Decisions, decisions

I didn’t do my kitchen chores last night when I came home from work. I was ready to, but the problem is I’ve gotten into the habit of giving the cats a treat when I get home. (It’s a long story about how that got started.) If I make any kind of noise, the girls get skittish and run off. Then the guy eats their treats. So I got on the computer and just never got up to do the kitchen. (Oh! I did stop for some groceries on the way home from work, so the evening wasn’t totally wasted.)

I decided if I did two rounds of kitchen work today, I’d give myself credit for yesterday. So this morning I finished cleaning out the cupboard/pantry, throwing away enough expired food to feed a small army. But I can now see all the items that remain, so hopefully I’ll be inspired to use them up before they go bad.

I just now finished going through the 2nd cabinet with food prep equipment. I debated whether to go through the cupboard with the dishes or the cabinet. But just by looking at the dishes, I knew I was going to have difficulties making decisions about them, so I picked the cabinet.

It’s larger than the other cabinet, and more difficult to get into. Consequently, it had more stuff in it and took longer to clear out. Now everything is out on the kitchen floor. And I’m really having trouble deciding what to keep & what to give/throw away. I already have about 4 bags of trash to go out tomorrow, and the thought of adding more is very daunting.

I there were a few things I’d forgotten I had, like the fondue pot I’d given my mother for Christmas one year. We used it every year at Christmas (Christmas Eve fondue after church became one of our traditions). But I haven’t used in many years, if ever. And there are some platters and serving bowls that I could use, but haven’t.  I’m afraid that if I give them away, I’ll need them sometime. Perhaps if I sleep on it, I’ll realize they need to go.

Rewards

One of FlyLady’s techniques I learned is to put a sticker on a calendar every day you do your “routine.” Who would’ve thought I’d enjoy doing something so silly? But they really make the calendar come alive; and more importantly they motivate me to do “just a little bit more.”

Once I have 3-4 weeks of 4 or more stickers per week, I can reward myself with something a bit more tangible, such as getting a pedicure, buying a set of DVDs. The idea behind a 4-sticker minimum is that I don’t have to be perfect, just reasonably consistent. Of course, January has been a bit of a crap shoot, what with the broken foot. I certainly wasn’t able to clear out the kitchen like I’d planned. But every day I do something a little extra, like fold and put away the laundry, empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, I give myself a sticker. So far the calendar’s lookin’ good.

One of the “longer range” goals I’d had was to buy a nice garbage can for the kitchen once I got the kitchen finished. I was then going to use the kitchen can for cat litter waste.  But the litter got so out of control while I was on crutches, I decided I deserved to give myself the reward sooner.

I love the new waste can set up. The kitchen can is bigger & much easier to use, and the litter can is much more efficient—and clean.

The key point is that this is new thinking. I don’t have to be absolutely perfect to reward myself. I just need to push myself a little bit further than I used to. And what does it do? It spurs me on to continue to do “just a little bit more,” thereby keeping the house in much better order; and thus, making me feel better about myself and my home.