"Objects in motion, tend to stay in motion. Objects at rest, tend to stay at rest." Inertia. How do I fight it? When I first started trying to get my house clean, it was a battle. I did little jobs throughout the day, rather than doing every chore early in the day. I would set my timer for 15 minutes (or 10 minutes, or 5 minutes, depending on my energy levels that day) and do a task for those 15 minutes. If it wasn't done, it didn't matter. I stopped. I went to rest again.
After doing this for several weeks, I decided there was a more efficient way to work. First of all, I have to get up to take my son to school each morning. So, since I was up and moving anyhow, I just started doing my daily chores as soon as I got home. I was doing the bare minimum to keep up the house: dishes, maybe some laundry, and wiping down the bathroom (but not really cleaning it). I was living with the principle that every small job I do is a blessing to my family. No doubt, some of the jobs were small.
Meanwhile, I was getting more and more interested in seeing my house get clean. I began researching on the internet to find ways to organize myself for cleaning. I found many ideas. I implemented a few. The ideas are out there, if you have the motivation to look for them (and then use them).
Fighting Inertia
Posted by
Beth is wfg
Friday, January 24, 2014
2 comments:
The real challenge is when the routine is interrupted. For instance, this week my daughter only went to school one day so there wasn't a clear starting point. Summer is worse. And then some days I just don't wanna follow a routine, even if it's self-imposed I rebel against it. (Working on that in counseling).
a) I agree, it is hard when there is a break in the routine. For me, it's that I don't like doing my chores when other people are around. I like to be able to blast my music and clean without waiting for someone to wake up, or compete with their music.
b) It's really hard to resume a routine after it's been broken. All I can do is tell myself to get up and do it. I remind myself that it won't take as long as I think it will - half the reason it often takes a long, agonizing time is because we procrastinate on doing things.
c) I think we have to give ourselves permission to have those days when we don't follow a routine. The house won't fall apart in a day, the mess isn't going anywhere. So, if you want to take a day off, go to breakfast instead of cleaning, go for it. Just dig back in the next day....which is its own challenge, I know.
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