I just had a bit of an "aha" moment about why blogging about BabySteps is helpful for me. Here's the insight:
I spent several months following the FlyLady program a couple of years ago. Since then I've made a few attempts to get back in gear, after letting my new practices lapse. I think that what unifies those unsuccessful attempts is that I tried to do everything at once. I had been able to do it before, so why couldn't I just jump right back in?
BZZZZZT. Thank you for playing, you may sit down.
I think that forming and solidifying good habits, including effective housekeeping, is a little like building muscle mass. You don't start off bench-pressing 200 pounds (at least I don't!). But if that's your goal, you start where you are and take small steps forward as you get stronger. My consistent-housekeeping muscles have atrophied, and I have to build them back up slowly if I want to be strong enough to carry the full set of routines in the long term. I peeked at the first 14 days or so of Baby Steps today, and found myself thinking, "Gosh, I could do all that today! Why should I wait?" The answer: I need to avoid the housekeeping equivalent of a sports injury that could bench me for weeks and possibly end a promising career.
So why is blogging helpful? Because anyone who reads this, including me, can tell if I'm rushing things. I need to do one day's work in one day, and blogging about it holds me accountable. (Of course, it also keeps me accountable for trying to follow the steps at all!) If I really MUST do something more on a given day, I can always unpack more boxes from our move. But I'll do it in 15-minute chunks, with rest in between, and keep checking in with myself about what I really have the energy for, and what's more likely to burn me out and hurt my progress in the future.
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I find cleaning to be hard. As far as I can tell, you're making good strides towards having a much better kept home than I have, and people come over to my house all the time! I do scrub my sink, wash my kitchen floor, and tidy up dog fluff pretty frequently. Laundry happens on a regular basis, too. However, dirt happens in old houses--I live on a busy corner. Life is too short to stop inviting people over before getting it all under control! I admire your system but really, it's whatever works for your family in the end!
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