Saturday, October 24, 2009

a little goes a long way


See that spot on the counter? Yes, that one. That's the whole point. You can see it. The counter, that is.

This is a spot in our kitchen which is convenient for many things. Not all of which belong there. I prefer it for cooking. It isn't always available for that though as it tends to serve as the catch all.

Mail. It goes there.

Notes from school. They go there.

Homework. It's there too.

Receipts, magazines, etc. You get the idea.

As of late it would require 30 minutes of my time on a weekend. The sorting, the filing. It was a real source of frustration.


I got it cleared off last weekend and told myself it would stay that way all week. It did!

I spent just a couple of minutes each night doing the necessary sorting and filing of the day's pile. It was so much easier to keep up with it than to let it accumulate for 5 or 6 days and then do it.

It may seem like a small thing but to me it was big. Keeping that one small area clean made a huge difference in my life. A little extra effort each day provided me with a big payoff.

Now I'm wondering what other areas in my home or life could benefit from that same strategy ~ a little extra effort goes a long way.

5 comments:

Wren said...

Nice! We had the same thing going on in the kitchen. Ended up making another table in the sitting room (the "library" table) which now collects all the "stuff". Makes me nuts having it all in the kitchen too. Wonder if your strategy works on laundry baskets??

Anonymous said...

receipts, coupons, notebooks, catalogs, magazines, school messages, a broken mobile, art project from school, a shell, a rock, a needle (yow), a couple pens.......ummm. think i need to take a lesson here!!

good job, hope it keeps up ;-)

Amy said...

Your new header is ADORABLE! I wish Meg lived close to me so I could get some great shots like that :)


I love when I find a spot on my counter that can be cleared. I have been working on our random paper pile this last week and trying to find a solution to that. Great idea!

Anonymous said...

My hubby and I have always had a thing about clear counter tops so every evening before we sit and relax the counter tops are cleared. It is so nice to wake up in the morning to.

They say it takes 7 days to make a habit and 30 days to break. So stick with it then it will feel normal

Rieshy said...

Congratulations on your countertop.

Amazing how the little things can wear you down or lift you up.