy is to not do anything, because there is not time to do it perfectly. Am currently in housework therapy...
I think this is a good strategy. Just keep at it and you will get to the deep cleaning. It is a challenge though. I like to do a speed cleaning round to get everything picked up and put away before I start surface cleaning.
Ahhhh, you've hit the nail precisely on the head. If I can't clean my house from the attic down and get everything exactly perfect, then I usually cave in and don't do anything at all. Fortunately, I've only recently given birth to my fourth child, and this has made me reconsider my priorities. I've been setting small daily goals for myself until I can really get back into the swing of things and find a groove that works for us as a family. It's forced me to live amidst imperfection. I can't say that I always do so gracefully, but I'm getting better! :)
"Of course my other strategy is to not do anything, because there is not time to do it perfectly."
Jo, that's exactly what kept my hands kind of tied for years. I've chalked it up to laziness for a long time, but it's actually not that at all.
Bonjour Madame, tidying up before doing cleaning is definitely important. I straighten up my living room and kitchen every night and my bedroom every morning, so it's easier to launch right into the cleaning step.
Mist, congratulations on the new arrival! I'm suprised you can do any housework at all!!! What a challenge it will be for you to carve something out with four little ones running, toddling, and crawling about - especially with perfectionism as a bugbear. Best of luck to you. I know the rewards are going to equally great as the challenge, though.
I like this new take on perfectionism. And truth be told, the only ones who notice those nooks and crannies are probably us!
I'm with Mist ... you have hit it straight on the head! I think my problem is a combination of procrastination and perfectionism .. if I can't get it done right, I may as well not bother at all. But if I'm honest, there is a bit of laziness thats crept in over the years.
Proper housework does take a lot of energy, and that's something I seem to be lacking a lot lately. Need to take better care of myself and take my vitamins and iron more regularly!
Right now, I'm just trying to stick to keeping the living room picked up and tidy; make the bed every morning and put the clothes away; and keep the dishes done and the sink clean. That alone can be hard enough sometimes. Isn't that sad!
Glad you had such a lovely chat with an old friend. Things like that are much more important that sticking to a housekeeping schedule.
You described how I am perfectly! I am a perfectionist and so my trouble with keeping a house clean is I obsess over all the little details no one else even sees! I once even took our bathroom fan apart to clean inside it!
Emer and Kalee, you're right as rain about those details. There's so much that can trip a perfectionist up which a guest wouldn't even notice! The funny thing about the details is that if you're cleaning a room every week, you get to all of the little spots from time to time. And if you do any seasonal cleaning, that's a good time to attack the projects (like innards of fans) that you couldn't possibly need to clean on a more regular basis. (I haven't even begun to think about seasonal cleaning yet, but it'll have to come in sooner or later!)
Mrs. G, I can definitely understand how hard the chores that you've started doing on a daily basis seem. If you look back at some of my blog entries last November and December when I was just trying to build a morning and evening routine --- I had to constantly remind myself stuff needed to be done. And no more snooze button. It takes a certain amount of time to get that stuff done in the morning, and sleeping in doesn't help! I was truly starting from scratch when it came to housework and those first months were painful. Today, there are times when I'd rather go straight to bed at night, but I know how much harder it'll make the next day's tidying if I skip it the day before. :) Best of luck to you!!!
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