I don’t like housecleaning. And, I mean I really don’t like it.
If I had the money, I’d hire someone to do it for me and I would buy her a tiara and bake her cookies and treat her like the blessing she would be. Because, that’s how much I dislike anything that resembles cleaning.
I tried the Marie Kondo approach because I really do want to change my attitude. I watched her show to get inspired, focused on making small changes and got started. I finished exactly one drawer and my closet. And, while it did feel good to look upon those two tidy areas, I realized that they wouldn’t magically keep themselves clean. So, I got discouraged and quit.
Today, I was sick in bed and I picked up my phone to see how my friends were doing. In these technical times we live in, we have a lot of “friends”. With the click of a button we can make friends, friends we’ll probably never meet but who somehow speak to our hearts. And, some of these friends are keepers. They will stand the test of time and be there to support and be supported for a very long time. But, some are friends who filled a need for a short time and really don’t even know I’m alive.
As I scrolled, I realized I had another area in my life that I needed to clean and this one I could do from bed. I needed to clean the clutter from my social media accounts. So, I went to my “following” list on Instagram and asked myself that magic question: “Does this (person or account) bring me joy?”
Let’s face it. All those “friends” we have can suck precious time from our days. They can also make us feel discouraged and depressed as we look at their seemingly perfect lives. And, unlike the work it took to clean my drawer and closet, this decluttering only took the click of a few buttons.
As I clicked “unfollow” with wild abandon, I felt lighter and kind of powerful somehow. And, when I was done, I had less “clutter” to keep track of, less accounts to waste my time with and less to weigh me down. And, I had decluttered from the comfort of my own bed! This kind of tidying I could wrap my head around.
Now, (sigh) if only I could clean my house the same way.
Read more of Ann’s contributions to allmomdoes here.
