Coffee With Maddie




A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I was experiencing “cabin fever.” With temperatures skyrocketing to above 60 degrees this past weekend, I feel much better. I even feel like cleaning. That’s scary! I get this “bug” about two or three times a year. Now is one of those times and I need to take advantage of it. I need to get the inside of my house in order before heading to my favorite greenhouse so I can spend a lot of time (and money) on the outside. Flowers make me very happy!!

If you’re one of those people whose house is always in order and your life is organized, you may want to skip the rest of this column. Although . . . my guess is you might want to review the rewards section. I have friends who are very organized but fail to reward themselves for jobs well done. I “rule” when it comes to rewards - I just have trouble earning them sometimes.

The following are tips I’ve used over the years to get all the domestic chores done that I don’t enjoy doing. Make a list. Make your list realistic and attainable. My “To Do” list for today included vacuuming my house, washing 5 loads of clothes, writing my column, and enjoying two rewards as I got these things done. So far I’ve done two of the three chores and enjoyed one of the rewards. When I finish typing this, I get to go to a movie. What a deal! Don’t forget to cross the items off as you get them done. What if you do more than what’s on the list? Write those tasks down too and cross them off.

Get out of your chair and start moving. Emilie Barnes, in her book The 15-Minute Organizer, says this: “A human body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a body in motion tends to remain in motion. Procrastinators have a difficult time getting in motion, but once we get into motion we tend to stay in motion. If we gain momentum the task is well on its way to completion.” In order to achieve the goals on my list (and receive my rewards), I needed to get up out of the Laz-Y-Boy and get them done.

Follow the 15-minute rule. If you have access to the Internet, check out FlyLady.net. FlyLady says, “Anyone can do anything for only 15 minutes, even if you have to break it down into 5 minute segments.” I put this rule to use all the time. I set the timer on my microwave for 15 minutes and then work like crazy to get a task done. When the timer goes off I have a choice to make. If I haven’t finished what I was doing, I decide whether to set it again or be done. When I’m doing small tasks, like washing dishes or vacuuming, I almost always set it again. When I’m doing big tasks, like tackling my son’s bedrooms, I usually can only handle 15 minutes a day.

Everything has a home. My sister called me recently - this is my sister who received ALL the domestic genes. She told me about an organizational guru on Oprah who said that everything in your home should have a home. She thought the advice might be helpful to me. It has been! Either I find a home for the object in question, or its home becomes the trashcan.

Reward yourself. This is my favorite part. I love having something to look forward to! Today I went for a walk with a good friend to my favorite coffee shop and I will be leaving shortly to go see a movie! It made the hours of work worthwhile.

There’s no better time than right now to get going on that spring-cleaning!

Until next week . . . God bless you and yours! -Maddie

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Coffee With Maddie: Archive;
Blessings
Magazine Junkie!
Maddie Goes to College
Changes
Let the season begin!
Getting Older!
I'm Getting Fat!
I Love a good book!
Family Games
Manners!
Someone to Love
A Special Anniversary
New Year Goals
My Spinal Tap!
The Book Store
I Salute Our Men in Uniform
Valentine's Day
My Birthday Choices
Current Events and Politics
Cabin Fever
We Can Choose the Words We Use

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About the Author;
Maddie is a dear friend from the Midwest who will touch your heart with her gentle stories of home of family. You can just picture yourself at the kitchen table any early morning with Maddie, a fresh cup of coffee, maybe the smell of bacon in the air, and a log on the fire to take out the chill.

Talk to Maddie at ...
Maddie@boomerjournals.com