Last week I wrote about time problems. These problems have weighed heavily on my families ability to be even somewhat content with our lives. The problems were many. One of the primary ones was a house that consistently got dirtier and dirtier. I was able to contribute to the dirt, but not the cleanup. This left my wife doing everything. So… we made a little change that may not work for everyone but it certainly seems to be working for us.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have just a little more time than on other days if my wife picks me up, races us home, and then (shortly thereafter) I race myself back. We’ve taken to spending about thirty minutes to clean on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our first use of this technique was last Thursday and our next use will be today. The value of this technique was clearly apparent even after the first time.
One of the most amazing things happened: we were focused. There was a task at hand and we were not distracted by anything but accomplishing that task. Our task was the kitchen. Dishes were piled high, counter tops were covered with a dusting of flower and sprinklings of other formerly edible entities. All of this and more needed to be cleaned… and it was.
Our son sat in a little chair on our kitchen table. He watched his parents feverishly work. Suds and bubbles came flying from the sink. Rags and towels were whisking across all surfaces. Our son laughed. He smiled. He delighted in this amazing “dance” his parents were performing for him. At the end of our brief cleaning session we had a family hug. Our son was happy to be reunited with his parents, my wife was happy for a clean kitchen, and I was happy to be there and have accomplished something.