You just got back from a friend’s house that was completely immaculate and now you’re feeling like a failure. Or maybe your house is a complete disaster and it makes you feel like your life is out of control. Am I the only one who feels overwhelmed by life when their living room is a mess?
I’ve learned there are certain areas of my house, that if I keep them relatively tidy it makes me feel calmer and more in control of life.
It’s probably not a coincidence that they’re the more public areas of my house.
For me, if my living room is tidy, my kitchen table is cleared off and my kitchen is clean, I could care less about the rest of the house. I feel totally in control and like I have a clean house.
I recently read Finished by Jon Acuff and in the book he introduced a concept that I absolutely love and plan on applying to all areas of my life.
“Pick what you’re going to bomb at. You can’t do everything, so pick what you’re going to let slide.” -Jon Acuff
There’s so much expectation to do all the things and do them well, but that’s really not possible. Instead of trying to do everything and inevitably failing, pick what you’re going to let slide. It’s not a failure when you’ve already decided to let it slide.
For me, I hate cleaning floors, so I rarely vacuum, sweep or mop. I let our master bathroom slide too- no one sees it besides me and my husband, so I usually let it go until it starts bothering me.
You might think that’s absolutely disgusting, and that’s okay! Clearly, those aren’t the areas you’re going to choose to bomb at. But choose you must.
I officially give you permission to not stress about keeping every area of your house immaculate.
Pick those areas that matter the most to you and maintain those. The other areas you can get to when you have the time.