Eight hours to a cleaner home
Today I have the day off from my day job, and I should spend this day doing all sorts of things that I put off until I have a spare moment. I’m sure you’re the same: you think of or see something that needs to be done and you have to postpone it until the next time you have enough time to get the task done. I do this all the time and now have a to do list that is humanly impossible to complete in less than 10 days.
I’d like you to provide you with a list of things that can be done during a typical workday if you’re lucky enough to have the day off:
- Sort through your closet with the intention of giving away or selling anything that is too big, too small, too worn, or not your style any longer
- Update your address book (whether you use a little black or pink book, or have it on a spreadsheet) to include the names and addresses of new friends, people who have moved and recently sent you mail with a new mailing address, or just to consolidate all those small scraps of paper you have stuck to the fridge or pinned to the bulletin board
- Make a large batch of cookie dough and freeze the rest for popping in the oven when guests drop by unexpectedly (you will of course have to bake a batch right away to make sure the recipe was followed accurately)
- Wipe down your cupboard doors. I firmly believe that few people do this often enough
- Bond with your bathroom and discard any products that you no longer use (even if they’re still full!), that have expired or any bottles or jars that are empty or whose construction make it impossible to reach that last bit of leftover product
- While you’re in the bathroom, you might want to take note of what regular supplies you’re running low on (toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo?) and add them to your general shopping list, and why not toss that shower curtain in the wash too?
- If you keep your mail in a common area, you may want to sort through this mail and make sure that action has been taken on those time sensitive pieces, and ensure that bills have been paid, magazine subscription renewals mailed back, mail-in contests entered, and the most time consuming: tossing all that junk mail in the recycling box
And if your eight hours are not yet used up, please swing by my home and do the same, and while you’re here, please give me some tips!
organize, clean, clothing, bathroom, kitchen
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April 9th, 2007 at 9:37 am
This daily life tip is wonderful!
April 9th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Tip: Throw stuff OUT.
Really, it’s so freeing. I go nuts every few months and just throw things out: Old Christmas ornaments, books, newspapers you meant to take clippings out of, paperback novels that you didn’t like and won’t read again…
I also throw out clothes regularly. If I haven’t worn it and it doesn’t fit, I always mean to bring it to Salvation Army or give it to someone, but it always just ends up piling up. Too frustrating.
April 9th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Thanks Jennifer. Now ask me how many of them I managed to accomplish today?
You make a good point, Toonses about throwing out, but I have a hard time putting something that someone else might be able to use into the garbage. I have bags full of clothing that I’m waiting for the Canadian Diabetes Association to come and pick up. Instead, I should just get them out of my house the moment I bundle them up: no more lazy woman, I should drive those clothing items to the depot!
April 10th, 2007 at 12:17 am
fit in some relaxation time too, me thinks