WFMW: Cleaning

Okay, cleaning is most definitely not my strong suit, but I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. I’m fairly certain that these will only work for those of you who are Ps on the Meyers-Briggs. Js, you might want to stop reading for fear your eyes will roll so far back in your head that you’ll never regain full use of them.

When it comes to work before play or vice versa, I have never been able to do either very well. I am not generally disciplined enough to get all my work done before I play, but I feel too guilty if I put work off completely to play first. So when I can, I alternate a little work with an equal amount of play.

For example, I set the kitchen timer for ten minutes and clean for that amount of time. When the timer beeps, I reset it for ten minutes and play with the kids until it beeps again. And repeat as needed until the house is picked up or the laundry is folded or whatever. Sometimes I can make the intervals longer, but I find that ten minutes is about as long as one or the other of my boys can go without needing some attention/intervention. And even on my most unmotivated days, I can usually make myself clean when I know I can take a break after just ten minutes. Of course, I’m not rigid about the timer (ahem, I’m a hopeless P after all): if I’m on a roll and the kiddos are quiet, I might clean a bit longer. Or if Simon pats a chair and asks me to color longer, why would I say no to that?

There are all kinds of ways to switch off work and rest: fold laundry while watching a tv show and put it away during commercials (when I was a kid, I would practice piano on commercials—no wonder I never got very good at it), straighten up the house for three songs then chill (or dance) for three, or finish one task (say, empty the dishwasher) then read one chapter of your current book. Sometimes I also alternate by counting: fold or hang up fifteen articles of clothing then read five blog posts from my reader, pick up or deal with fifteen things in one room and then move to the next (even if the first room isn’t done). Sometimes a change of scenery is all I need, so I will work in one room until I come across something that belongs in another room, then take that thing to the room where it belongs and work in that room until I come across something that belongs in another room, and so on.

Works for me.