I was never a very good housekeeper in my younger years-I'm not one of those that finds a great deal of satisfaction in cleaning commodes, sweeping or mopping floors, washing windows and cleaning baseboards but over the years I've gotten to be fairly good at it. It was out of survival, simple survival!!
I find that when things go undone, such as my bed not being made or dishes crusted over in the sink, my mind becomes cluttered with a "things to do" list. The bigger that list gets the more cluttered my mind becomes. The more cluttered my mind becomes the less motivated I am to do anything at all. Now, even though I still don't really care for housekeeping, I realize that if I want to get anything done the menial tasks of the day must be accomplished and caught up. "Menial". That's quite a word you know. Webster's definition is, "of or relating to servants; humble", hmmmm! Dear ones, sometimes what we call "menial" is simply a job that is yours to do, yours to accomplish and yours to take a little pride in so doing. We sometimes use this word "menial" and conclude that the little things we do are not important. Even some of the world has determined that keeping a home is not important. Here's a secret - it is VERY IMPORTANT!! I've got news for you - as homemakers this IS part of your job. (Please Note: I'm sure there are those who are reading this blog that may not all be homemakers. This whole strategy works well in all the other things you do outside the home and in your business life as well.) If you consider it menial you're probably not really looking at it the right way. It's a terribly important job. You are the manager of the home and this work needs to be done, OR NOT PERHAPS, it's up to you!!! I have to get it all finished so I can think straight. I think a lot of why we find ourselves saying, "Oh, I can't do that", is because we have so much of the "menial" stuff undone in our lives. While I'm not crazy about doing dishes, if I keep using them and not washing them, sooner or later, I run out of dishes!! Then I can no longer cook, or set a table, or make my family healthy and happy.
It's a really simple guideline for me personally. I know it's not easy and as I said, I don't even like to do it, but it brings me pleasure to wake up to a nice clean kitchen and home where I can throw my recipes together and make cookies and candy, herbal blends, teas and delicious meals and be happy about it. Consider the clutter in your life. Heck, even a garden needs weeding!!