In the midst of a big grad school project (yes, I graduated a year ago, but the peer review process at scientific journals has no respect for that fact) that has to be completed evenings and weekends (I'm grateful to have a full-time job, but I'm also grateful that I didn't have a separate full-time job all the way through grad school!), I have down-sized my cleaning ambitions. It's amazing the number of cleaning and organizing projects - both grand and mini - that suddenly seem CRUCIAL and TOTALLY DOABLE when you're sitting down to chip away at a paper, but I've tried to make a note of my ideas and put them aside until later.
In that context, though, I've developed a new strategy: the micro-project. This isn't even necessarily a project, but something that can be done in 5-10 minutes without sinking you into something bigger. Today, when I needed a break from my computer, I decided I would put away/clean/take care of 10 things - no more, no less. I wiped down the dining room table and an end table in the living room, watered a plant, took a load out to the recycling bin, and found 6 small things to throw away or put away.
Today's micro-project was super satisfying (not to mention a good way to stretch a little and get into a different mode after lots of computer time). It will be my new strategy for breaks from this type of work - or maybe even for times that I just don't feel like cleaning anything. 10 things isn't many, but it makes a difference. And at the end of my 10 things, I absolutely could have kept going. It's parallel to getting yourself out for a run - I used to make the deal with myself that I was allowed to come home after 1/4 mile if I wanted to, but I had to get out and go that far. Invariably, by the time I got out the door and got moving, keeping going was no problem.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Bedroom-cleaning mini-projects
Okay, so maybe "doing little things each day" was a little ambitious. But I'm not going to feel guilty for downgrading to "doing little things some days" to make our lifestyle simpler, cleaner, and cheaper.
My best recent "little thing" was to clean off the top of a dresser in our bedroom. Based on the content of the clutter and the depth of the dust, that dresser hasn't been cleaned off in a solid two years. Findings included: a pile of items meant to go in a baby book for Josie (which may become a "little thing" in the coming weeks), 2 broken nursing tank tops that I meant to return to the store while I was still nursing (over a year ago), lots of receipts for various clothing purchases, a necklace I'd been missing, 3 candles which have now been cleaned off and moved to more useful places, my "congratulations you graduated" packet from the graduate school, a pile of congratulations cards from when I defended my dissertation, and 3 pair of truly hideous sunglasses. Whew! That's now been cleared off so that only a few picture frames (which you can now actually see and appreciate, imagine that), my jewelry tree, and a single candle sit on the dresser top. What a difference for that little area!
A few days later, I tried to use that momentum to carry over to the dresser next to it, the top of which is the home to most of my jewelry. While I lacked the time/sleep/motivation to do the thorough job I envisioned (involving a dustbuster, windex, and a revolutionary purging of 90% of the jewelry I own), I did manage to review every piece of jewelry, assess whether I had worn it in the last year, whether it had legitimate sentimental value, and whether there were reasonable odds of wearing it in the coming year. Those that didn't meet at least 1 of those criteria got the boot - or rather, the box, which was then added to the tag sale pile. I declare it a successful 30-minute project, since I got rid of over 30 pieces of jewelry, rediscovered several pairs of earrings that I relegated to the "I don't wear this much" tray 2 years ago and now like a lot again, AND finally brought myself to throw away the trove of teeny jewelry boxes that serve no actual purpose but just seem like something you should keep. Except for the box my engagement ring came in. Some things, you don't mess with.
My best recent "little thing" was to clean off the top of a dresser in our bedroom. Based on the content of the clutter and the depth of the dust, that dresser hasn't been cleaned off in a solid two years. Findings included: a pile of items meant to go in a baby book for Josie (which may become a "little thing" in the coming weeks), 2 broken nursing tank tops that I meant to return to the store while I was still nursing (over a year ago), lots of receipts for various clothing purchases, a necklace I'd been missing, 3 candles which have now been cleaned off and moved to more useful places, my "congratulations you graduated" packet from the graduate school, a pile of congratulations cards from when I defended my dissertation, and 3 pair of truly hideous sunglasses. Whew! That's now been cleared off so that only a few picture frames (which you can now actually see and appreciate, imagine that), my jewelry tree, and a single candle sit on the dresser top. What a difference for that little area!
A few days later, I tried to use that momentum to carry over to the dresser next to it, the top of which is the home to most of my jewelry. While I lacked the time/sleep/motivation to do the thorough job I envisioned (involving a dustbuster, windex, and a revolutionary purging of 90% of the jewelry I own), I did manage to review every piece of jewelry, assess whether I had worn it in the last year, whether it had legitimate sentimental value, and whether there were reasonable odds of wearing it in the coming year. Those that didn't meet at least 1 of those criteria got the boot - or rather, the box, which was then added to the tag sale pile. I declare it a successful 30-minute project, since I got rid of over 30 pieces of jewelry, rediscovered several pairs of earrings that I relegated to the "I don't wear this much" tray 2 years ago and now like a lot again, AND finally brought myself to throw away the trove of teeny jewelry boxes that serve no actual purpose but just seem like something you should keep. Except for the box my engagement ring came in. Some things, you don't mess with.
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