Cleaning

Cleaning is apart of my daily life. I can't say that I love to clean, but I don't mind it either. What I do love about cleaning is that it makes my house sparkle and shine (hopefully). I love being clean and having a clean house; I feel so much better and am a happier, healthier person when everything is clean (just ask my husband!).

Take a minute and step away from your computer (yes, right now). Walk around your house and see what mess looks back at you. It can be very overwhelming to see everything at once. If you're anything like me, your mind is probably going a thousand miles an hour trying to figure out what you're going to do and how long it's going to take you to get your house in perfect order. It's important to remember that your house didn't get into this state over night and it's not going to get perfect over night either. Take it step-by-step, day-by-day, and before you know it, you'll be living in, what I call COAT (Come Over Any Time).

I'm not a cleaning expert by any means (I'll leave that to Flylady and others of the sort), but I do have a cleaning method that works for me. I absolutely hate and I mean hate "spring/fall cleaning"; I would rather climb Mt. Everest or put myself through a last chance workout with Bob and Jillian from The Biggest Loser than clean for a week straight. Therefore, I break my cleaning tasks down into smaller, more manageable tasks.

1. Daily Tasks
- Morning Routine
- Afternoon Routine
- Before Bed Routine
2. Weekly Tasks
3. Monthly Tasks
4. Annual Tasks
5. Zone Cleaning
6. Creating A Cleaning Schedule

By breaking my tasks down into these categories, I don't feel overwhelmed and it helps me to stay on track. I'm also able to see progress in a short amount of time, which encourages and motivates me to keep up the good work. Remember, "Slow And Steady Wins The Race". It may take longer than you would like for your home to sparkle and shine, but in the end, it will be all worth it to live a COAT lifestyle.