Not a knitting F.O per say, but a cleaning one. I heard back from my interview and I got the job! Kind of anyway. Because of the way this particular organisation works I’m now shortlisted for a job. Which means we could get a call at any point up until December (when they remove me from this short list if no job has become available) telling me to get my ass there in 4 ish weeks. So it’s carrying on with the status quo until I start this new job. Only problem being that this job is 80 miles away. Which means moving, but because I could start in June or in November we can’t find a house yet, my OH can’t ask for a transfer and we can’t really pack.
So I’m anti-packing. There’s a website called “Unfuck Your habit” which is a slightly more direct version of Fly Lady, It also doesn’t send you 8000 emails a day like Fly Lady does. Both of the websites encompass the 20/10 rule, 20 mins of doing something (Cleaning, studying etc) is rewarded by 10 mins of doing something you like. I’ve also taken it a step further and broken things down into lists. I like lists, I like being able to tick things off and I like being able to feel like I’ve made progress. My M.E sometimes makes things hard to do long term. I’m going into this with the hope that I can do a room a day, but I understand that some days it may not work like that.
Todays effort is the craft room - my attic or “Yarnia” as the OH dubbed it when we moved in. Yarnia suffers because it is the only logical place in the house to fit our tiny tumble dryer. Piss-poor ventilation in here also means that it’s damp and freezing in the winter. This means that I’ve not wanted to be in here and so my craft supplies have split downstairs to the living room. It’s also become a bit of a dumping ground – “Oh we don’t need that, put it in the attic”. When we got the rats their large cage meant that my bookshelf had to move, and come up into the attic. This makes me all kinds of sad because books are there to be enjoyed and loved. Hopefully when we move the new house will have the option to have both bits in one room (a true lounge diner would be amazing please fate if your listening!) so 3/4 of my book collection is in bags at the moment along with spare cages, and a yarn stash that’s spread between about 8 bags, leaving the original “stash box” 3/4 empty!
Okay. Right, off we go. 20 mins has been set on Online Countdown (with alarm!) some tunes are blaring from the laptop and off we go.
Job 1: Sort large pile of clean washing. (One session)
Before- As you can see it kind of spills from that narrow gangway with the tumble dryer (it’s elevated so the hose goes out of the attic window) to just before my desk. That’s probably at least a 5 foot area.
First 20 mins over and done with and all of the clean washing is out of the attic. It’s in bags and piles in the bedroom, but we’ll get to that tomorrow. This is the only place where working top to bottom with have me unstuck. Recently I’ve been thinking about clothes and how I have none. Well, turns out I actually do have clothes and they’re washed! But not put away in any sensible place they’re strewn across the attic. Todays raid relived 3 baskets and 5 bags of clean washing, “bag for life” style bags. Really Hannah, really? I’m trying to battle off the “How did it get this bad, I can’t do any more” with the “but look at how clean this bit looks, wouldn’t having the whole house like that be amazing?”
After- Black thing hung up is my work shirt for tomorrow. The 2 boxes and the rucksack are OH’s things for him to do what he wants with
Thing is is the house got like this. I can make up excuses for why, but that really actually doesn’t solve things does it. The only way to break a habit is to admit what you did in the past wasn’t right/enough/working and then find a way that works. I worked harder in that 20 times minutes than I have done in a long time, because I wanted to complete the first task in 20 mins. Right, timer has gone again
Job 2: Clean Tumble Dryer (One Session)
Essentially I’m incredibly surprised that my tumbler hasn’t caught fire yet. I didn’t really take many before shots, but as you can see the top of the tumbler has a pile of lint on top of it. That’s my other half not emptying it properly. So I removed that and scrubbed the top, cleaned out the inner filter and re-set the button on the back because OH complained it’s not been drying properly. I then cleaned the lint out of the inside of the drum, you know the place where the seal meets the outside- I found a small knitting needle really helped here and having the vacuum constantly running. I also had to empty the vacuum filter before I could use it. OH bought a new one that lives downstairs and this one lives up here because it’s “broken” though actually- not broken just needed the filter cleaning.
Job 3: Clean desk (2 Sessions)
Before- Really, no excuse.
This has taken about 2.5 slots, but that also involves sorting out paperwork. Apparently I like to keep bills from 2010. Bonus though, all of my exams certificates are now together and I found my CRB check; the new job requires me to have one done, but it may speed up the process if I show them my one from 2008. I also apparently hoard batteries, and I’m sure some of the things in this desk have come from my parents place. I moved out in 2008.
I wish I’d have taken pictures of the desk draws before. I’ve binned about 1/2 a dozen cables. I can’t remember what equipment they’re from so we obviously don’t need them.
After- Nearly empty draws, organised surface (that’s actually even neater than in the last photo, plus will be even better when I move out of this room with my laptop) Mugs etc will be going down to the sink with me!
Job 4: Sort out Stash. (4 Sessions)
Before- no wonder I can’t find anything when I need it
My favourite! Really big job but really involves all of my stashes, so fabric, fibre and yarn, along with sorting out a clear area of floor to organise said stash. Major breakthroughs here- I threw away a bag of beanbag beans. In the before picture you can see them all over the chair, and they’ve been like that since at least before Christmas- so I’ve not used the chair which is an incredible waste as it’s a really comfy chair. So instead of trying to make it work I’ve binned them. I can *always* get bean bag beans elsewhere. Same rule applies to the fun fur that went bin wards. It’s still essentially a rummage sale in my stash, but at least it’s all mostly contained to 1 box now.
One of the joys of “one room at a time” is I can focus. My yarn stash is spread through the house. I know there’s at least some sock yarn in the bedroom, there’s a pile in the spare room from KCBW (as that room has the best light), there’s some in the living room (my active work area) and there’s even some in the kitchen from when I’ve had to empty my bag in a hurry. Today I tackle what’s in here. When I tackle what’s in the living room I’ll put it in a bag and move it up to Yarnia and PUT IT AWAY. Naturally today I’ve not been able to do that for things like clothes, but things are finding their way into the right room at least, to be tidied when I do that room.
After- Note how many polystyrene balls there were! I’m amazed they didn’t make the hoover conk out. In the final picture Yarn is stored at the bottom, then there’s a small plastic tub with fabric, the Red bag has very small bits of fabric (felt etc) and the blue folder hosts some finished items and the red folder has patterns in it. The white laundry hamper has fibre.
Job 5: Books: (2 Sessions)
Clothes and Fabric and Rubbish- Oh my!
This involved kind of re-assembling my book case. I stacked the layers on top of the top layer and then worked from there. At the back of the shelf is the legs to make it taller. I just don’t have the height in here to have a full bookshelf. At least my books are on display now rather than in bags, and it’s also freed up some bags for shopping etc. Exciting!
Although you can’t see it from here that stack of books is 2 deep. And there’s probably another 1/2 dozen hiding in the bedroom. The bag down the bottom is the only one I’ve allowed. It contains my coffee shop uniform which I need to return to work after I’ve found the 2 hats.
Job 6: General Clearing Up (3 sessions)
Finishing everything off. Made a pile of thing for my other half to go through. I found his camera that he took to New Zealand, several years before he met me. I assumed his sister has the camera; it’s a very old digital that runs of an XD card. I gave up when I found a plaster of paris footprint cast and figured- he can deal with these bits. This makes him sound like a hoarder, and he’s really not. When he moved in with me 2.5 years ago he moved everything he owned in a Nissan Micra. He filled the boot and maybe 1/2 of the backseats and that included clothes and bedding. He gets to keep things that have sentimental value, as this cast must be to him. General Hovering and wiping of surfaces included here. The banisters get really funky, also pinned up the flags, the OH’s welsh one and my Lincolnshire one.
That bag for life is empty and will be coming downstairs with me. Doesn’t this look so much better!
Total Time- 13 sessions (20 mins each) – Slightly over 4 hours actual cleaning time. It really doesn’t feel like that though. Also now it’s been done all I need to do once a week is one 20 min session, or a 45 (with a 15 rest) to keep it in shape. Friday is going to be my attic day, so I’ll pick up things that are not where they should be, I’ll clean the surfaces with cleaner and run the hoover round and it really will not take long at all. I found some treasures today that I forgot I had and so it feels nice to actually do this.
Tomorrow I tackle the bedroom, and I do fear it will take me almost as long. However tonight I prepare my 20/10 list and we’ll break it down and go from there because if I can mirror the results I got today, I’ll be a happy bunny.
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