15 Minutes a Day

I've been adapting to life with 3 children..or I should say 2 children and a baby.  (-;  I have a new routine and limitations as to what I can get done in a day.  I am back to not being able to spend more than a few minutes at any one task, so I am finding ways to adapt to that.  It forces me to have to make the most of each moment..

When I go to the gym, I bring a book along and right now I am reading Sink Reflections and I have only read the first couple of chapters, but so far, I am inspired..and hopeful.  The main advice I have picked up so far is to spend 15 mintues a day on any one task and to do it every day in order to keep up with the cleaning..  (but first she emphasizes taking care of yourself and getting dressed, making yourself look nice before taking on the cleaning)  I have to confess that I am not very good at keeping up with the everyday upkeep..and by the weekend, the house looks like it has been hit by a tornado.  And I am still a packrat..and I not not a very good "minimalist"...there is too much clutter in our home and I have a hard time letting things go.  I think I would love to have a peaceful home without the clutter, but at the same time still have all of our "stuff"..  Still, there are many things that we own that I nor anyone else really value too much and it is those things we should donate or find a home for, etc..  The "flylady"  gives the adice of spending 5-15 mintues a day attacking the purging part of the process.  (I keep waiting for when I have a whole day to work on it)  That is often how I prefer to work..being able to spend large chunks of time cleaning/purging, so that I can have an equal amount of time to "play or be with my family later"  The truth is, though, that I am not going to have large amounts of time any time in the near future...  The 5-15 minutes a day is much more realistic at this point while I have a baby in tow..and (at times) some very needy older kids..

So, I made a spreadsheet of the chores I need to do daily so I can try to keep up with the basic maintenance and I cross them off each day so I can see and feel good about what I've accomplished.  I also try to include a little gardening in there too, or blogging, or reading.

This was my first week and I was actually really worn out from my attempt..  But, I could be worn out because I need to exercise and eat a little better too.. (I've been drinking too much coffee lately)  Still, I'm hopeful.  Seems that authors make it seem so much easier than it is in reality..or I'm still trying to do too many things..(I'm never going to be truly at peace as long as I hold onto too much of the stuff and desire more of a minimalistic atmosphere)

The culture here in Portland...has me striving to become more minimalistic..It is a praiseworthy goal..But, the truth is, I am not really a minimalist in behavior..I like the peacefulness of a simple home, but I also love the gadgets and toys..  It is a standard of behavior..lifestyle..that is one of my biggest challenges..

But, I am going to try the Fly Lady approach..and we'll see how it goes!  Baby steps..perhaps may be the only sustainable way I can hope to achieve it!  This is also how I hope to get some gardening done too.. I have to find ways to be happy with the 5-15 minute stretches at one activity/project..But if I can do that every day, I might make some progress..  Like water dripping..It is amazing how powerful water can be..even a steady dripping..day after day can create a canyon eventually.