I thought I was coming down with a cold. In reality, I was coming down with a case of dustitis, a condition that brings with it sneezing and a runny nose, often accompanied by mild headache and itchy eyes.
All it took for dustitis to rear its ugly head was one night spent sleeping in a dusty bedroom that had not been cleaned since I left for a European vacation five weeks earlier. It didn’t help that I had cranked the furnace up when I got home about 11 p.m., exhausted from a flight that was at least three hours too long. Getting warm meant sending dust from other regions of the house swirling into the night air over my bed.
I did give myself one day off to recover from jet lag, but I know when enough is enough. Procrastination will not clear my mind — or my sinuses. No, if I wanted to stop sneezing, I needed to get out the vacuum, the Swiffer and my trusty damp cleaning rags. If I went at it while simultaneously doing the laundry, I knew I could get everything back in order in about four hours. I couldn’t wait to see — and smell — the results of my labour!
As someone who is prone to procrastination, I know it’s best to tackle a housework backlog in one shot. Just do it until it’s done, then get back to a regular maintenance schedule so things don’t pile up and get out of control.
It’s the same with decluttering. I don’t believe in the “baby steps” so beloved by all those decluttering blogs. One blogger, Suzanne, has urged others to join her in her 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge, which is described as a task “to declutter at least one item from our lives per day for the next year.” Why spend an entire year transforming your home from disaster to clean and clutter-free when you can get it done in a matter of days (if you’re off work), or in four weekends max if you work full-time and your house is in drastic shape?
At the Zen Habits blog, which is “about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives,” creator Leo Babauta suggests we can start living the clutter-free life with just five minutes of our time. “Baby steps are important,” he says. “Sure, five minutes won’t barely make a dent in your mountain, but it’s a start. Celebrate when you’ve made that start!”
I’m all in favour of encouraging folks. But no lesson will be learned in five minutes. And there is certainly nothing to celebrate after five minutes of pondering which one item you’ll be getting rid of today! The first step in every worthwhile venture is making the decision to go full-steam ahead — then sticking with it. That kind of sound decision-making requires a major leap forward.
When it comes to decluttering, procrastination is your enemy, especially if you need to prepare your home for buyers. Want to reap the rewards of a job well done? Draw up your battle plan and get to work — before it gets worse! And don’t stop until the job is finished.
It’s that simple.
