Peace of Mind Organizing

Being company ready

10 June 2009

This morning, I read this wonderful Unclutterer blog post, in which Erin Doland wrote about how she didn’t freak out when she learned her in-laws were coming for an overnight stay that day. Since she’s embraced an uncluttered lifestyle, the unexpected visit didn’t mean any scrambling.

That’s the ideal, isn’t it? As I read it, I realized that I’m almost there. That’s huge. I don’t have a lot of clutter issues, per se, because I have a large house and most things have a designated home. My problem tends to be a mess problem, in that I’m not great about putting stuff away. Well, there’s also a dirt and cat-hair problem, because I hate cleaning with a fiery passion. And I don’t want to spring for a regular housecleaner.

A month ago, I made a commitment to vacuum and dust something at least once a week, except when I’m out of town. I’ve been able to keep that commitment. (Somehow in recent years I’ve acquired the skill of creating new habits by making commitments. It started with my clean desk.)

So this morning, when I read the Unclutterer post, I decided to put it to the test. I have a lunch date today with a client who has moved away from St. Louis. (I adore her. I blogged about her last year.) When she lived here, I saw her with great regularity. I knew every nook and cranny of her home. But she’s never been to my home. So I decided to invite her to come here to check out my house and then go to a nearby restaurant.

I’m thrilled to be able to do that. And I’m also thrilled to not have to scramble to make it ready for her. I am going to vacuum the front stairs, which needs it something fierce. And I tidied up my office a bit. But I’d cleaned it on Sunday, so that didn’t take much effort. Full disclosure: our bedroom’s going to be off limits because it sort of looks like the closet exploded.

To me, this is really the benefit of creating habits and routines to keep the house presentable (a lot of credit goes to my husband, who’s been keeping the kitchen clean). It’s taken me a long time to get here. And it’s a great place to be.

Tagged with: company, order, routines

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