Today was a day for doing things I tend to put off doing. For example, I had my hair trimmed (it had been over 13 months; best way to grow your hair out in my opinion!), made doctor appointments for all of us, and thoroughly cleaned the inside of our fridge.
I'm very happy that I got the fridge cleaned today; it was long overdue and now it's spotless! I learned a couple of important things in the process too.
First, that I can do a big job like this without doing a bunch of regular chores first -- which usually means I run out of time or energy for the big job. (Hence, big jobs rarely get done around here.) In this case, I really wanted to do the dishes and clean the counters before tackling the fridge, but I forced myself to disregard the rest of the kitchen and focus on the fridge. It wasn't easy but I did it!
Second, that I can break a big job like this into smaller chunks and still be satisfied. I always want to have enough time to tackle the entire job and finish it in one session (stopping only for short breaks); however, this isn't very realistic for me. I don't have a lot of large uninterrupted chunks of time in my schedule! (Hence, big jobs rarely get done around here. Hmmm, I'm starting to see a pattern...) Today, I ignored my preference and started cleaning the fridge when I knew I wouldn't have time to finish (about an hour before I had to leave for my hair appointment); and then went back and finished the job much later, after supper. I cleaned the fridge in two sessions and it didn't drive me crazy! Best of all, it's DONE. And it would not be done right now if I had insisted on cleaning the kitchen first and/or starting only when I knew I could finish in one session. Aha! (or should I say, duh!?)
Do you think this means I could now start tackling huge jobs like organizing our horrible storage room without tidying the main areas of our house first, or having an entire weekend set aside to devote to it? I really hope so.
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Today I'm thankful for:
- sunshine
- a good large refrigerator
- the ability to learn and change
