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Amazing what a little free time feels like...
So the funny thing about my life is that *part* of the reason I started my own business was to be able to work on my own time--not tied to the 8-5 schedule, so to speak. And for a few years, it worked that way.
Now that I teach so much more, and do so little work at home these days, I am feeling a bit tied down again. Every night at 8pm I have commitments. During the day I am lesson planning, updating websites and mailing lists, etc. My time is still more flexible than it was when I worked in an office, but...for me, I really need that feeling of "I have nothing I have to get done today, so I am going to get a TON OF STUFF DONE." I don't know why my brain works like that, but give me a day with no plan, and I will work like the dickens. Give me a day with even one commitment, and my entire motivation screeches to an ugly halt.
So yesterday, I didn't have class in the evening, since I will be out of town the rest of the week and I like to keep my classes as in-line with one another as possible. I leave tomorrow for Oasis Dance Camp, and have some tagging and packing to do, of course, but beyond that, I had a pretty open-ended day. Certainly, I wasn't running off to class at 6:30pm. So what happened? THE BEAST WAS UNLEASHED!
It started as simply cleaning the stain off the windows. Over the weekend, Chris and I stained our French doors this rich dark brown (sooooooo beautiful!), and I wanted to wait until the stain was really "settled" before I took 409 to the panes to get the oil and color off the glass. The doors are big and many-paned, so it took about and hour of concentrated work to get it off (and it still looks a little streaky), but it looked so great when I was done.
While I was down at the floor working the lower panes, I thought, "Hey, I bet I have some matte sealer to put on the kickboard", which I did so I sprayed that on.
When I set the can on the table, I remembered Chris saying he really wanted me to clean my crap off the table, and I figured *shrug* why not. He is always cleaning house when I am away, and I wanted to leave the house as clean and clutter-free as possible when I leave for camp, so he can relax and do what HE wants to do and not clean up after me! So I put some stuff away, organized the rest "for now" and wiped off the table.
Now the table runner looked wrong. So I went to find a different runner that would match the new room colors better. Voila.
But while I was looking for the runner, I was reminded I had some junk piled in the corner of the living room I kept meaning to pick up and put away. So I did.
Oh wait! I should really get some laundry going while I am puttering about. So I gather up all the laundry, including Chris' "stash" in the corner of the bedroom, and start on a pile of laundry.
I run upstairs to make some tea, and I remember Chris saying that "wouldn't it be nice" if we moved some of the larger, lesser used appliances from the kitchen into a shelf in the garage? That way we only pull them out when we need them, and free up our small kitchen's overcluttered counterspace. So I move the Kitchen-Aid out into the garage, and come back for the blender.
Hrm, this blender has been sitting on the baker's rack a long time, and look at all this crap that has accumulated here! And Chris said something about keeping the recyclables underneath if there were an open receptacle to drop them in... And look at all those half-empty liquor bottles, gathering kitchen-goo on the top shelf. And why do we have these old shopping lists and expired coupons on here?
Out comes the 409 again, and I have completely taken apart the baker's rack contents, wiped every surface clean, and put everything back in new order. I move garbage out and away, and move lesser used items into the garage along with the appliances. Now the counter looks dirty and cluttered. And I bet I could move the fruit and bread to be stored on the baker's rack from now on, and salvage more space over by the stove and sink!
So I take everything off the counter and clean it from end-to-end, reorganize all the appliances so they are accessed more easily, and clean the inside of the microwave for good measure. And really these dishes need to be done so I can finish cleaning properly...
Dishes are done, sink is full of bleachwater to try and get out some of the stains. The chrome appliances look really sticky. Wouldn't they look nice all shined up?
A good hour of straight-up scrubbing and polishing, and the toaster is gleaming. But hey, that windowsill looks really grimy. And look at the window itself!
I get out my stepstool, clean off the sill and clean the entire window, including the grimy sticky top of the sash which has accumulated years of dust and crap. I finish up and go to put the stepstool away and...man, this stepstool feels really gross... I finish the window and...
409 to the rescue! I clean off the stepstool, which has old paint on it from when we painted the living/dining room, plus some build up of kitchen goo from being near the stove. I run out of paper towels as I am finishing this project, and I am spent.
Even if I wanted to clean anything else, I couldn't because I am completely out of paper towels (went through a roll and a half), and my fingers are pruning from the water and cleaning products. I want to scrub the kitchen floor to finish off the project, but realize I should just call it a day.
I am dangerous with free time!
Today I have to be on task! At 3pm I get my HAIR DONE! HOORAY! So I must get a jump on my tagging and packing!
Now that I teach so much more, and do so little work at home these days, I am feeling a bit tied down again. Every night at 8pm I have commitments. During the day I am lesson planning, updating websites and mailing lists, etc. My time is still more flexible than it was when I worked in an office, but...for me, I really need that feeling of "I have nothing I have to get done today, so I am going to get a TON OF STUFF DONE." I don't know why my brain works like that, but give me a day with no plan, and I will work like the dickens. Give me a day with even one commitment, and my entire motivation screeches to an ugly halt.
So yesterday, I didn't have class in the evening, since I will be out of town the rest of the week and I like to keep my classes as in-line with one another as possible. I leave tomorrow for Oasis Dance Camp, and have some tagging and packing to do, of course, but beyond that, I had a pretty open-ended day. Certainly, I wasn't running off to class at 6:30pm. So what happened? THE BEAST WAS UNLEASHED!
It started as simply cleaning the stain off the windows. Over the weekend, Chris and I stained our French doors this rich dark brown (sooooooo beautiful!), and I wanted to wait until the stain was really "settled" before I took 409 to the panes to get the oil and color off the glass. The doors are big and many-paned, so it took about and hour of concentrated work to get it off (and it still looks a little streaky), but it looked so great when I was done.
While I was down at the floor working the lower panes, I thought, "Hey, I bet I have some matte sealer to put on the kickboard", which I did so I sprayed that on.
When I set the can on the table, I remembered Chris saying he really wanted me to clean my crap off the table, and I figured *shrug* why not. He is always cleaning house when I am away, and I wanted to leave the house as clean and clutter-free as possible when I leave for camp, so he can relax and do what HE wants to do and not clean up after me! So I put some stuff away, organized the rest "for now" and wiped off the table.
Now the table runner looked wrong. So I went to find a different runner that would match the new room colors better. Voila.
But while I was looking for the runner, I was reminded I had some junk piled in the corner of the living room I kept meaning to pick up and put away. So I did.
Oh wait! I should really get some laundry going while I am puttering about. So I gather up all the laundry, including Chris' "stash" in the corner of the bedroom, and start on a pile of laundry.
I run upstairs to make some tea, and I remember Chris saying that "wouldn't it be nice" if we moved some of the larger, lesser used appliances from the kitchen into a shelf in the garage? That way we only pull them out when we need them, and free up our small kitchen's overcluttered counterspace. So I move the Kitchen-Aid out into the garage, and come back for the blender.
Hrm, this blender has been sitting on the baker's rack a long time, and look at all this crap that has accumulated here! And Chris said something about keeping the recyclables underneath if there were an open receptacle to drop them in... And look at all those half-empty liquor bottles, gathering kitchen-goo on the top shelf. And why do we have these old shopping lists and expired coupons on here?
Out comes the 409 again, and I have completely taken apart the baker's rack contents, wiped every surface clean, and put everything back in new order. I move garbage out and away, and move lesser used items into the garage along with the appliances. Now the counter looks dirty and cluttered. And I bet I could move the fruit and bread to be stored on the baker's rack from now on, and salvage more space over by the stove and sink!
So I take everything off the counter and clean it from end-to-end, reorganize all the appliances so they are accessed more easily, and clean the inside of the microwave for good measure. And really these dishes need to be done so I can finish cleaning properly...
Dishes are done, sink is full of bleachwater to try and get out some of the stains. The chrome appliances look really sticky. Wouldn't they look nice all shined up?
A good hour of straight-up scrubbing and polishing, and the toaster is gleaming. But hey, that windowsill looks really grimy. And look at the window itself!
I get out my stepstool, clean off the sill and clean the entire window, including the grimy sticky top of the sash which has accumulated years of dust and crap. I finish up and go to put the stepstool away and...man, this stepstool feels really gross... I finish the window and...
409 to the rescue! I clean off the stepstool, which has old paint on it from when we painted the living/dining room, plus some build up of kitchen goo from being near the stove. I run out of paper towels as I am finishing this project, and I am spent.
Even if I wanted to clean anything else, I couldn't because I am completely out of paper towels (went through a roll and a half), and my fingers are pruning from the water and cleaning products. I want to scrub the kitchen floor to finish off the project, but realize I should just call it a day.
I am dangerous with free time!
Today I have to be on task! At 3pm I get my HAIR DONE! HOORAY! So I must get a jump on my tagging and packing!
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