When I get home from work today I am going to write on my whiteboard this note to myself - Have you done your 15 minutes today? This is to remind me to spend 15 minutes a day decluttering, cleaning, tossing or whatever I want or whatever needs to be done. If I'd been doing this for the past 2 years, my house would be free of junk and easy to keep clean - right now I can't clean because of all the stuff and I just look and ignore, so it never improves.
If I really want a house that I can freely invite people to enter, or stay (and I say that I do) then I must get serious about making it that way. There isn't anyone but me to do it, and while I semi-whine that it's John's stuff that is the main culprit, that's just an excuse - there are a lot of things that are my responsibility, not his.
The note will also serve to encourage me to take another 15 minutes and exercise, probably mostly on the treadmill initially, but adding some variety later.
I use it as an excuse but it is going to take some determination to not just get home after 11 hours at work and collapse on the chair like I've trained myself to do. I certainly have enough energy remaining to spend 1/2 an hour being good to the house and myself. The house will be better and so will I.
