Photograph Credit: NVT Office Clips

I’m hooked! Watching the events of the Olympics’ first day, I am glued to the television. What a thrill to watch the first gold medal of these games hang on American snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg!

In an event where each participant gets two attempts, Sage had a perfect run to earn a gold medal on his first try. Of course, the other snowboarders completed their runs, but his score remained at the top.

Later, during his interview, Sage explained how he had never tried the trick he executed perfectly to win. Wow! Talk about confidence.

I’m so impressed by those who know their craft so well that they can invent on the spot even on the world’s greatest stage of competition.

Though I will not be winning any household maintenance awards, I love how Sage inspired me to know my craft, and never be so comfortable with the routine that I cannot add in a new method.

As a creature of habit, I get stuck in ruts. Doing the same routine in the same way may get the task done, but is it memorable?

For me, doing laundry, washing dishes, dusting, and cleaning bathrooms are done according to my efficient routine. But when the task is finished, it is just done. Watching Sage use his skills to try something new inspired me to add a little flare to my daily routines.

Whether I encourage a child to help, try a new product, or change the tasks order, I will add spice to my craft. Making this change won’t get me any medals, but I can bring a smile to a child’s face.

Branching out of my comfort zone to invent on the spot may spur me on to more adventures. In using time wisely, I desire to accomplish tasks efficiently and intentionally. A little flare and spontaneity is good and beneficial which is exactly what I need.

Thanks, Saga, for inventing on the spot and inspiring me to do the same. Happy inventing!

Question: What are you finding inspirational from these Olympic games?

Cleaning: It Doesn’t Have to be All or Nothing

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Spring is in full swing, and spring fever abounds.

With visions of summer already dancing in our heads, we are working to control our excitement.

With only a few days left of our school year, we are zooming to the finish line.

With yearbook distribution, the last field trips, an award ceremony, and field day still coming up, our year is not yet over.

Though I am running back and forth to school for the next 2 weeks and my time at home is limited, I am not concerned about cleaning.

This is because I have a new cleaning process that is working for me. It’s called cleaning daily whereby I’m starting small and seeing encouraging results.

Cleaning Daily

Inspired by Bobby Smith’s guest post recommending cleaning daily, I tried it. The first week, I concentrated on my bathrooms.

For some reason, dirty bathrooms drag me down. I also get really tired after cleaning all of them at once. However, when I followed Bobby’s suggestion of cleaning daily, I found that I wasn’t worn out.

Starting Small

Starting small and only concentrating on one task – my bathrooms, I had to first change my mindset and remind myself that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I could take the project and break it down. So, for the first week, my daily cleaning went as follows:

Sunday: Make a plan

Monday: Clean all the bathroom sinks and surrounding areas (mirrors, lights, picture frames around the sink, etc.)

Tuesday: Clean all the toilets and surrounding areas (medicine cabinets, child’s doughnut seat, trash cans, etc.)

Wednesday: Clean all bathtubs, showers, and doors

Thursday: Sweep and hand wash all the floors

Friday: Pickup

Saturday: Rest

Encouraging Results

By the end of the week, I had 3 clean bathrooms, and I wasn’t exhausted. I was tired on some days. For example, Monday, I had to scrub the sink in my children’s bathroom because the toothpaste mess had hardened.

Also, I had a strip of plastic covered in mildew behind the shower door that needed scrubbing with an old toothbrush. Even though these tasks were tedious, I was able to concentrate my efforts on those items.

I did not need to hurry to finish cleaning that bathroom. In taking time to work with only one or two cleaning products, the cleaning went smoothly. With the first big cleaning taking the majority of my time, I now only need to maintain the bathrooms each week.

Having tackled our bathrooms on the first week, I will maintain the bathrooms and focus on laundry for the second week. Trying to re-establish a new routine with the laundry may take me more than a week, especially with being on the move so much in May.

No matter how long the process takes, I am learning and taking small steps. Thus far in this cleaning journey, I’m liking the daily cleaning with small tasks and great results.

Though my house is not in perfect order, it’s okay because it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Happy cleaning!

Question: How is your cleaning routine working for you?