Procrastination can be one's own worst enemy. There is always something else we would rather be doing, something else I would rather be doing, yet there are things that just need to be done.
For me, housework and keeping our home organised isn't really a chore - it's something that I enjoy doing and which relaxes and soothes me. The end product of a clean and tidy space is always worth the time and effort. It might also help that I try and keep our house tidy and clutter free throughout the week (whether I'm working or not) and maintain a really simple approach to housework.
I don't follow a particular cleaning schedule or timetable for our housework and I've often wondered if I should. But I don't really like hard and fast rules, more of a guideline to get things done. Like I said, keeping it simple without pressure to complete certain things by certain times works better for me.
Since I've been on leave I now have more days to get everything done and I seem to have fallen into the rhythm of doing the heaviest housework at the beginning of the week then tapering off as the week goes on (and I begin to lose my energy and my motivation).
Monday, the day when I have the most motivation and energy is for vacuuming and mopping the floors. After the busy weekends (when I tend to do as little housework as possible!) the floors need attention. Tuesday has always been bathroom cleaning day.
Dusting happens when I notice that things are dusty - but even that is getting done about once a week now that I have more time.
Big jobs like cleaning the windows and the front and back deck tend not to happen as often as they could. When I sit on our lounge and look out the front windows and notice streaks or dirt, or when I am in the dining room and see that muddy paw prints on the back glass door, I know it's time to clean the windows and glass.
Just after Nic was born we lived in a small, Defense-owned townhouse which got no natural light whatsoever. Up until that point, I had no idea how important natural light in a house was to my sense of wellbeing! It felt like we were living in a mushroom - and not a pretty, red and white toadstool one like Mr Mouse. Since then, having natural light come in unfiltered into our living space has been a blessing. It is one of the things that I love most about our house. The warmth and light in the kitchen in the morning, then as the sun makes its way across the sky, various windows in the living spaces get sun (perfect for lying in during winter) until finally the sun hits our front yard and pours in through the lounge room windows - so long as they are clean and streak-free!
I am also becoming quite adept at cleaning as I go. This winter so much of my time has been spent in the kitchen and this is an area that I love to keep clean and clutter free. Cleaning as I go keeps everything under control, without getting too overwhelming, especially if I am baking bread and a sweet treat. I'm not terribly up-tight about this, and I'm not striving for perfection, but having the space neat and tidy means that my mind is free to move on to other things, like creative pursuits.
On the weekend, breakfast dishes and fixings can sit around longer as people tend to eat later and at different times. I try and avoid tidying up more than once a meal! Also on the weekends when the kids are home, the general mess and evidence of them enjoying themselves (chess boards out, lego battles in the hallway, bananagrams on the kitchen table, piles of books on lounges and rugs thrown about) is not something I stress about. By the end of the day, we make sure to put things away, but when they are being used then the mess is more than welcome. To me it is a sign of happy, young people playing and engaging with their spaces. As for their bedrooms, maybe once a week I will do a quick spot clean through their rooms, but most of the time we expect them to clean them.
When the washing is done, I try to get it folded and ready to be put away (the kids put their own clothes away once folded) on the same day that it is done. I really don't like having baskets of washing lying around the place. This just makes things overwhelming and, really, it's not that hard to just get it done straight away.
I know not everyone has the same motivation as I do to clean as you go, or to clean - even if you don't feel like it. In fact, this is where I often find myself when it comes to writing.
I want to write and often tell myself that I will sit down and write when "such-and-such" is done. This is my form of procrastination. I have realised that if I just sit down at my desk (which I try and keep neat and tidy so that I don't distract myself with more cleaning!) and begin to read over where I left off then the words will come. Even if I don't feel terribly inspired to begin, once I've picked up the thread of the story and gotten into the world of Sylvie et al, it becomes much easier to write.
As I mentioned, my daily schedule is quite flexible, but most mornings I'm done with my chores by mid-morning coffee time. I've usually put a bread on in the bread maker (my favourite way to make bread is to do the kneading and rising in the bread maker and then make the loaf or some rolls in the oven) and can sit and dedicate some time to my stories or to my research.
That, in fact, is another area of procrastination for me. I love researching and taking notes. Some days I will do more of this than the actual writing and it is something I need to be mindful of. Do I need this information to write right now or am I procrastinating again and stopping myself from writing? Perhaps it sounds like I don't enjoy writing, but I really do and once I get start, well let's just say it's hard to stop! I can go for hours once those juices are flowing. Perhaps I need some clearer goals about my writing - in terms of achieving set goals, but most of the time I'm pretty casual about these too. I don't want it become a chore, something I really don't want to do but feel like I have to because I've set myself deadlines and goals. It's a fine line of balancing. For me, at this stage of my life, writing is a hobby. I don't make money from it or risk missing out by not completing pages by a set time. My overall goal is to complete the 12 short stories of Sylvie's life (one per month) and I've done seven, so that to me says that I'm on the right track. If procrastination continues to raise it's head I may have to consider how important this 'hobby' is to me right now.
However you choose to clean your house or approach your writing, I am sure it is different to my rather laissez faire attitude. I'm sure in many ways it is probably better and more organised and your goals are achieved much more quickly than mine. I like the way I approach both though and feel that many things can still be accomplished without stressing or applying too much pressure. I suppose my main goal in housekeeping and in writing is to keep things as simple as possible. I hope you can also find a simple way to get things done that you might otherwise be putting off.
This photo is of my little 'library nook' where I sit with my electric fire early in the mornings until the sun rises and begins to stream in through the blinds. I always keep this space cozy and tidy :)
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