My Minimal Hoarding Life - What and How do I Manage?

I will admit that there are days when I am beat down from working outside the home, the real life jobs that pays the bills and keeps this roof over my head.

But more than not I do make sure I keep my home presentable, if not clean.

When I say presentable I mean I pick up daily, and I clean weekly unless something gets nasty, like the toilet, and needed immediate attention.

How can I do this and work a full time job? 

I make a list. By making a list I cannot say "I forgot." And I have to smile as I write this because "how do you forget to make your bed or take out the stinking kitchen trash?" You get out of that bed after each sleep, you SMELL the trash or its full.

Why we do not get things done in the house nowadays is nothing more than giving our attention to being online, with the computer or the phone, Candy crush or clean the house?! But I won`t say "stop" all of your online fun but I will say that you should make a schedule (list) and allot a time for being online and for cleaning your home.

I am going to share a part of my day so that you`ll understand why I make a list of getting things done, how I  work and have computer time for me. Since I work crazy hours I will explain how I usually work, with the two jobs and manage the house.

Weekday - Morning routine :

1 - Wake around 9 am - Bathroom and make my bed.

2- Turn on the coffee pot and check my blood sugar

3- Cut on the computer. Start my first job- Take my patience blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels, get him something to drink.

4- Put on a load of laundry and feed the cat.

5- Get my coffee and I use the computer one hour, to write or do as I please.

6- Put clothes into the dryer - not hanging them out till pollen season has passed.

7 - Cook and eat breakfast, hand out medications.

Next I clean up something, I sweep a floor or clean a bathroom. I may just wipe off the living room table and put books back on the shelf.

I dress for work and get the dogs a treat.

Now I will go to work, either in the home office or out of the house while I still have my patient with me, most of the time. 

When I am working in the home office I will return phone calls, do the books or make arrangements for repairs.

When I leave the house to go to work I will drive at least 30 miles to the rentals or office. I will look at problems that need to be fixed on a house or I will investigate a complaint made by a neighbor. Some days this can take a couple hours or eight hours, depends on the problem, If I can call someone in or if I have to do it myself.

When I get home:

1-  if its still light out I walk the dogs for 15 to 30 minutes, feed and water them.

2- I cook dinner, If its something that does not require me standing over it I will get online and blog or chat for pennies.

3 - Serve dinner. We usually watch t.v. while we have dinner.

4- Wash dinner dishes.

5 - While my patient takes a bath I change his bed, this is either daily or every other day. I put those in the washer for the next load to be washed.

6. Give out night time medications.

Now if I feel like it I will clean something, if not I will use this time for me to get online, watch a favorite t.v. show or painting or just anything I want to do.

Last I take me a hot bath and head to bed.

As for the weekend I always take one day and turn off the computer and clean house for a couple hours. You will be amazed at how much  cleaning you can do in a couple hours. Just do not take breaks or look at a phone and I promise you will see the results ... FAST. By keeping things picked up during the week, that is one step you will not have to deal with, same for laundry! If you wash daily or every other day it won`t pile up.

So do you think your life is doable and can be kept cleaned up?

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry.