It Sure Is Monday; An Update on my Goals

So I decided I am going to set a goal EVERY month this year.  I want them to be keystone habits and to have spillover effects.  For more on what a keystone habit is, click here.  You'll be inspired, I promise!

I won't decide on February's goal until the end of January and so forth.  That way if I decide that I need to "tweak" the direction I'm headed mid-year I won't feel like I'm locked into something I set in January.

Here's a quick review of January's goal:

January's Goal:  Get up by seven every day during January.

How's that going for me?  Well, pretty good.  I have started setting my alarm for a bit before seven so that if I want to hit the snooze once or twice I can, though I know that some experts on getting up earlier say that is a bad habit.

I think I could make my mornings even smoother by laying my clothes out the night before.  I have to leave the lights low because our youngest still sleeps in our room.

I am in an awkward place.  Second born gets up at 5:45 and he doesn't leave for school until 7:20.   This is every day Monday through Friday.   It means I'd be in the kitchen doing my devotions with another person which might feel awkward.  But then again . . .maybe not and it would be a good example to set for him.  And if I wait until the older two leave at 7:20 I'm getting a late start on homeschooling and such because it takes awhile to do my devotions and blog.

Yesterday was Sunday and I still got up early.  Hubby had asked a buddy over to watch football in the afternoon so that was great motivation for me to clean the main floor bathroom.  I also got the dishwasher unloaded and fried up eggs for the kiddos.

Honestly, I should have cut the cleaning short, though because I started the getting ready for church process later than I should have.  BUT . . .

Getting ready for church required almost no thought because I had laid out clothes the night before, not just for me, but also for the two younger girls.  We didn't have to hunt for shoes or a brush or any of that.

What a contrast to previous Sunday mornings when I'd get NO cleaning or cooking done and would barely get out the door in time for church.  On those mornings I'd be barking at the kids and Hubby and we'd all be so unhappy when we reached church.

So, all in all, I am happy with this goal, this keystone habit.

I am also happy with this decision:

Don't pile extra stuff on top of the goal; if you get extra done, great. If not, no biggie.

I think I should also mention that along with getting up earlier every day this month I have also observed spillover effects from my Keystone Habit of getting up earlier everyday because I now do these two things almost every day, too.  ( But if I don't, I don't beat myself up.)

1.  Shine My Sink Every Night!

and

2. Make My Bed Every Morning!

If you are just getting started in getting goals figured out, let me tell you, it is SO WORTH IT!

PS  I stuck four helpful links in this entry!  I hope you find them and read them when you have the time :)

Love,

~ Jennifer

For Messy People Only

I like living in a clean house.  I don't like making the house clean.  I find it tedious and annoying and sometimes I feel insulted by the fact that if I don't do it or tell someone to do it, it doesn't get done.

There are multiple mess makers and only one mess cleaner upper person?  How fair is THAT?  (Yes, I know these are wrong attitudes and I don't really believe them :)

Nevertheless, the fact remains:  for the house to be clean, someone must clean it.

So here are a few of the strategies I use to get my house clean;  before we go any further I must tell you that you should google Flylady to really learn how to do the house cleaning/organizing thing well.  She really helped me immensely and I am sure that some of what I am going to say right now is based on her principles.

But before I really do my list, let me say these few things.

 If you are a mother, delegate.  Do not try to do it ALL because you will only do housework and NOT the fuzzy, warm stuff like playing with your kiddos.

Also, try to remember that you are going to aim for clean, not perfect.

And it is easier to do chores if you have done your routine.  For me that looks like mornings:  doing my devotions, drinking my LightsOn and making sure my kidlets are doing what they are supposed to be doing.  Flylady recommends getting dressed to shoes.  The idea behind that is that you are more productive if you look nice.

So do what you need to do in order to go forth and conquer.  But once you are ready to conquer, here are some tips.

1.  Clean clockwise or counter-clock wise around your kitchen.  Start at the sink/dishwasher.  End at the floor.

2.  Tackle 5 things at each part of your task before moving on to the next item waiting to be cleaned.   For me that might look like this:   Take five glasses out of the dishwasher.  Then pick up 5 things off of the counter  ( book, pen, syrup, notebook, and glass that needs to be washed).

Variations of this method:  set the timer for 5 minutes or 15 minutes and clean in that circular rotation.  If your house is truly drowning in stuff you might need to limit yourself to an hour and then take a break or take a break after 45 minutes and then go back in.  There have been times when a task has seemed so daunting that I have told myself that I would only work on it for 15 minutes and then I'd give myself the option of doing something else.

Yesterday I had SUCH a pile of dishes that I had to set the timer for 15 minutes and work on dishes for 15 minutes and THEN pick up 5 things off of every surface.  Go ahead, tweak the program so it works for you.

3.  Listen to something you enjoy whether it be  music or a great speaker.  I like to fold laundry while watching TV.

4.  If your kids are old enough to be left alone and clean . . .try this:  tell them they can have XYZ great thing ( watch a movie, a homemade treat, whatever your kid likes) if they accomplish XYZ cleaning goal while you are gone ( even if you are just working on laundry in your room).  This removes from you the temptation to nag and anger them.  They also tend to get along better when Mom isn't right there . . .I hope!

Happy cleaning!

Love,

~ Jennifer