Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow...

I haven't always been an organised person, and I'm still not always entirely on top of things. But I am learning slowly as I get older little systems that keep me organised. One of the things I have had to learn to fight is laziness. Or if not laziness, the desire to "do it later". I try to follow the good old rule- No Time Like The Present.

To keep on top of the housework or life in general, I have had to force myself to slow down and do things properly, right now, instead of putting it off for another time when I might "feel like it". It really helps me in life when I keep up with tasks by doing what I can, right now. I find this way of thinking and acting really enables me to stay fairly organised, especially around the house.

I enjoy some aspects of housekeeping, but I've always had this sense of impatience with things like ironing and putting away the clean washing. A few years ago I'd have brought in the clean washing off the line and dumped it on the couch, and it would have stayed there for a few days or never be put away at all. Or things needing ironing would stay in the basket for weeks. These days I force myself to slow down and finish the job properly, before they turn into enormous jobs. I fold the washing straight off the line into the basket. Once indoors I sort the washing into piles and put the piles away, immediately. If I didn't do this straight away clothes could lie around the place for days. I don't find it harder to do things this way, and I'm not sure why I used to leave jobs unfinished, but again, it probably came down to being lazy or procrastinating.

It only takes a couple of minutes to finish a job completely, and for me to make sure things are put back where they came from. If I need tools for some handywork I always make sure I spend that last minute putting the tools back away. It's not hard, it just takes discipline and a mindful attitude. I think about a job from beginning to end, and this helps me to keep on top of the housework. Tidying up is alot easier and quicker when I don't have all these little half-finished jobs to do, as well as the usual cleaning and tidying.

Of course there's always those times when I leave things out that I'm still working on, such as sewing projects. In these cases I need to decide if I am actually going to keep working on the project the next day or sometime in the near future. If that sewing project is still unfinished the following week, and I know for sure I have no intention of getting it completed in the near future, I put it away. Sometimes I need things to go away so I can bring them out again another time with a fresh outlook.

This is a bird mobile for Peanut's room I am working on. It's been here on my sewing table for a couple of days, but I know I will have completed it by the end of the week.

I think when Peanut is old enough to understand, we will try to teach him the value in finishing things from beginning to end. As soon as play time is over, we will pack the toys back into the toy box. As soon as the meal is finished, the plates will go to the sink and be washed. My parents brought me up this way, and even though this way of thinking and acting may not have sunk in til I was in my mid 20's; -it eventually did. And I'm glad I finally got there.