30-day Reorganization Project Update #3

image via

This past week was all about the kitchen. Since The Bug had a full week of only half-days at school, I knew she'd be here every afternoon and could maybe help me with some bigger projects. So I looked for the biggest projects on my list and decided that with The Bug's help I would tackle these four spots:

Refrigerator

Freezer

Broom Closet

Food Pantry

I knew The Bug would be a big help emptying out all those spaces to get us started and that was for sure her favorite part. Each project took about 45 minutes or so, by the time we emptied them out, washed them down, sifted through what we could keep and what needed to be thrown out and organized and put things back. They certainly took a little longer at times due to my need to wrangle my assistant, but she was a great help and enjoyed herself. That always makes me hopeful that she will grow up knowing how to clean and to contribute around the house without complaining.

I also took the last three days of the week to clean out dresser drawers in my room. It's amazing how much more space I have, I had an entire empty drawer by the end and none of the drawers is even close to tightly packed. I didn't get rid of that much, but just organizing it more effectively gave me a lot of open space which I love.

My big lesson this week is that this organization project, while highly effective for seasonal cleaning is really a much bigger lesson for me in learning how to plan, organize and pace myself. The day I did the fridge I had been very busy all day and by 4:30 I was starting to feel grouchy. I did not enjoy the fridge cleaning, although I am loving looking at it and opening it to see beautiful clean shelves & drawers every day since.

I learned in the hospital a couple of years ago that I have a very high threshold for pain. So the way I learned to recognize it was time for my next dose of pain meds was that I would start feeling really edgy, fussy and cranky. I don't get that way very much so it's a feeling unusual enough that it became a marker for me to recognize my pain levels were escalating.

Well, guess what I've learned about my every day life. I start getting edgy, fussy and cranky when I have overdone it and when I need a dose of rest. This recognition has been very profound over the past week and I have pondered often how I need to do a better job of self-care. I need to learn to pace myself better. If I start feeling grouchy, I've gone to far and need to slow down, relax and stop pushing so hard in whatever it is I am doing or the day brings.

This whole project is turning out to be a lot less about spring cleaning and a lot more about self-discovery. I am learning what works for me and what doesn't. I am learning to listen to my body and soul in a much more intuitive, honest way. I guess it's spring cleaning for the body and the home. I am so glad I planned this and have been able to execute it well. The progress is definitely spurring me on to continue. I won't get it all done in 30 days but I will keep pushing on. If it takes 45 or 60 days instead, there is no harm done.