When You Get Off Track - How Far Do You Go?

[SparkleNana]

How long does it take you to feel that you have really gotten off track?

And, when you do get off track, -- how bad does it get?

No - I am NOT trying to torture us. I am trying to see if I can get some thinking going when I get off track -- rather than just reacting emotionally, and getting depressed.

I feel like I am off track now. My husband has become a whirlwind in the kitchen -- painting various areas. For example, I came home from grocery shopping and everything was pulled out from the lower cabinets - and was sitting on the kitchen floor. The cabinets has been painted and would take 2 days to dry (it was humid).

I couldn't get close to the counters or sink- because of all the stuff on the floor. I was already tired from a long day of work, and then grocery shopping. I am REALLY glad that the cabinets have been painted. They looked really bad and now they are beautiful. But this did get me out of my routine of cooking and doing dishes.

Maybe most things that get me out of my routine are "life events". Somebody gets sick. We have to travel for some unexpected reason. I am needed for a family emergency (can be one afternoon or a long time.) Or - if can be something good - like getting the kitchen cabinets painted. It is just that I didn't control the event and the timing.

Maybe this is something to think about -- how to work with things I don't control, so I can keep some semblance of routine going. :grouphug:

What do you think?

 

[Deckr8r]

It does not take me long to feel bad about getting off track. I have perfectionist tendencies and they are not the good ones. If I feel i have messed up in any way it is easy for me to be frustrated and give up. I have to remind myself that it's not that bad and consciously make an effort to get going again. Last week I made a BIG list of anything I could think of that I am responsible for getting done, projects and the regular maintenance stuff. Then I broke it down by the weeks I wanted them done by and added the routine chores. I did pretty good last week and just rolled things I didn't get done to the next day. The important thing was not beating myself up over what didn't get done and being happy about what did. I have to work on this constantly and realize a plan makes my life so much better even if it's not perfect.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

After being with flylady so long, I no longer get upset when I'm off my routine. I know it only takes a few days for things to get right again. The key is to start again, just don't give up.

 

[Cathymac]

I don't get nearly as far off track as I used to...and I believe that's mostly because I've been so far off track before and know what a hassle it is to "get back on track". I may let things go for a day or even two, but then I feel claustrophobic and have to get things in order...sometimes life gets so hectic that "bare minimums" are all I get done, but at least that much is done..and every little bit helps. I have learned, however, not to beat myself up about things that are out of my control, but to deal with what I can control and to accept the rest! That has been a long, long road...and I'm still not always "on track", but I'm much better than I used to be.

By the way, Sparklenana, that is EXACTLY the kind of thing my DH would do, and would be so pleased with himself!

 

[HouseElf]

I know it has gone too far when my husband starts to clean :flower:

 

[Deckr8r]

I know it has gone too far when my husband starts to clean :flower:

Glad I'm not the only one that happens to.

 

[SparkleNana]

Yes -- the babysitter coming over is another great incentive for cleaning!

 

[Winged One]

I think I am lucky I had started to get on track before I went back to college 2 years ago, as I have let a lot of things slide a bit since then. Between college, work (both of us), the toddler and getting an extension built on the house, we have lived in healthy and relatively neat squalor since then. Sounds like a contradiction?

I can keep the kitchen tidy as we use that all the time. And both DH and I make sure it is clean every night, all dishes washed and draining, breakfast on the counter, and dinner for the following night at least organised if not made. We manage to keep the bathrooms reasonably clean all of the time, and we clean at least one properly every weekend (of the 2) and get to the other one the next weekend. We also manage to keep the laundrey under control - we keep the dirty laundry situation from overflow, but the clean clothes might only get put into a basket for a few days and we fold all the clothes in one session at the weekend. But at least they are in the basket if we need them in the meantime. And I had started to use the Flylady a bit - so am much better about Hotspots and the worst of the everyday clutter in the main living spaces.

But the guest bedroom is the dumping ground and can have PILES of things covering the beds when visitors are due. The attic is stuffed to the rafters with boxes that I really need to sort out. The shed was in a bad way too but we managed to clear that out (well, the worst of it) over the summer. The bookcases in the living room have mounds of magazines that I want to take out useful articles from before dumping them. There are a couple of dumping areas in the dining room and playroom that we often let get close to swamping us.

I am finished college now, and starting to get things back on track. The paperwork basket has been emptied again recently and all the old bills filed away (they would always get paid, but then thrown in a basket for filing "later"). I have taken out one toybox of toys from the toddler so that we have some space left and we can rotate her toys a bit for new excitement. I found one of the beds in the guest room last night, putting away a bundle of clothes too small of the toddler, recycling the upstairs paper waste bag, putting away a bag of toiletries from a visit to the pharmacy last week and putting my winter PJ's back into my own drawer. I have dumped a large stack of magazines in the past couple of weeks, and managed to file away a lot of the articles (with plastic pouches on hand to do more on quiet evenings watching tv). I have culled my collection of books in the bedroom so that I can now walk all the way to the head of the bed. I have put my wrapping papers and ribbons collection into a single box, easily accessible in the attic but out of everyday paths. I have also managed to put a lot of the stuff in the attic into boxes, so at least I should be able to sort it out a little at a time. We "loaned" a lot of maternity clothes and baby equipment to my sister and SIL after recent births (I am not looking for them back, but may get some back at some future time).

I need to make some decisions on clutter too. What to do with the clothes that the toddler has grown out of for instance (no other little girls yet, nor likely to be for some time) - keep, sell, donate? Do I really want all the tablecloths in the hotpress (either in terms of moving them or getting rid of them), when all the towels in front of them fall on my head all the time? I need to do a major sort through of the boxes of other "stuff" in the attic - some are there since we moved 5 years ago, while others are gifts that we won't use (and I'm not sure I can regift all of them).

I am a big believer in the "babysteps" concept. I used to just flop after work, but now I try to get the kitchen stuff done while organising the toddler's dinner (and feeding her on the nights that she is uninterested in eating). If we are home early, I try to find a small job that I can do in 15-30 minutes, particularly if the toddler can "help". I am getting much better at clearing the hotspots, which means I have time to get to bigger jobs as the mound of coats on the dining table isn't an issue so I can tackle a quick dusting of the living room or a quick swish of the downstairs bathroom instead. And getting into a certain routine has really helped me - not quite as perfect as the Flylady's, but enough to keep the house and our lives ticking over until we have a breather and can tackle the major jobs again.

 

[luludou]

:applause: winged one!

 

[iluv2scrap]

Winged One, great job on all you have done and all you are continuing to do. I have the problem of coming home from work, making dinner/ eating/ throwing in a load of laundry and then i'm done and get nothing else accomplished. I like the idea of trying to just tackle something for 15-30 minutes each evening. You get something accomplished but dont feel overwhelmed. Keep up the good work and keep sharing.