Someone once told me that any project could be finished by spending 5 minutes a day on it. I waited until she walked away before I laughed out loud. “Whatever!” I thought. Just a few weeks later during a group text with some friends, we were sharing our overwhelm with the state of our homes.
You see, I get overwhelmed by my home on a daily basis. And it seems to shut me down in every other area of my life. Maybe you can relate. It seems that it doesn’t matter if I clear off the counter in the morning, by lunch time it looks like a tornado hit the kitchen and made it look worse than before I cleaned it. And the office (which happens to be in the living room) is the dumping ground for EVERYTHING, and always looks cluttered, not to mention we can never find anything. Before you think I need some organization…I will let you in on a little secret. I LOVE organizing and do it often, just for fun! I have dejunked and organized my entire home 3 times in the last 18 months. Yet, chaos still runs rampant in our home. Some may say that it’s because I have 4 littles under the age of 9, that we are trying to jump start a business out of our home that is taking up what little energy we have, or that we are still recovering from extreme burnout and mental breakdown brought about by the last business. Well, those things may be true, but I also know something else is true that would make all the difference no matter what is to blame. My problem is that I have become complacent in my duties as a homemaker and housekeeper.
On this group text I was telling you about, my friend said that her tactic top keepin up on her home is to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour a day on her home and leave the rest up to her children and husband. They all have certain chores they are responsible for. She figures that whatever she can get done in an hour will have to be good enough. I realized something as I read that…it wasn’t really the time that mattered, it was the consistency. I have a hard time being consistent. And most of the women I talk to have the same challenge. We all have great ideas, systems, and programs we have tried to keep up with all the demands we have as mothers, wives, business owners or employees, etc. But the problem isn’t with the system we have created, it is with our ability to be consistent with the system. And here’s an idea I use when I do the dishes or help my kiddos get something done quickly, we set a timer and try to beat it. It’s amazing how many dishes I can get done in 15 minutes.
So my challenge to each of you (and especially me) with week, is to give your home or whatever area of your life that seems to be falling behind, just 30 minutes a day (or start with 15 if 30 seems too much to sacrifice). Schedule it in, whether it is first thing in the morning, during nap time for the littles, after school while kids are playing, or maybe after they have gone to bed. I dare you to do it every day for a week, starting today. I will let you know how it goes for me. I commit to give my home 30 minutes a day. And remember, while we may not be perfect as the process, we can still be committed to it. So even if you miss a day, start again the next day. Continual growth is what this life is all about and something done, even if it’s not perfect, is better than nothing done. And darn it! She was right! You really can finish any project if you spend 5 minutes a day doing it.
Shelly Coray is an inspiring speaker, trainer, coach, and mom. She has helped hundreds of youth and adults gain greater control over their thoughts and actions and achieve higher levels of success through her workshops, speeches and training programs. Find out more about her HERE.