The other day something magical happened.
You know when you have a task ahead of you, that you really dread… Something time consuming or something that you dislike doing. There are lots of examples but I’m gonna take a wild guess and say cleaning is one of them. I hate cleaning. It’s unfortunate that I like a clean house, so annoyingly I have to find a compromise.
Making the magic happen
The other day I was mulling over my to-do list while having my morning coffee and somewhat dreaded cleaning the floors. We have floorboards and rugs downstairs, it needs sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, there are chairs to be moved, under the couch to be reached – all unpleasant ways to spend my time while my baby is napping.
But then, somewhat inspired by Mel Robbins’ 5 second rule, I just did it. I put the cup down, grabbed the broom, mop and vacuum and started. No TV on, no music, no podcast, no audio book, just cleaning the floors. And amazingly, I was done in under half an hour. That’s entry, living room, play area, dining area, kitchen, laundry and toilet. Boom. Baby still sleeping.
#winning
For a second I didn’t know what to do with myself!
Then off I went to put a face mask on and have a long shower. When Lily woke up and put a sudden end to my spa treatments, at least I’d had some solid time for myself AND clean floors. Not too bad at all.
Letting go of distractions
Overall it took me so much less time to clean, than I had anticipated. Even though deep down I know that watching re-runs of Downton Abbey while folding clothes or dusting shelves probably isn’t aiding my efficiency…
I reckon I gained an hour by simply getting stuck in straight away and getting it done without distractions. My reward was a shower in peace (hello motherhood, when showers by yourself become a treat) and a face mask (one of those pink clay thingies, I highly recommend it!).
You have a cleaner I hear you say? You lucky thing!
But it doesn’t have to be cleaning related. If there is a task you dislike, something you put off, something you feel like you need to get done but aren’t focusing on: That is your chance to get stuck in. I’ll be cheering you on.
So there. One additional hour.
More or less anyway :).
Most important thing though: Creating time is magical and not to be used for anything other than doing something good for yourself.
The rest of the to-do list can wait.
Much love,
Katrine x
(cover photo by taylor hernandez on Unsplash)