Thinking About Our 2010 Holiday Grand Plan

[SparkleNana]

Every time I go through our list of the Sections of Threads -- I think about our Holiday Grand Plan!

This year..... I have been ESPECIALLY thinking about it...... because I have been following the "Two Weeks Per Room" thread on our "Cleaning Year Round" Section. And -- I have found that REAL Life happens SO DARN MUCH..... that it is really, really hard to get much done in ANY given room..... in TWO weeks! AND..... our Holiday Grand Plan.... gives us ONE week per room. Just the facts!

In past years..... I have been very ambitious in my goals for the Holiday Grand Plan. Of course.... they fell apart! I mean.... I sort of took EVERYBODY'S lists of what they wanted to accomplish in a given week -- and "mentally combined them". "Oh, that's a good idea!" "Oh..... I should do that too!" NOT REALISTIC!

So.... I basically made our Holiday Grand Plan into a marathon of kicking myself for not getting superhuman amounts of stuff accomplished!!!! Now, I ask you...... does that sound like the lead-up to a peaceful, joyful Christmas???? NOT!!!

THIS YEAR.... please help me to be extremely modest in my goals! If I get ONE important thing done in each room, per week, that alone will be a HUGE accomplishment!

(Remember, decluttering and cleaning is a grat antidote for the January-February-March After-Christmas Blues! And... there isn't that much money left for much else at that time of year anyway!!!!!

Now.... WHY am I thinking about this NOW?

Because.... we still have 240 days (plus or minus) until Christmas 2010!!!! A little more than 200 days left until Thanksgiving Week! THAT is A LOT of days for us to do "little bits". "Baby steps". Getting small bags of clutter OUT of our homes NOW. Getting small areas organized, cleaned, even repaired!

We have May, June, July and August ---- great big months! ANYTHING we can do now..... will be worth it's weight in gold in December.

Just a thought!

 

[scn]

I've decided to put a garbage bag in my closet with changing of weather I'm sure I can declutter with shoes purses and clothes I have a pair of shoes that I said over a year ago it was going to goodwill and they are still there I figure with the bag there I can put in and when filled it goes right to the trunk of the car so when i drive by a drop of place its right in the car

 

[luludou]

For me NOW is the big spring cleaning & decluttering.... maintaining is for the rest of the year!

 

[SparkleNana]

Luludou --- if you can maintain your home in good enough condition that it is OK for Thanksgiving and Christmas........ then you are doing a FABULOUS job! Please, please, please..... keep sharing tips and lessons with us!

Maintaining is something that I have a very weak grip on....... it is CONSTANTLY slipping away from me! And when it gets away from me.... it is VERY hard for me to get ahold of it again!

The hot-weather-time is the hardest time for me!!!! And... I believe that time is getting ready to pounce very soon!!!!! YIKES!

 

[SparkleNana]

By the way, scn, that is a great idea! A bag -- in one place -- ready for donations.

 

[housewife2]

yes that is a good idea for the bag to donate in

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

In have been writing a list of 5 things I want to accomplish every week. I write it on the Monday square on my calender and I write in dot point 5 things to do this week. Like...
. Junk drawer.
. dust ceiling fan,
. tidy medicine cupboard,
. dust top of fridge,
. sort through shoe cupboard.

These things are all 15 minute jobs and can be done anytime of day, and because they are written on my wall calender I can flip back and see what little jobs I have done. I am really getting through quite a lot and am really happy with how this is working for me. This weeks jobs are...

. tidy my top desk drawer,
. dust cabinet in living room,
. line drawers in side board ( where I keep my table linen),
. tidy bathroom vanity,
. wipe glass in shower.

Because I did the medicine cupboard last week and the vanity and shower this week, my bathroom is now de cluttered, tidy and on a maintenance program.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

 

[luludou]

Sweetpumpkinpie love your way of working things out. I should try it with things that are not done regularly.

 

[chilli]

I also think about our Holiday Grand Plan 2010 and how to manage this. I think about a whole year turn-around plan with doing less in summer as I want to enjoy the warm weather outside.

So I thought about a plan like "1 room by month/week/etc" but I was not really happy with it. Eg you have in total 8 rooms in your home - so you would need either 8 months or 8 weeks for a complete turnaround. For some areas in our home this would be enough but for others I would like to clean them up more often.
An example - my kitchen.
I have my basic daily/weekly routines for this area. But some areas here should be cleaned up on a monthly basis as well (eg my fridge) while some does not - eg the closet with our tableware for holidays. This needs a clean-up every 6 months only, for example.

I try to take this into account as well. I hope that this kind of plan will work for me and my family...

Chilli

 

[SparkleNana]

You make very good points, chilli! Our cleaning/organizing/maintaining needs are each so UNIQUE! Depending on..... our individual life circumstances! Nobody knows this better than you -- since life circumstances change so dramatically when the first baby is born!

I believe I am figuring out something about my CURRENT life circumstances. It is: everything tends to fall apart from 5:00 on! I just get REALLY out of energy at 5:00. And..... I "try" to keep on working.... and nothing gets completely "put away" or completely "cleaned up".

If I could.... somehow.... get things to a "maintaining" state by 5:00..... the home might look a lot better and be more peaceful and beautiful!

So.... why don't I try that today? Just for an experiment. Of course.... I must remember that "life happens"! Emergencies pop up for everyone. Plans get dropped and/or changed. That's OK. This is just an experiment!

I'll let you know how it goes! Off to the experiment!

 

[SparkleNana]

Back to report on the continuing experiment! I guess the word "continuing" is a clue! Things worked pretty well yesterday. I was able to work a lot harder and longer, because of the 5:00 cutoff time! And.... spontaneously.... dh said he wanted a break last night because he had been working so hard yesterday! So... we went to the movies! THAT was a great break!

Things were not perfect..... I still had a lot of laundry on the bed -- waiting to be put away -- when we got back from the movies. AND -- I did NOT get the house "company ready" during the day. But, all in all, it went well.

So -- I will continue the experiment today. Of course, "real life" happens. And - on those days - I will suspend the experiment for the day.

 

[festivefun]

Well done SN, that sounds well worthwhile. If it meant you worked a little harder then it was def worth it. Keep letting us know how its going

 

[Colleen in PA]

This is a great post. Last year, I did fine with the cleaning part of the Grand Plan but fell way short of my goals for the holiday prep. I'd like to find a balance this year to make sure that the things that are important to me (like baking and the Magic Elves) aren't scrapped for lack of time.

I always start off strong in July/August and fall off the wagon in October/November.

 

[SparkleNana]

Colleen in Pa --- it is GREAT to be able to identify things we want to go better -- and actually work on MAKING them go better!!! WITH the help and encouragement of the people on these boards! GO US!!! I have the same situation you do -- starting off strong... and then getting overwhelmed later.

Festivefun - you are CORRECT! I DID work harder - because I knew the reward was coming..... soon!

Here is yesterday's report: Dd needed help at 3:30 -- so my own work day ended at 3:30. HOWEVER -- dh and I ate dinner at her house -- so I saved all the shopping/cooking/cleanup time that I WOULD have spent otherwise. And the reward was spending time with my beloved grandsons.

Here is today's report so far: I ALWAYS move more slowly the day after I spend a long time with th grandsons -- especially with the 16-month old little guy. Lifting (up onto the slide, etc.) chasing - carrying - onto the floor to play - etc. etc. It is well worth it to me -- to accomplish LESS work the day after these special days

So -- today, I am accomplishing what I can..... and I am not pushing myself. I am NOT using my model of working hard until 5:00. Instead, I am taking advantage of a beautiful day to spend a lot of time working outside -- and enjoying it thoroughly!

I'll report again later!

 

[Merry]

I too tend to start out OK then lose it later in the Plan. I think what I am going to try to do is make a list of the thing on the Grand Plan that I can do now ( or really closer to the summer) so it won't be too much all at one time. I had started a list last year, but somehow, I can't find it on my computer!! I did however print out a copy so I should have it in my notebook...

 

[AnnieClaus]

Merry-

SparkleNana told us in the daily chit chat thread that over at Yahoo groups they are doing the Holiday Grand Plan over the summer. It starts this weekend with the questions.

I decided to do it so I can deep clean/organize this summer then in the fall those areas can get a more simpler cleaning.

Annie