Today is Monday December 16, 2013. The New Area of Focus is The Master Bedroom, Bathroom, and Closet.

The Week:

IMG_0421Each Monday—

  • Pull your home back together after the weekend
  • Clean all your toilets
  • Check your bathrooms for any needed supplies—personal, paper, and cleaning and add them to your shopping list

Each Tuesday—Duster Dance Day—Draft any little helpers in your home to help you. Grab some fun dusters, and put on some happy music and dance that dust right out of your home.

My DeskEach Wednesday—

  • Pay your bills
  • Take care of any personal and family business—Cards to send? Phone calls to make? Emails or letters to send?
  • File any papers you need in a way that you will be able to locate them, if needed. Don’t clutter your life with papers you will never look at again. Toss them!

Each Friday—Wrap up your week—

  • Clean out your car—don’t forget to take in trash and personal belongings each time you arrive home but Friday is the day you give your car some extra TLC
  • Clean out your purse, backpack, diaper bag, tote, or computer case.  I straighten the contents of my purse regularly but Friday is the day I make sure everything is in order and I am not carrying a lot of weight I don’t need.
  • Vacuum the traffic areas in your home.

Saturday is Family Fun Day –whether you work or play together, make it fun. Create memories.

Sunday is the ring on your week that signifies your love relationship with the Lord—take time to worship. Then plan your week with your husband and children.

*** Anticipate the needs of each day ahead of time—for activities, games, concerts. Will food be needed? Special clothes or uniforms? Write it down now and work out the details calmly instead in a last minute panic.

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

On those days that I don’t plan, I drift. If I have at least a basic plan for the next day when I go to bed, I will get more done. Even when my plans are interrupted, I know what I want to get done. Write down a couple of things you want to accomplish. Write down your regular routine. Write down your special projects. Plan some fun for yourself and for your family. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

I watch HGTV. I notice in many of the homes that the owners want to redo that there is a ton of clutter. You cannot organize clutter. If something is not useful and beautiful, get rid of it. Don’t waste your time storing and maintaining it. You will find some much more satisfaction in the home you have if it is orderly and clean. Do not try to decorate a dirty and messy home. It will be a waste of time and money. Put your home in order first, then clean your home.  Make it orderly, make it clean, make it beautiful.

Remember, one in, one out. If you want to bring something new in your home, if you want to add to your shoe collection or your wardrobe, what are you willing to get rid of to bring that new item into your home?  When I buy new cookware, I box up the old cookware and take it to the thrift store. If there is an old piece of cookware whose purpose is not duplicated, I can keep it. Do not keep duplicates unless they are used in different parts of your home. If you want to have a vacuum cleaner on the second floor and have space to store it, you have my permission to keep a second vacuum on the first floor of your home. (Not that you need my permission 3;-)

Remember in buying Christmas presents to choose items that will not add to clutter—your own or anyone else’s.

One of the words of the Bible translated as wisdom, means “to pound it in”. Learning comes through repetition. That is why it normally takes three weeks to establish a new habit. (For me it takes four weeks!)

Hugs,

Mary P

Leave a comment