the cleaning power of thirty minutes

i'm that disorganized, dysfunctional girl. i roll my eyes at the women with their little clipboards, color-coded pens & cleaning schedules.  i mean, who follows a cleaning schedule? (don't answer that)

five tips to clean your entire house in thirty seconds

ten ways to mop so well you replace your fancy china with the kitchen floors instead

fifteen cute pinterest housecleaning checklists that make cleaning the house as fun as a night out

twenty five ways to make you feel less than so others can stare at you in pity

and so it goes, as we prepared for our upcoming vacation, i started a check list of to do's before leaving. just as i would check off a to-do, ten new items would magically appear on the list. 

in a moment of desperation & self-pity, i decided to set my timer for thirty minutes. 

our house was a disaster. 

what could i really do in thirty minutes? perhaps those highly organized women with their fancy office supplies were on to something...

here's proof of the mess (edited to reveal pretty light & hide the dirt/smudges/fur balls caked/smeared/floating on every & all surfaces):

with a trash bag in hand & a basket at the ready, i set the timer for thirty minutes.

my results:

a made bed.

clutter picked up & in it's designated place.

groceries unpacked & put away, canning supplies organized & life in a manageable state.

i didn't have time to sweep the floors, scrub the pots or clean the counters. my house was definitely not martha stewart approved.

but that thirty minutes was well spent & put me at ease.

we don't have to be that woman with her regimented cleaning schedule & highly organized life. i promise you, i'll fail at being her. 

but we can acknowledge the power of a well-spent handful of minutes focused & oriented toward cleaning up the mess of life. we don't always have to choose this path because sometimes a mindless half hour of facebook is good for the soul, but being intentional about how we spend our time can make a big difference in how we enjoy our time.

i plan to practice this thirty minute cleaning session in my daily rhythm.  i'd love to know - how do you manage the dirt, grime & chaos of home? 

love,

natalie

p.s. happy home pillow from tiny prints!