A list of “tasks” with dates assigned to each turns into a calendar. When I finally tired of carrying the ex-Catholic guilt associated with living like wild dogs (I can be dramatic), I set up a Google calendar just for house cleaning. Since Nathan would be “somewhat” involved, he and I sat down and figured out how often things needed to be done and who was going to do what. As we savored the vision of making our house into a nice clean gem we listed everything needed to make that happen, from cleaning bathrooms, to changing the bed, to checking the lampshades for dust, to cleaning the ovens, maintaining the AC, to washing the windows in/out.
With a completed list that took a few days to finish, we decided how often to do them, from weekly, to twice a month, quarterly, and yes, annually(!) All the details were put into a Google calendar which, by the way, will send handy email reminders that keep you on track. The calendar was ready and Nathan and I were motivated! All the calendar reminders began pouring into my inbox, at which point I promptly IGNORED them all.
Well… a calendar seemed like a good idea at the time, but I was already tired of it after all the “negotiations”. Nevertheless, the nagging emails
persisted and I welcomed them. In fact, their existence made me feel like I had the power to shift it all in my favor! Just knowing I had a plan ready to go made me feel “better”. Like that time when you smoked your brains out for weeks before you actually quit! LOL. So eventually I surrendered, like 6 months later, to the vision that Nathan and I had created. And Nathan came along for the ride. (Can you tell who's driving this vehicle?) Basically, I clean the inside, he takes care of the outside, and he helps me whenever I ask him. I don’t, usually.
It was easy to get started because I only had to do what the calendar said! That’s pretty freeing knowing you don’t have to climb the entire mountain at once. Yes, you have to overlook what isn’t clean (yet) but that’s freeing too! LOL. I also went through a stage of figuring out how to clean without chemicals, but that’s for another post. Honestly, there have been more benefits from my cleaning commitment than any setbacks. I have tweaked the calendar here and there to make it more real for our situation. My ovens don’t need cleaning as often as I thought. I also started removing any oven racks that I’m not using for a particular meal. They do pick up grease from whatever is cooking in there and I despise cleaning oven racks. I admit that I am often 3 or 4 days behind schedule but I’m GOOD with that! Then I do have days when I throw it all into a pile and clean like a demon to catch up. The point is that the calendar holds me accountable for getting stuff done within a reasonable time frame and not letting it pile up into a stressful endurance test. I can’t go back to feeling out of control over my home’s cleanliness. It’s like losing weight and gaining it all back. NO. Just, NO.
To sum it up, one whole year into following a customized calendar, Nathan and I appreciate our house so much more, we really enjoy seeing our house dazzle and shine, and we have stopped arguing about the house! So guests are no longer the reason to clean but it does come in handy that our house is “ready” to receive guests, is easily picked up, and in one stage or another of maintenance. Do I honestly enjoy cleaning our house? Honestly, not really, but it has to be done and I do it SO well.
Somewhere in the cosmos, Queen Aurora just has to be grinning with glee.
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