So it’s about one o’clock in the afternoon, I have yet to take out the trash, vacuum the
living room, clean the dining room, or the millions of other things I could or should be doing.
Nope I’m not sick I feel just fine. I just honestly need a break. Now a few months ago, if this
happen I would:
feel completely guilty by the evening
be embarrassed and ashamed when my wife came home from work
just completely freaked out
To be honest most of the time it was all three.
Then, the next day I would kill myself to do what I had to do the day before as well as what I had to do that day. The worst thing is that I would feel like a complete failure as a wife. Does this sound like you? It took me a while, but I’ve learned that it’s okay to be imperfect. It’s okay for things not to be picture perfect. I have a few tips & tricks on how to deal.
Breathe
Trust me when I tell you I’ve been there when the house is a mess and there are a million things that need to be done. You look at the mess and it seems like you’ll never get it done. It’s just overwhelming. You don’t know where to start. Maybe you have to take care of the home as well as work. Maybe you’re a mom and have babies to take care of. Maybe you have all three. Take a minute and breathe. I’m serious. Go in another room or area and sit and breathe. Sometimes removing yourself from a daunting task ahead of you and clearing your head for a moment can really help you relax, calm down, and take everything in.
Assess the Mess
After you’ve taken a moment to pull yourself together, now it’s time to come up with a game
plan. Make an assessment of what needs to be done. Prioritize what needs to be done now and what can wait until a later time of day, or even another day. Maybe it can all be done another day. Currently I have three major rooms that are an utter and complete mess. I know that the areas such as the living room and the kitchen need to be on the top of list to clean. These are areas that will be seen by anyone that enters my home, so cleaning them is a must. My bedroom can wait if I can’t get it all done today. Once you’ve determined what needs to be done right away, come up with a game plan for how you’re going to accomplish that. I know I need to vacuum the hard wood floors in the living room and kitchen, vacuum the sofa and ottoman, dust and wipe down the furniture and appliances in both rooms, and clean the stovetop and counter tops in the kitchen. This is a great way to get things done fast. Once you complete one task, roll right into the next thing that needs to be done without thinking. It’s like having a GPS.
To Be Continued
Maybe you didn’t get everything done – that’s okay! Make a list of what didn’t get done and
either add it to your list of chores and things that need to be done tomorrow, or push back your schedule. It’s crucial for you to be realistic with yourself. For me if it’s something minor like sweeping or vacuuming, I’ll just add that to my “to do” list for the next day. If it’s something big like reorganizing or cleaning the stove, I will do this the next day, and whatever I had planned will get pushed to the following day, and so on and so on. If it’s something like cleaning the base boards in the house, maybe I’ll just do in on the weekend. I hate to clean on the weekend, but sometimes this is the better option than trying to squeeze everything into one day. Do what works out best for you and your family.
Don't Beat Yourself Up
Look, whether you’re stay at home moms, working moms, stay at home wives, or working wives we’re all human at the end of the day. We all have moments and days, were we just aren’t feeling it, whether it be from a lack of sleep, low energy, stress, or just the need for a mental health day. It took me a while to realize when I use to work full time, I use to call in when I wasn’t feeling well or, to be quite honest, when I wasn’t up to the task of going to ,or being at work. What’s the difference now? There is no difference. I would feel so guilty for not staying on top on my chores as a housewife. I mean, I’m at home all day right? Well, I wasn’t always one hundred percent on top of things or one hundred percent perfect at work either. I’m not perfect never have been, and never will be. At work this was okay for me. Why isn’t it okay for me at home? I’m not a stepford wife (LOL), and that’s okay. Don’t forget it’s okay to be imperfectly perfect. Until next time guys.