Sometimes in life we are just plain EXHAUSTED.
I have some friends who suffer from chronic illnesses and yet a few more who live with the long term after-effects of Chemo.
They try to keep organized.
They work hard at it.
The Fly lady says that all that is needed is 15 minutes a day.
Jen, from How Jen Does It says the same thing
Jen's home is beautiful
I'm not there yet.
I am a breast cancer survivor and when I had my surgery I was left grateful to be alive, but also surprised that I couldn't do what I did so easily before. My dominant arm and hand were weaker than my non-dominant side. I dropped things repeatedly. My husband helped tremendously, but I wanted to feel normal again and that meant being able to care for my family. Eventually I started to figure a way to get started. Last year's arthritis appeared and it has made things difficult...not impossible. If medical issues or limited mobility make you not able to do things for more than a few minutes without getting tired, I may have something for you to try that may help.
Get a timer or use your phone or oven timer. Bring with you a small waste basket or garbage bag to throw out stuff immediately without having to walk to the trash can constantly.
Set the timer for 5 minutes.
Start on one side of the room and go clockwise. Going clockwise will stop you from getting overwhelmed and when you come back to the area you will know exactly where you left off. Pick a small area. I usually start at a counter and pick about two or three feet of it. Everything in that two feet will be put away and wiped. This includes the area above it. In 5 minutes that two foot area will be clean. When the timer goes off, set it for 5 or 10 minutes and sit, or watch tv or read.
The purpose for this is so you don't get exhausted. This might sound silly or extreme for a person who is healthy and has all the energy in the world, but if you are someone suffering from an illness that makes it so hard to do things for a long period of time ...this could help.
After the five or ten minutes are up, set the timer for 5 minutes again and go to the next area.
What if you don't want to concentrate on just that room and want to clean a bit in other places too?
Thats ok, Make the circle wider to include a few rooms or the whole house.
Work five minutes in the bedroom....then rest. Work another 5 minutes in the bathroom, then rest. Do a full circle and if you have energy and time go back to where you started and do another round.
The objective is not to get everything done. The objective to to do as much as you can without exhaustion. You will find that if you have a an incentive... A good movie or book or even a magazine to go back to when you finish those minutes of cleaning, it will help keep your motivation up.
If resting for 5 minutes isn't enough then make it 10 or 15. Just don't make it for too much because you'll get too comfy cozy with that book or show and want to turn of the timer for good. But if you need more time then take more!
You will find that maybe you didn't get to everything, but you did get to some. For someone who is having trouble with low energy and feeling badly about this new stage in your life, being able to finish something and not feel exhausted and defeated is a very big deal! Even if it's taken you an hour just to do the dishes or just a small section of the kitchen...YOU DID IT!
This helped me and so I really hope it helps you. Let me know.
Have a beautiful day and take care of yourself!
Blessings, Joanne
Jen, from How Jen Does It says the same thing
Jen's home is beautiful
I'm not there yet.
I am a breast cancer survivor and when I had my surgery I was left grateful to be alive, but also surprised that I couldn't do what I did so easily before. My dominant arm and hand were weaker than my non-dominant side. I dropped things repeatedly. My husband helped tremendously, but I wanted to feel normal again and that meant being able to care for my family. Eventually I started to figure a way to get started. Last year's arthritis appeared and it has made things difficult...not impossible. If medical issues or limited mobility make you not able to do things for more than a few minutes without getting tired, I may have something for you to try that may help.
Get a timer or use your phone or oven timer. Bring with you a small waste basket or garbage bag to throw out stuff immediately without having to walk to the trash can constantly.
Set the timer for 5 minutes.
Start on one side of the room and go clockwise. Going clockwise will stop you from getting overwhelmed and when you come back to the area you will know exactly where you left off. Pick a small area. I usually start at a counter and pick about two or three feet of it. Everything in that two feet will be put away and wiped. This includes the area above it. In 5 minutes that two foot area will be clean. When the timer goes off, set it for 5 or 10 minutes and sit, or watch tv or read.
The purpose for this is so you don't get exhausted. This might sound silly or extreme for a person who is healthy and has all the energy in the world, but if you are someone suffering from an illness that makes it so hard to do things for a long period of time ...this could help.
After the five or ten minutes are up, set the timer for 5 minutes again and go to the next area.
What if you don't want to concentrate on just that room and want to clean a bit in other places too?
Thats ok, Make the circle wider to include a few rooms or the whole house.
Work five minutes in the bedroom....then rest. Work another 5 minutes in the bathroom, then rest. Do a full circle and if you have energy and time go back to where you started and do another round.
The objective is not to get everything done. The objective to to do as much as you can without exhaustion. You will find that if you have a an incentive... A good movie or book or even a magazine to go back to when you finish those minutes of cleaning, it will help keep your motivation up.
If resting for 5 minutes isn't enough then make it 10 or 15. Just don't make it for too much because you'll get too comfy cozy with that book or show and want to turn of the timer for good. But if you need more time then take more!
You will find that maybe you didn't get to everything, but you did get to some. For someone who is having trouble with low energy and feeling badly about this new stage in your life, being able to finish something and not feel exhausted and defeated is a very big deal! Even if it's taken you an hour just to do the dishes or just a small section of the kitchen...YOU DID IT!
This helped me and so I really hope it helps you. Let me know.
Have a beautiful day and take care of yourself!
Blessings, Joanne
Good point with the timer. I usually go to exhaustion but small chores are much better.
ReplyDeleteThank You Kim, I hope it helps!
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