Coping systems
Ugh, my place is a mess and I just can't seem to keep it clean. I realized today why.
I just don't see clutter. It doesn't even exist to me most of the time. I just dump the mail on the kitchen table and go about my business. It isn't until my boyfriend comes over and I get self conscious about the mess that I actually *look* at it, and then I'm mortified.
So my version of cleaning is more about finding a new system for keeping things clean. I've decided to ban dishes from the sink. Once I fill up the dishwasher and run it through I will (try to) not let myself put dishes in the sink, especially plates and silverware. In fact, I might even extend that to all sink-worthy things. In fact, I wish I could just close up the sink and just put a drain at counter-level.
OR what if I just put my dish drainer in the sink?! If I do leave something in the sink, like a bowl, I'd have to rinse it out to keep any food from drying to it and put it sideways in the drainer, rather than just putting water in it and leaving it to "soak" (translation: sit and get gross).
For those looking for ideas, awhile ago I had the brilliant idea to get one of those hanging bars from IKEA and I put two of them over the sink. Each one has a basket - one for sponges and the other for dish soap - and a bunch of hooks. My scrub brush hangs on one, I hang measuring cups on another, and everything stays off the sink. I still need to work on that system, but it works great as much as I use it. I never leave my scrubber in the sink anymore, so I never "lose" it under the dishes. I also hang all of my (2) pans and (1) pot on nails above the counter, rather than in a drawer or cupboard (no room and it never makes it there anyway) or just sitting on top of the stove (the typical result).
I've realized, over time, that I have certain habits that are extremely difficult to break. I have to have everything out in plain sight (I'm now seriously considering taking the cupboard doors off the hinges), which is why I end up with so much clutter. No matter how much I try to retrain myself to make that extra effort to put things away, I always find things exactly where they don't belong. Mail on top of the reptile cage. The waffle iron on the kitchen table. Hooks are my best friend. And small shelves. I put up a little corner shelf in the corner by the door where I always drop my keys. I have hooks in the bedroom AND the bathroom to hang up my clothes after I take them off - and I just closed off the disaster area I call the closet (it's very depressing and demotivating to look at it every day). The hooks are still cluttered up, but the clothes aren't on the floor anymore! :)
It's still difficult to keep myself in line, but I notice things more often. I notice when there's a pair of pants on the floor. I notice when my keys aren't by the door. If I could just figure out the mail system I'd be set. The biggest problem is that every week I get this massive pack of store ads (when I lived at home with my parents they usually came in the Sunday paper). And my recycling bin always seems to be full... Maybe I need to get a shredder.
Another big problem I have are cat toys. I have two cats. I have a little IKEA mouse-shaped tent and a little crinkle tunnel, but they're just sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor because there's no room anywhere else.
Argh! I feel an energy spurt coming on and I just want to go home and clean, and put these ideas into practice! Damn Friday!
So, that's some of my brain ooze spilling out into the keyboard. I'm always getting ideas for new ways of working *with* my ADD, rather than fighting it. My dream is to someday live in a clean home *between* hyperfocus/energy rush episodes. So what clever systems and tools have you come up with to work with your domestic weaknesses?