What can I do in just 15 minutes? That's just 900 seconds. I have a note on the wall in the Blue Room. It was a challenge to myself some years ago to spend just 15 minutes doing something - anything.
I am really good at making a mess and creating clutter. Its okay at first as I am gathering and organizing for a specific project. But, I walk away to do something else like show up at the dinner table when called. I do not, after all, do the cooking in this house. I wash dishes. When I walk away, and no longer see what I am doing, it no longer exists in my head until I walk back into the room. Then I sigh and turn and walk out of the room because the clutter is too noisy and draining.
I have spent the better part of the last 6 months not stitching, not writing, not exercising, not a lot of things around the house. Okay. I had a lot of Christmas houseguests, was away for a couple of weeks twice and sidelined with the breast reduction surgery for 3 months. So here I am. I am back. A shot of cortizone in my right hand a few weeks ago has given me a new lease on doing. I can pull weeks. So I have. I can type. So I am. I can wield a rotary cutter. So I have. And I can water the outside flower pots.
Its only 15 minutes. I finally decided to stop thinking about what I can do and just do something - anything. So I started clearing a small space in the Blue Room. This is where I have relocated most of my quilting things. Until I hosted a retreat here last month and brought down a machine and a "few" quilty gadgets. But they piled up a lot.
So back to the 15 minutes in the Blue Room. I cleared a few square feet of floor space and vacuumed the rug. I put things away. I even, horrors, threw stuff out. I bought one of those small rechargeable vacuum cleaners just for this room. I have used it a lot. Just 15 minutes at a time. I bought another storage shelving unit to organize the many project boxes.
Does anyone else have a room they put stuff into to get it out of the way and out of sight? It has been a way of life for me. I learned from the best. My unorganized hoarder mother and my organized hoarder mother-in-law who washed the dishes after every meal for 72 years. I have had a lot of clutter.
I finally have permission to sit in the hot tub. But only for 15 minutes.
Blessings,
Chris
It's surprising what you can do in 15mins....
ReplyDeleteYou've made a good start.....
I wish someone could explain why making or ignoring the mess is so much easier than cleaning it up, even when making the mess is work. And that's without getting into trying to get rid of things not used for years, likely never will be used. The memory of the odd bits of elastic or fabric or scraps of wood that *have* come in handy definitely don't help with my declutter efforts!
ReplyDeleteMy room to put things "for now" - the sewing room. It's not as bad since I removed the 6' banquet table from it. That big table was nice for cutting out fabric & working on things, but it was waaaaay too tempting to pile things on it. Not possible with the quilting hoop-frame in there now, though we'll not discuss the things sitting on the floor under it 😀
And then there's a couple of spots in the basement. Things get put near where they should go, but somehow getting down there to put them where they should go doesn't rise to the top of my list of things to do. Out of sight, out of mind definitely applies!
Mmmmm - a soak in a hot tub sounds nice, hope you got the full 15 minutes in!
Your breast reduction surgery must have been a challenging time for you, having gone sideways as it did. So glad you're finished with that experience. And am so glad your right hand is feeling better, too. What a time of it you've had!
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about cleaning, as in house cleaning, it seems like it will take forever. The whole house to clean! But I noticed once that some of the jobs take just 15 minutes. I can do that, I thought. But still, I put off cleaning....
But I like the idea of doing something for 15 minutes. Small increments of time add up to larger accomplishments. (But, like you, out of sight, out of mind and I walk back into a room wondering what I'd had in mind....)
Enjoy the hot tub!
alas no extra room in a 340 sf apt but i do find myself constantly tidying and removing clutter...things back in their assigned places...and yes a lot can get done in 15 min
ReplyDeleteI look at 15 minutes from a different angle. I see 7 1/2 hours in a 30 day month. Over the last couple of years I have really tried to keep to 15 minutes of crafting each day and had pretty good success, but this year I have decided not to be so strict with myself, but am still keeping a bit of a tally. There has been quite a bit going on in the background that has distracted me from crafting.
ReplyDeleteI have a whole separate bedroom in our house for my crafting storage. Earlier this year, Mick helped me build some more shelves, so now it is full……but fairly organised. I have even labelled most tubs. It is really helping……but I have so much fabric that I really must get in and sew, knit and crochet like crazy for the rest of my life.
Enjoy your 15 minutes in the hot tub. It may enthuse you to do another 15 minutes on something else.
make good use of your 15 minutes....maybe gradually increase to 30...LOL
ReplyDeleteI have a "spare room"...it is my dumping ground - but - alas!!! I have had 3 separate victors over the last month so had to tidy it - read that as put every loose thing in a box and neatly stack the boxes...I'll get back to it some time . . .