How I do laundry
At some point, I realize I need to do laundry. Maybe I’m out of socks. Maybe Noah is out of underwear. Maybe there’s not room in our three laundry baskets for one more piece of clothing. Maybe it’s Monday (I like to start the week out housekeeping.) Maybe it’s Thursday. (When I’m indulging in must-see tv, I usually fold laundry.) In any case, I decide to do laundry.
I get one load in but being in the basement reminds me of some other job. The crockpot on the shelf downstairs reminds me that I wanted to make stock. The boxes of Noah’s old clothes beg to be sorted for Baby Frankie. The broom and mop stored in the closet convince me I need to clean the kitchen. Noah notices the bag of give-away toys and develops the urgent need to go through them and reminisce with me about each one. But I get sidetracked then I get sidetracked from that and sidetracked from that and sidetracked from that ad infinitum. I start out doing laundry but I end up at the library or reshelving my books or fixing the links on my blog. Maybe I get one load done or maybe I get it all done but only in between a million other small tasks that themselves remain unfinished.
I know I’m pretty flakey but I like to call myself eclectic. A few years ago I realized that I am happier and by extension my family is happier when I go with my haphazard flow instead of fighting it. I always fail when I try to adopt someone else’s plan (Flylady) so now I try to succeed on my own random level. I lean into my imperfections and try to make them work for me. Besides my extreme flexibility usually works for Noah because I give him the same leeway.
These are the ways I’ve learned to compensate: I invite people over regularly because that inspires me to scrub behind the toilet (usually). I buy some convenience foods (like Trader Joe’s organic mac & cheese) because I know that on some nights I simply won’t cook. I fold laundry while I watch television thereby bribing myself into doing my absolutely most hated task. I clean counters (bathroom and kitchen) while I’m on the phone because I can’t stand to sit still while I’m chatting.
It all works out. Eventually.
Dawn I know what you mean about the whole laundry thing.
Oh yes, Iknow what you mean about cleaning when you are on the phone. It’s so great to hang up the phone a say, “Oh man! the whole kitchen is clean! When did I do that?”
C-
I just signed up for the Flylady emails recently. I haven’t been reading them though. I need help though. I have trouble knowing where to start. And a lot of time I will do what you do and get sidetracked about a dozen or more times and then I feel like I’ve only done little bits and pieces of things instead of accomplishing a whole task. I wish I could hire someone to come in and make my house entirely spotless and then I would only have to maintain it, but I would probably fail at that too.
I thought the Flylady was pretty reasonable, until I saw that she insists on wearing shoes in the house. If that’s an important part of her system, I’m doomed to fail before I begin.