Rabbit Trails and Setting Up Stations

A rabbit trail is sort of like a treasure hunt. It is what you go on when you need to do a recurring task but the items required to do that task are not stored together.

Page 128 of The House That Cleans Itself has suggestions for setting up a Coffee Station.

If you're in the habit of making coffee, it stands to reason that everything you need should be in the cabinet nearest your coffeemaker. This includes coffee, filters, mugs, cups, saucers, sugar, sweetener, nondairy creamer, measuring scoop and anything else that's part of your coffee routine.

You can set up stations for any tasks that you regularly do. Check out Chapter 14 of The House That Cleans Itself on page 123 for more ideas!

Do whatever it takes to keep your stations intact. You'll find that creating and maintining stations saves you an enormous amount of time and energy!

Ditch the Time Suckers!

Throughout your house look into replacing any items that need repeated 'fixing' to keep from looking messy. From couches with pillow backs to miniblinds that don't want to hang straight. As soon as you can, fix them or get rid of them. Life's too short and your time is too valuable to waste.

See page 120 in The House That Cleans Itself for more details on this great idea!

Ready...Set... Launch!

In our last entry we talked about setting up a launch area near the door that we use the most. This week we'll list some specific ideas.

1. If your entryway is in a less visible area, for example a mudroom, you may prefer to use open cubbies or clear bins. This way everyone can see their items.

2. If you need to easily see the items you're supposed to take with you , try setting up a launching pad in a jelly cabinet. Everyone can have their own shelf. And you can apply adhesive cork to the inside of the door so that extra reminders can be pinned there like a bulletin board. If company comes a knockin', all you have to do is shut the door and your entryway instantly looks neat!

Enjoy your day!

Stuff that 'Needs To Go Out'

Is your entry way cluttered with piles of things that need to go back outside like library books, car keys and videos?

Page 117 from The House That Cleans Itself says that having a neat-but-effective launching pad is vital for the cleanliness of your entryway, and the more people you're launching on a daily basis, the more adaptable it needs to be.

Ideally, somewhere near the door should be a bookcase, cabinet or shelving unit that holds as many baskets or bins as there are family members. Each person uses her bin to place items she will need to take with her when he goes out. For mom it could be purse, sunglasses, and library books; for dad, maybe outbound mail or dry cleaning; for kids, lunchboxes, school papers and class projects.

Is this you #7?

Problem: When you decide to change, you jump in too far, too fast, and too enthusiastically... and burn out before you're done. Over the years the people who know me best have learned not to invest too heavily in some of my enthusiasms because they know most of them will peter out long before I establish true change.

This is more than a personality issue. At its core, it's a spiritual issue. When we go running too quickly down a primrose path at full steam, we're running ahead of God - ahead of his timing and ahead of his blessing. Read Psalm 24:4-5. In our hurry we leave no room for learning or guidance. Our hope is not in God but in our own ideas and excitement. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God."

If this is you the solution can be found on page 74 of The House The Cleans Itself.

Solution: Resist the urge to run off half-cocked every time you think you've found a new and better way to conquer mess. If God is in what you want to do, he will reveal that to you in his time. Resolve to stop entering into household purges and changes without first fully grasping the scope of what lies ahead. Read Isaiah 40:29 and Isaiah 40:31.