Anyone who is overwhelmed with a messy house knows the feeling of being out of control, the feeling of anxiety and the feeling of giving up.

Hiding.

You probably also know the feeling of being scattered and wondering if you will ever again do anything in a straight line, without having to pick up the laundry, wipe someones nose or create world peace, one toddler at a time.

Maybe the most debilitating thing about the whole mess is the fact that you feel powerless.

I’m here to help you take your power back.

THE NUMBER ONE LIE WE TELL OURSELVES

My house was a mess for years.

Truth be told, it was a mess before I had kids. I never picked up after myself.

I told myself I didn’t have time.

Once the kids came along, and then the business, I felt well justified.

I tried. I really did.

Contrary to popular belief, I was not sitting around watching soaps and eating bonbons all day!

But it never made any difference.

Because deep down, at my core, I truly believed that my messy house was out of my hands.

That I couldn’t do it. That no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I could never overcome the mess and have the clean house of my dreams.

But I believed that I would some day.

Unfortunately, that day was never today.

ONE DAY – ONE CHANGE

I struggled with the mess and all that comes with it for many years.

Circumstances changed, but the mess was constant.

Until one day I realized that I had been wrong.

Life seemed out of control. There were certainly many factors that truly were beyond my control.

Kids growing up. Cars breaking down. Loved ones passing.

But one day it hit me. I could keep a clean house.

THAT was in my control.

The problem was that I wasn’t doing it.

I had been so busy telling myself that I couldn’t do it all these years, that I didn’t.

That day was the first day that I lived in a clean house.

No, I didn’t clean up the mess overnight, or even in a week.

But I felt like it did where it counts, inside of myself.

I suddenly realized that yes, if it was to be, it really was up to me. And no one else.

That didn’t mean that I had to do it alone.

  • But it did mean that I had to set the example.
  • I had to make the effort.
  • I had to determine new standards. Live up to them and help the rest of the family to follow suit.

Most of all, I had to be consistent.

ONE PILE AT AT TIME

It didn’t take that long.

The first change was in myself, but the change in my house showed almost immediately. 

One pile at a time.

Every day, a new pile – or two.

It might not have seemed much to someone who didn’t know, but to me – and my family – the change was clear.

Every new clear space was a new beginning. I felt my power grow with each day that passed. Soon I noticed a difference.

I was no longer weighed down by the feeling of failure. I had room to move. Room to be myself.

One day at a time.

And my messy house wasn’t messy anymore. 

OUR BIGGEST OBSTACLE?

We tell ourselves that we can’t do it today, so we can’t do it at all.

The truth is that taking one step every day really does make a difference… however small… a step in the right direction is all it takes.

It doesn’t matter a bit if our messy house does not become clean over night. It matters that we make steady progress. It matters that we own our own power, over our own life and our own ability.

It’s time to wake up, smell the coffee.

And then do a little cleaning. And then do it again tomorrow.

If you want some help to take the first small steps, you’ll probably like TAKE 5. You get a free task every day, set your timer and work on it for 5 minutes. Then step back and enjoy your new clear and clean space. It all adds up and it only takes 5 minutes.

CLEAN UP YOUR MESSY HOUSE STARTING WITH 5 MINUTES TODAY

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Jan Ferrante

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  1. This so perfectly describes me! I just cleaned off 2 smaller counter tops in my kitchen and it made a WORLD of difference not to see the piles. Now to keep up the momentum and have it stay that way!

  2. WooHoo Christina!! I love to hear it. It is so true. Sometimes it’s hard to keep the momentum going, but really, it takes so little time to do even a little that makes such a big difference.

    Sometimes I’m tempted to skip “just today”, but when I’m finished I am ALWAYS so glad that I didn’t. It’s always time well invested and I always feel great that I did do it.

    Enjoy your new clear counter tops!! If you can make it a point now, you can keep them that way, probably in very little time each day :0)

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