Spring House Cleaning

It is that time of year for me to clean my house, scrub away the grime and let the fresh air in. Housecleaning for me is a mixed bag. It is amazing how much paper I can accumulate then pile it up to get to it later. Stuff piles up; there are numerous things that become teetering piles. When I look at tackling the whole house, I feel so overwhelmed, I shut down. Over time, I have figured out that if I create mini projects, I can feel more successful at reducing and clearing the piles. Even cleaning the rooms (there are 33 windows in my house!) looks like too much and I do not know where to start that process. When I was able to see the bigger and smaller picture, I was able to create a system that works better.

I make a list of what I want to do, breaking it down to smaller tasks. When the papers are ready to topple, I set a random number in my mind of how many pieces I will handle, either filing or recycling it; for instance, I will handle 27 pieces. Then, continue on with my list, alternating what I am going to take care of. I feel the progress by crossing each line off that list. Forward movement.

Growing up in a chaotic house, I find when the “stuff” is starting to feel like it is swallowing up the house and me, my go-to is just to throw most everything out. I know that sounds ridiculous in the moment. It usually is triggered by not being able to find something I need in the moment, then I have a meltdown. Being mindful of that, I am working to not let it get out of hand. For me, when my house looks and seems to be in a state of chaos, it is a reflection of my inner life.

Notice how the older we get, the longer it takes to get this done? Last year, it took me several months to finish. This year, I have someone helping me get those dust bunnies from the corners cleaned out along with the all the rest. It is a blessing to have that help. It keeps me focused to accomplish more than one wall at a time. I also have become more discerning about letting items go, either into the trash, the recycle bin or the second hand store.

For me, there is something so refreshing, uplifting and freeing walking into a clean house. I like the way when there is order in my house, there is more order in my life.