This is very unusual.
My presents are wrapped, and cards were posted before (ok, on) the last posting day. Christmas dinner is bought. We hosted a small festive gathering, and I made food in advance, the day before we went to the seaside.
I'm not quite sure what's come over me.
My presents are wrapped, and cards were posted before (ok, on) the last posting day. Christmas dinner is bought. We hosted a small festive gathering, and I made food in advance, the day before we went to the seaside.
I'm not quite sure what's come over me.
Normally nobody gets a Christmas card, and I'm running round on Christmas Eve despairing because I haven't found the perfect present for somebody-or-other.
Somehow, this year I got organised.
Somehow, this year I got organised.
Personally, I'm blaming a combination of Flylady, and a friend who used to work in retail, who bought all her presents before December even started, as she'd be so busy at work. I have a love/hate relationship with the Flylady system - I'm drawn to it again and again, and for a while it works, then I lose focus and become overwhelmed with chaos again.
If you've not heard of it, it's a system for getting your home in order through a series of routines and small daily actions. There are some things about it that don't work for me, and some that do, but I've never managed to stick to it for long. A few weeks ago, I started Day 1 of the 'babysteps' - a 31 day hand-holding to get you started. Each day is really straightforward, some are the same as the last, but over the course of a month they build routines, which I was sorely lacking.
My family will tell you I've never really been interested in housework. I was telling a friend the other day that my mum always said I was an 'enthusiastic' washer-upper (read: not very good at it - I noticed my friend did rinse his own mug out after that). I've never got into the habit of putting away after myself, and often feel overwhelmed in this house which at times feels too big, with too much stuff.
But not any more! Well, not for the time being anyway. It's quite simple. In the morning, I get up, and get washed and dressed while I'm still upstairs, before breakfast. I check to see if there's washing to be done, put the kettle on, open the curtains and straighten the sofa cushions. After breakfast I wash my bowl and get on with my day.
At some point in the afternoon (after work, or after lunch) I hang the washing up if I put any on, put the recycling and compost outside, and spend 15 minutes pottering in the current 'zone' - (each month the house is divided into five zones, one per week). This week is the bedroom, and the 15 minutes is usually spent decluttering, or cleaning, or whatever needs doing in that zone. If nothing needs doing (unlikely in this house), I sit down with a book instead. Then I check my diary, and prepare my bag for tomorrow.
After tea, I wash up, clean the sink, and get my clothes ready for the next day.
I know that some of you will be reading this and thinking 'er, isn't this just normal life?' Well, yes, for some people - but not for me. In the past I've been far more likely to still be in my dressing gown at lunchtime, last night's pots still in the sink, washing not done for a fortnight, and after going away for a weekend clothes might stay in the suitcase for another fortnight.
So it might not last, but for the time being I'm enjoying the feeling of being far-more-organised-than-usual. Long may it continue.
All this waffle is to say that yesterdayI went into town to meet a friend, and didn't buy a single Christmas present. (Actually, that's a lie - I spotted a small cheerful thing for Peter in a charity shop on the way home, but I wasn't looking for it) Instead, I ambled there, looking at the scenery and bits of town that I don't usually have time to stop and look at.
If you've not heard of it, it's a system for getting your home in order through a series of routines and small daily actions. There are some things about it that don't work for me, and some that do, but I've never managed to stick to it for long. A few weeks ago, I started Day 1 of the 'babysteps' - a 31 day hand-holding to get you started. Each day is really straightforward, some are the same as the last, but over the course of a month they build routines, which I was sorely lacking.
My family will tell you I've never really been interested in housework. I was telling a friend the other day that my mum always said I was an 'enthusiastic' washer-upper (read: not very good at it - I noticed my friend did rinse his own mug out after that). I've never got into the habit of putting away after myself, and often feel overwhelmed in this house which at times feels too big, with too much stuff.
But not any more! Well, not for the time being anyway. It's quite simple. In the morning, I get up, and get washed and dressed while I'm still upstairs, before breakfast. I check to see if there's washing to be done, put the kettle on, open the curtains and straighten the sofa cushions. After breakfast I wash my bowl and get on with my day.
At some point in the afternoon (after work, or after lunch) I hang the washing up if I put any on, put the recycling and compost outside, and spend 15 minutes pottering in the current 'zone' - (each month the house is divided into five zones, one per week). This week is the bedroom, and the 15 minutes is usually spent decluttering, or cleaning, or whatever needs doing in that zone. If nothing needs doing (unlikely in this house), I sit down with a book instead. Then I check my diary, and prepare my bag for tomorrow.
After tea, I wash up, clean the sink, and get my clothes ready for the next day.
I know that some of you will be reading this and thinking 'er, isn't this just normal life?' Well, yes, for some people - but not for me. In the past I've been far more likely to still be in my dressing gown at lunchtime, last night's pots still in the sink, washing not done for a fortnight, and after going away for a weekend clothes might stay in the suitcase for another fortnight.
So it might not last, but for the time being I'm enjoying the feeling of being far-more-organised-than-usual. Long may it continue.
All this waffle is to say that yesterdayI went into town to meet a friend, and didn't buy a single Christmas present. (Actually, that's a lie - I spotted a small cheerful thing for Peter in a charity shop on the way home, but I wasn't looking for it) Instead, I ambled there, looking at the scenery and bits of town that I don't usually have time to stop and look at.
I sat in a cafe for a couple of hours with a friend and her baby, nattering and playing without a nagging feeling that I should be somewhere else.
Today it's Christmas Eve, and the only thing I *need* to do is wrap Peter's presents. That feels good. It's grey drizzly, and I'm not planning to go far from the house at all. Tonight we'll watch Father Christmas, The Snowman, and The Snowman and the Snowdog (which I'd highly recommend if you've not seen them) and we'll settle ourselves into a quiet, nothing-in-particular-to-do Christmas.
Hoping you have a peaceful festive season too.
Hoping you have a peaceful festive season too.
RSS Feed
