The wonders of The Cleaning Game

The wonders of HGTV. I do watch this channel with the hopes of getting some more divine inspiration on organizing and fixing up the house. Oh wait, did I say divine? God grants me much inspiration, if I would but listen. And so, I sit and stand and absorb the rooms, one by one..and wait for the bolt of Godly guidance to strike.

And pow! It does! But alas, they make it look much easier on TV than it really is. I have to move stuff maybe between 3 different rooms, with piles of stuff blocking my way. There is no "Clean everything out of the room and start with a fresh slate" here. I truly wish there was, but alas, there is only me for the most part, moving and rearranging and organizing and cleaning.

Slowly but surely, I am seeing progress- the art area is coming together..the whole house is coming together. The stuff that I plan to keep (plan being the operative word) is getting situated and finding a home. But it's a process that requires patience and listening. Waiting for the direction that will take it to a whole new, cleaner, awesome level.

I am patient, but human. If I sit too long at the computer, I get lazy. If I try to do too much, I get burned out. The secret, for me, is a healthy balance of fun, cleaning, organizing, creating and all things else coming together in what I call, "The Cleaning Game."

There are 2 approaches for me:

1. I choose a random number, say 7, and then I move from one room to another, picking up 7 dirty clothes, 7 things to throw away, 7 dishes to wash, a combination of anything of 7 that needs doing. Or just about that number- the thing is, to keep moving and to slowly build up energy, drive, and inspiration. By leaving the room, I not only keep from getting burned out on a chore, (like washing dishes) but I also will enter the room again later with a fresh eye and maybe see new things to do, clean, fix, organize, etc.

2. This is the fun version. When I want music, I turn on my playlist of all sorts of songs (ON RANDOM PLAY), and depending on the sort of song, it will decide what I am to do. For example, if the song is soothing, relaxing, 'a softer song' then I am allowed to do something I enjoy more, such as sit at the computer, check my email, write a list, draw a pic, etc. But if the song is heavy, harder, faster, more upbeat and energetic, then I have to do some sort of chore, such as sweeping, dishes, vaccuming, etc. Not only does the work get done, but again, I find myself not burning out on too much vaccuming at one time, or sitting too long and going to sleep watching TV.

I truly thank God for inspiring me in that way. It is a big help with my focus and list to do, whether it be a fun artistic list or chores/job list. It's the best of both worlds. If you find yourself with boxes of stuff to clean out, or junk is piling up that needs doing, perhaps you too can find enjoyment with the Cleaning Game!