My 2021 Blog Themes | A Clutter Free January

 (old monastery turned into a home, homeworldlife.com)

I was delighted today to watch Jennifer L. Scott's first video of the new year at "The Daily Connoisseur" and to learn about a cooperative project of YouTube vloggers called "A Clutter Free January," begun by Dawn at "The Minimal Mom." Another of the participants is "Diane in Denmark," and she has a playlist of all of the videos so far. They have begun with their kitchens. 

I'm joining in this project, not as a vlogger myself, but just to get inspiration and focus my efforts, as I had already decided to set decluttering tasks for my home this month. And this fits nicely into one of my blog themes for 2021, the domestic monastery. My other two themes will be the preservation of liberty and the literary life. I will outline the basics of each theme in the days to come. 

We experienced so many alarming things in 2020, which unfortunately promise to continue well into this new year, and many people are exhausted, frazzled, in grief, and very uncertain of the future. I think the Catholic principle of subsidiarity can help us to navigate these tumultuous times, by teaching us to put first things first, and to begin with what we can most easily and effectively influence and control. 

I will keep it short today, and simply encourage you to check out the videos for A Clutter Free January posted so far. Ruminate on some plans for how you can get started in your own home, beginning today with just 10 minutes in the kitchen, which Diane in Denmark can guide you through.

Peace and joy to you this New Year!!

 

What to Do When the Laundry Is Caught Up | Taking Stock

I could see the light at the end of the laundry tunnel, so yesterday, after having a rare good night's sleep and feeling very energetic, I blew the laundry out, washing every last item. My theory has been that as long as I am behind on regular housework, like laundry and dishes, I can't in good conscience delve into other projects. Maybe this is a subconscious ploy of procrastination, even if logically sound. 

I had big dreams for today, no longer shackled by a mountain of unwashed garments and linens; but alas, I slept poorly and feel the sinus gunk bringing me down again. I think the brief snow we got tamped down the spring pollen, but then it melted. One possibility that we may not have considered during this coronavirus semi-quarantine is that maybe God wants us to rest. Maybe he wants us to pause, to reflect. Not only to muddle through, to bide our time until the crisis has passed, but to just plain stop whatever we've been doing and take stock. 

What do we most value but have habitually taken for granted? How many times, for instance, did I choose to stay home from church and not receive the Eucharist, and now am heartbroken to be deprived of Jesus' Real Presence in the way that only the Blessed Sacrament can provide? There were people I had planned to visit during Lent, like my great-aunts in nursing homes, and now I can't go see them. I look at my calendar and see future plans that will not come to pass. We all had looked forward to events that we assumed were unchangeable. The idea of not going to Mass on Easter Sunday, because there won't be one, seems like something out of the Twilight Zone. 

Now let's see where we're at on the FlyLady path. So far we have established a few things for our morning and evening routines. We shine our sinks and put out tomorrow's outfit in the evening, and go to bed at a decent hour, turning off screens an hour prior. In the morning we put away the clean dishes, start the laundry (one load per day at least, washed, dried, folded, and put away), and get dressed to shoes. At some point in the day we do a 15-minute, whole house (or main level) declutter. We set our timers to manage our time. I should note that Diane in Denmark admitted that she doesn't necessarily do everything in her routines every single day. It's okay to miss, say, a day of shining your sink, but try not to miss more than two, or you may fall out of the habit. But even if that happens, you just jump back in from wherever you are.

I'm only going to add one more thing at this time, and that is self-care. Every day we must take time, if only 15 minutes, for our personal well-being. My husband told me that for our mental health, the WHO has recommended that we only read about or watch news of COVID-19 for ten minutes, twice a day. Yes, it's important to stay current with the mandates and developments, but we must not immerse ourselves. We must not obsess. 

Today I didn't have the energy to take a shower, so I just soaked in the tub while I read a book and treated myself to a clarifying clay facial mask.  I read today's Mass readings and the meditation for this date in Simple Abundance. But I've been watching myself sneak onto the internet beyond the allowance of checking email that I had planned for Lent. 

Basically I only wanted to go online to use the library services, do whatever was necessary for homeschooling, to blog and to receive the communications from our homeschool co-op. Co-op is of course cancelled for the time being, so I don't even really need to check email very often. Following the coronavirus progress got me on YouTube, and it's so easy to fall back into old habits once we open the door. I felt I was being of service to post this blog to Facebook, though that was the main internet usage that I had intended to give up.

So I will share this post on FB, and then that will be it for the remainder of Lent, and likely for longer.  I've encouraged my friends to sign up for email notification of new blog articles. I will go back to strict avoidance of the internet. I'm sure my husband will keep me abreast of anything I need to know about the pandemic.  Things on the internet can surely be inspiring, but I believe increasingly that we are being guided to a new and better way of living, if only we will stop and listen.  There is no reason to go full speed ahead. I think I can use these bare bones of the FlyLady system to keep things humming along nicely, to have a solid framework for my days. If I can add more, great. If not, no big deal. 

We're experiencing the reality, right this moment, of what can happen to our best laid plans. There must be something more. 
A secret garden. A buried key.

FlyLady Toolbox | Using a Timer | 15 Minute Whole House Declutter

One of the best things I learned from FlyLady Diane in Denmark's  31 Baby Steps YouTube series was to religiously use a timer. This can be an oven timer, timer app on your phone, or a good, old-fashioned kitchen timer that dings when your set minutes are up. I've used a timer for completing projects in the past, but for whatever reason, Diane's way of doing it was most effective and convincing. 

The benefit to using a timer is that you are limiting the time you spend on any one task, making it more likely that you will not only make a start, but finish it. It will also keep you from wasting precious time doing things like surfing the internet. When you sit down to use your computer or phone for checking email, social media, the weather, etc., set that timer for 15 minutes. When it goes off, you stop, even if you are mid-sentence in a Facebook comment. 

This practice actually has Judeo-Christian roots. Think of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, which teaches that there is a time for every purpose under Heaven. Imagine a monastic life of prayer, sleep, eating, work, and recreation, where one moves on to the next task when the bells ring, simply because it is time to do so. Especially during our current COVID-19 semi-quarantine, we can adopt a monastic mindset for our home life.

What I want you to add to your daily routine today is a 15-minute, whole house declutter. Now, I have a large home, and I primarily use this only for the downstairs. All you do is walk from room to room, throwing away trash, straightening the sofa covers and cushions, taking dishes from other rooms to the kitchen, and anything else that will put your home quickly back in order. 

Once you do this regularly, it will often not take the full 15 minutes. You can use the remaining time to wash up a few dishes, wipe crumbs off the counters, or make yourself a cup of tea! This is a good task for evening, so that in the morning you are facing a relatively clean house. But any time during the day works. 

Do not underestimate this tool for managing your time. If used diligently, you will find that setting a timer will quickly make a difference in accomplishing all of those tasks you've been procrastinating. More timer tips will follow, so stayed tuned! 

Surviving Coronavirus at Home | FlyLady Dishes and Laundry | Building a Routine

colesfineflooring.com

No, this is not my laundry room. I wish! I do my laundry in the basement, and it isn't a pretty place. But while we are stuck inside during the COVID-19 crisis, this is the kind of thing we now have time to do--get our homes clean and in order! Three days ago I wrote that all we have to do this week is get back to FlyLady's top three tools, or begin them if you never have. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so let's put this program on the fast track. 

Hopefully you are now shining your sink and choosing your next day's outfit in the evenings, and dressing to shoes each morning. Shining the sink is the last step after you either put your dishes in the dishwasher or hand wash them. The first time you shine your sink, FlyLady recommends using bleach, and during this time of hyper health vigilance, that might be a good idea. However, I don't like to use toxic chemicals in my home. Breathing them in would only make my allergies, asthma, and chronic sinus condition worse, leaving my immune system more compromised. 

Instead, I use a solution of vinegar, Mrs. Meyer's dish soap, and water for a general household cleaner. Since the novel coronavirus, I've added tea tree oil for additional disinfecting benefits. I have a spray bottle for the upstairs, and one for the downstairs. After your initial disinfecting of the kitchen sink, you simply wash it down each night and wipe it dry, which gets rid of any bits left behind. To shining the sink, we'll now add putting away those clean dishes as part of our morning routine. While I heat up my kettle and prepare my coffee in the French press, I put the clean dishes away.

When you spend the majority of your time at home, you must develop routines. Once good habits are established, they help to carry us through the difficult times. Keeping up with the dishes is at the very top of household maintenance. The second task is laundry. Generally speaking, you want to do one load per day, washed, dried, and put away. If you can't do more than this without it accumulating in baskets, then don't. But many families are large enough that one load is not enough, and many of us are likely perpetually behind on laundry. 

To get caught up, bump it up to two loads per day. The children who are now home all day should be helping with all chores. I throw the first load into the washing machine as part of my morning routine, after putting away the dishes. Clothes are easiest to fold when they are still warm, so doing this as soon as you take them out of the dryer is best. You can do smaller loads so the task is not so overwhelming. Fill the machine only 3/4 full, and do not stuff your garments in. Think of it like measuring a cup of flour. You do not pack it.

Go ahead and start writing down your morning and evening routines. There are lots of videos on this on YouTube, but as I've said before, Diane in Denmark is your gal pal. She'll get you started with your control journal. The importance of keeping our hands and homes clean at this crazy moment in history cannot be over-emphasized. Come together at home as a team and actually take advantage of the opportunity that this crisis presents. This too shall pass. And all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well...  (Blessed Julian of Norwich)

The Oppression of Things | FlyLady's 31 Baby Steps with Diane in Denmark

jennifergrace.com

I awoke in the night and this phrase came to mind: the oppression of things. We do not sleep well when we're feeling heavy. Perhaps I'm simply feeling burned out from all of my efforts to get my home in order. I'm seeing definite results. I'm seeing spaces clearing and clean surfaces, the formation of good habits and routines falling into place. But there is still so far to go, and I wonder if I'll be able to keep it up. I wonder, will it be worth it? Will the monumental change in my life come that is promised by all the decluttering gurus? 

In November I began the FlyLady system's 31 Baby Steps, following Diane in Denmark on YouTube. Diane has been a godsend. I had dabbled with FlyLady in the past and adopted some of the strategies, but it seemed too complicated and just didn't stick. Diane simplified it for me, and I finished the 31 Days on the last Sunday of Advent. Since then I've just been working on implementing the ideas learned in the Baby Steps, trying to resist the urge to go too far beyond that until I have the habits firmly established. Maybe it's time to scale back just a little, to rewrite my morning, afternoon, and evening routines to the bare minimum of items to accomplish. 

When I was a Mary Kay beauty consultant, I learned that Mary Kay would make a list of the six most important things she needed to do each day, and I found that habit to be helpful. Six is a manageable number and does not feel overwhelming. I think I'll scale back my three routines to just six items each. I'll reconsider what Diane in Denmark emphasized as especially important. I'll tweak the ideas to suit my individual household, personality, and values. 

It's time, once again, in this New Year and also new decade, to pull focus. Every kind of clutter results in the oppression of things. The physical things that we don't really want or need in our homes, the activities that drain us of energy and waste our time, the constant striving, the lack of clarity produced by a cluttered mind, a body cluttered with toxins and the wrong food, the weight of sin, even the clutter of experiences, which are supposed to be superior to stuff--all of this is heavy baggage that we no longer need to carry.

I suggest beginning with Diane in Denmark's approach to the Flylady's 31 Baby Steps. Watch only one video each day, and suspend your disbelief over whether shining your sink or dressing to shoes will really make a difference. Just jump in where you are and do it. Do NOT sign up for the emails at the FlyLady.net website, as you'll receive an overwhelming deluge. Here is the first video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11_wvZoQPTc.

I'll keep you up to date on my progress, and you can keep me up with yours. Together we'll learn to let go.