In the beginning, there was chaos.
Just because I don’t have enough projects going on, I’m going to start a new one. Actually this isn’t a new project. It’s one I’ve been trying to get going for at least five years. Maybe by publicly naming and shaming myself I will actually get it done.
As you can see, my husband, the Man with the Gifted Hands, made a very nice playroom for the kids in the basement. Also, my children are blessed with lots and lots of STUFF, and not so much of a propensity to put it away neatly, or even at all. Whenever it becomes an actual fire hazard down there, we go down and move things around a bit. I’ve even been able to throw things out now and then (shhh!). But I soon run out of steam and hide in Facebook instead of pushing through.
This time, however, I am determined to master the Chaos Monster down there. I am planning to spend no more than 15 minutes at a time, following the FlyLady principles. I will document my (miniscule) progress as I go along. While I don’t expect too many people to be interested in the progress of my messy basement, I do hope that the internal discipline of getting it up there will keep me from abandoning it yet again.
What is the messy basement project in your life?
So funny, I just went through a basement reno, and now I’m sorting through boxes and boxes of stuff, attempting to throw out the garbage and get truly organized. Good luck to us both!!!
🙂 ‘Tis the season for (Spring) cleaning! I have the same urges and have been acting on them. I always wanted a big house with lots and lots of rooms and ended up (thankfully) with quite the opposite! I’m quite sure that if I had more space, I would also have more stuff and disorganization. As it is, I still have many projects-on-the-go in various spots, musical instruments left out “at the ready” so I’m encouraged to just pick them up and play when the inspiration strikes – not to mention the ferments all over the cupboards, shelves, art projects, half-read books, seeds sprouting in jiffy pellets in containers, etc. etc. etc. The last time this place was very tidy was just before I moved in – when the house was lifeless and empty – before it was filled with life, creativity, promise, intention….and the warmth of human love and activity. I think we all would love a well organized space all the time. As “they” say, “clutter in a house can clutter the mind” but I supposed that we are fortunate to have busy clutter, rather than quiet, lonely, bored tidiness! 🙂
I love the idea of allotting time to spend on a task in short frequent periods…when I think I can tackle the whole thing at once, it rarely ever gets accomplished!
Enjoy the task, revel in the sentimentality of rediscovering things and teaching the kids how to learn to let go. Get some boxes to put things in to donate or for a garage sale….and then enjoy the temporary space and tidiness before it all returns to its “normal state” 😀