A Little Pick-Me-Up

Do you ever look around and notice that your whole house seems as if it’s morphed from relatively decent to trashy almost overnight? I hate when that happens.

Well, here’s one of the sneaky ways I trick myself into picking up when I don’t want to. It’s quite simple really: I pretend someone will be dropping by in 15 minutes.

Not just any person. I take a few moments and consider exactly the kind of motivation I need. How bad is it really? Neighbor next door? Or do I need to bring in the big guns? Someone I’d really like to impress. (Insert your mentor, role model or favorite celebrity here.)

So what do I do with the 15 minutes?

Step 1: I scoot through the house, bucket in hand, and pick up items that are out of place. Room priorities are as follows: living room, dining room, bathroom, kitchen, and family room.

Step 2: If I still have time left, and sometimes I do, I fluff couch pillows, wipe down the bathroom mirror and clean the bathroom sink and stool.

Step 3: On rare occasions I take care of kitchen dishes. But, seriously, doesn’t everyone have dirty dishes? I hope so!

Mary Rarick is the Managing Editor for Portland Family and Goodness Magazines.

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