Day Three...

...Of keeping my kitchen counter cleared off. Go me! Well, one of them, anyway. I guess this would be the time to confess that yes, I lean in the direction of being a clutterer. I really can't stand that about myself, but one glance at my dining room table tells the truth. I have a thing for paper. And mail, and catalogs, and coupons, and various miscellaneous things...ugh.

I'm pretty sure it stems from my perfectionist tendencies -- I don't want to decide to throw anything away because I might need it for something, so I manage to keep it until, well, it no longer requires a decision. Even then, even though it's just a matter of throwing it away, I still stall, because I'm sure that there are things in the midst of all the expired stuff that isn't expired, that still needs attention, or that needs to be filed somewhere. So it becomes a perpetual "I'll get to that..." pattern.

And I CAN'T STAND IT!!

So I set a goal for myself this week to find my kitchen counter. Fortunately, thanks to recent work along the same line, it was a fairly easy task. Of course, there were a couple of things (okay, several!) that ended up getting moved to the table...the next area in desperate need of overhaul. But that's for another post! I will say that it's sooooooo nice to have the kitchen counter cleaned off. Every time I do it, I resolve, once again, to keep it that way. I know it takes discipline, extra effort, and a whole lot of cooperation from the other people in this house! That's usually the toughest part!!

So far, I'm three days into my latest clean counter foray, and it feels great! It's a nice place to look when I feel overwhelmed by the various stacks and boxes still waiting for attention. It makes unloading the dishwasher a lot easier -- that's always a plus! And I've decided to incentivize keeping it clean -- every week, when I've kept the counter cleared off, I get to put some money aside for a pedicure, which, to me, is one of life's sweetest pleasures! I rarely allow myself to indulge in such a manner, so the promise of a relaxing foot bath in an over-sized massage chair might be enough to keep me motivated!

Time will tell. In the past, I've not given myself a specific incentive. In theory, the reward of a clean house should be enough. Should be, but hey, reality is what it is! So I'll set up a chart for myself so that I can check off the counter and a few other things that I really ought to be doing on a regular basis, and I'll post it in a place where I can see it constantly. It'll sort of be like a Dream Board but in checklist form. I do looooove checklists!!

Then I'll expect success. That is probably the single best thing I can do, you know. It takes a lot of effort to fight off the little voice in my head that tells me that this time will be no different that the past. I'm all too familiar with that pesky voice...it continues to harass me about various things from time to time, although I will say it's getting a bit quieter with every passing year. Eventually perhaps it'll be silenced permanently...and that will be a GREAT day!!

That will be a day for the DELUXE pedicure!!

Timing is Everything...

Perhaps you've notice that I've been MIA lately. Sorry. Hopefully you've been looking forward to reading something new...hopefully I'll have something new for you to read!

I've been struggling with ideas lately. Specifically, struggling with finding GOOD ideas, usable ideas, writable ideas! My timing has been WAY off...most of my better ideas find their way into my mind at rather inopportune times. Let this be a lesson to me -- when the inspiration inspires, make it happen!!

Part of my challenge is just life in general -- there are demands a-plenty, just as with most other people's lives right now! Money, schedules, kids, jobs...if it's not one thing, it's fourteen others! Sound familiar? Thought so.

So what do we do? I guess the answer lies in that old adage about eating elephants -- you know the one? How do you eat an elephant? Yep, one bite at a time. So I get to take one day at a time, one deadline at a time, one priority at a time. In a way, that's really the best way to operate -- being IN the moment, putting first things first, staying focused...those things sound pretty simple don't they! Fortunately, they are. Unfortunately, they're not easy!

So here I sit again, way too late in the evening, taking steps toward reestablishing systems and structure and patterns, all of which will move me in the direction of what I want.

I think. I'm pretty sure, anyway!

Right now, I am going to wrap this up! Thanks for reading...I'll be back soon!