Friday came, and I was happy and energetic, ready to conquer the world. Or at least, my house. It was a great day.
Then Friday night, a cold hit me out of nowhere; and although it wasn't anything serious, it was bothersome enough to make me wake up on Saturday morning and wish for a hole to crawl into so that I could just sleep away the day. "Sluggish" is an appropriate word for my behavior that morning--although perhaps not quite a strong enough descriptor!
There wouldn't have been anything wrong with taking lots of extra naps that day, in between the tasks of caring for my family; but I knew that mentally, I would be so much more encouraged if I could work up the strength to actually accomplish something tangible. But I needed a kick in the pants to make myself do it. :)
My camera to the rescue! :)
I looked around the kitchen right after lunch; and as I surveyed the mess--some of which was normal after-meal untidiness and some of which was clutter that had been around a lot longer than that--I realized that, if I took before & after pictures of different areas in the kitchen, it sure would motivate me to stay on the job and finish it!
My plan worked; and before I went to bed that night, my kitchen looked better than it had for a long time. It was indeed time well spent.
Here are some before & after pictures (not always from the same angle or covering the same area, but close enough) which will hopefully remind and encourage me the next time I'm dragging. :)
Much better in all areas! Not perfect, but definitely a huge improvement. :)
There was one more thing I took a quick picture of before I headed for bed...
...the trusty crockpot on the counter I had cleared off earlier, filled with roast beef for Sunday's lunch.
To the person who invented the crockpot, my heartfelt thanks! Putting food in the crockpot does a lot to elevate me closer to the top-of-the-world feeling that I so enjoy...even when I have a cold.
I started Saturday sluggish, but ended it victorious. I'm not sure I would have accomplished so much without using my camera to push me along! :)
I should do that next time I am overwhelmed. Thanks for thr good idea! I try to give myself a time limit sometimes and race to see how much I can get accomplished in whatever time I made up!
ReplyDeleteAhh, I do love a good before and after shot. Very creative way to get motivated! I'll have to give that one a try sometime. I'm afraid that sometimes my after looks like your before though! :) My kitchen is so small.. you would think that would motivate me to keep it clean, but no. It is just a mess of varying degrees all. the. time.
ReplyDeleteI am speechless! You are amazing. I think I would have caved to the take-all-the-naps-I-can approach to the day. So glad you could finish well, and I hope you get better very soon.
ReplyDeleteI am in awe! I would have given in and curled up, I'm sorry to have to admit :p
ReplyDeleteWhat a great amount you got done ... and yes, it's such a great feeling at the end of the day.
Oh, and yes, I'm with you when it comes to the crockpot. What a wonderful invention!