Blogging for Accountability

One of my reasons for starting this online journal was to create some external accountability for my two biggest challenges: reducing the amount of money I spend on restaurant meals (hence, the addition of “Restaurants on Our Road”) and finishing the remodeling projects in my home. The latter is the focus of this entry.

A little background on my cardboard box: we chose our home because, at the insistence of my husband, it wasn’t “decorated” for sale. He couldn’t abide purchasing an abode that was spruced up for the purpose of curb appeal. He wanted a sturdy house with great traffic flow, good architectural lines, and eye-catching placement. He got all that, and “undecorated” to boot. Fast forward sixteen years, through military deployments, coping with cancer, and raising a child. When we had time, we had little money to fund home improvement projects; when we had money, we had little time to do the work. Unfinished projects led to lack of storage, lack of storage led to lack of motivation to pickup, and clutter was born.

Over the years, I purchased a ton of books on getting organized and, shockingly, became less so, at least as far as the house was concerned. I spent more time studying the problem of clutter and organization than actually solving the problem of clutter and organization. I even went so far as to write a mission statement for my role as home manager, ala The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. That was at least eight years ago and I can safely say that the philosophical approach to clutter reduction is definitely NOT working in my universe. The time has come (and long gone!) for a new, more practical strategy.

FLYLady recommends spending 15 minutes per day decluttering in a chosen zone. Organizedhome.com concurs, but recommends actually scheduling a “decluttering date” with yourself, a time to focus on the specific room you are determined to clear. Because I am a homeschooling parent and schooltime is rapidly approaching, I plan to begin with areas essential to education: the living room desk, the kitchen table, the family computer desk, and the family room bookshelves. Allotting one week per area, and assuming no financial challenges for supplies and improvements, my target date for completion of this project is Friday, September 1, 2006, the first day of school. I will keep you updated.

Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. --- Proverbs 16:3 NASB