I'm the Clutter Criminal After All

How humiliating.  I return home from a week away, expecting my pristine kitchen counters to be full of HIS stuff.  Walking into the kitchen I was almost blinded by the sun's rays reflected from those bare countertops.  Hmmm, walking around the house I could see that everything was just as I left it.  Hmmm, no mess anywhere that wasn't of my own creation prior to leaving for my solo trip.

Re-reading Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley, I'm in the chapter about encouraging the family to get on board with de-cluttering and organizing.  Her main point--stop whining and do more than you think is "your share."  In fact, do it all if you have to.  The family is often so confused by the stop-starts of our de-cluttering that they don't know what to do to help.

So, if I keep my clutter zones clear then they will stay clear.  I don't have to worry about my dear husband messing anything up and my kids are grown and living away from home.  It's a little freeing to eliminate the thought that someone else is causing the mess and a little empowering to know that the solution lies within.

I can start using Marla Cilley's idea of working on "Hot Spots" twice a day for 5 minutes each session.  I really have one main Hot Spot, the large penisula counter in the kitchen, and 10 minutes total per day seems a small price to have it looking better.