🤣 ‘I just don’t enjoy it’
If I worked on that theory the house would a complete shit tip, there’d be no food in the house, the kids wouldn’t go to school, they’d eat sandwiches or cereal - permanently, there’s be a mountain of dog poop in the garden...and on it goes...adulting is pretty bloody boring to be honest.
I think the first thing to do is realise MOST people don’t enjoy it.
My Aunty is lucky, she actually enjoys doing housework and cooking etc, I envy her.
When I was little I LOVED ‘playing house’, now I’ve got one I’m bored with the game 🤣
The things that motivate me to do shit are
- social pressure. I’d be mortified if someone dropped in and it was a shit tip
That definitely motivates me.
- children. They deserve to live in a clean, calm, organised, nurturing environment.
- satisfaction. The sense of satisfaction because the house looks nice and, more importantly, feels nice.
- me. I can’t stand living in a mess/unclean house. So I put the effort in to make sure it’s nice.
I’m really not well a lot of the time, so I don’t have much energy at all. When I do have energy things just get done without too much effort. How are you feeling?
The main thing I’m grateful for is that I’m NOT a shopper. I HATE shopping (except for stationery 🤣) so I don’t have much coming in the house. That helps loads.
I have a diary/bullet journal hybrid thing going on.
I like lists. I have a new ‘to do list’ system...it seems to be working...
In my diary, on the Sunday page I write anything that needs doing (soon) when I think of it. I only write it on a day in the week if it specifically needs doing that day. Then I work from that list when seeing what I need to get done each day.
Each day I write things I need to do that day. I try to keep it reasonable. I tick stuff off and move anything I didn’t get done to either the Sunday list or another day, noting where I moved it to.
Then I have another page of IMPORTANT things I need doing, but that aren’t time critical (things like update will).
Then a list of things I want to get done (say, organise photos).
If your place is actually in a real state, I’d love to get stuck in. I like helping people with a real transformation! I’ve helped quite a few people.
I like to start with one room, totally empty it out (throwing obvious rubbish out and putting to one side obvious donations/selling stuff and stuff in other rooms where it belongs) and then give it a really good clean. Paint if necessary/time allows it etc...but definitely clean it thoroughly. Define the room and decide what furniture is going back in (make a note of any furniture/storage they need when they can afford it) then what ‘stuff’ belongs in that room. If it’s a bedroom then clothing gets sorted as it’s being put back in, it doesn’t just all get put back.
Then look at what was emptied out that’s not going back in. Decide what’s happening with it and then put it in the room it’s going in or the charity/selling/rubbish piles.
There’s a sense of satisfaction when each room is done and lots of stuff is sorted along the way.
If it’s REALLY bad, I start with rubbish bags going through the whole house just removing actual rubbish. That’s not usually necessary though.
If the person has lots of random stuff in random places I get boxes and label them (stationery/bits of games/books/Lego etc)
so it’s gathered together, it can be sorted later.
Sorry. This is probably quite long. I can bang on for England re sorting and organising your home 😖🙄😊