One thing that I love about having this blog, is since I started earlier this year, God has taught me a lot of "lessons." Of course, He is helping me so then I can post about it and help others.
How many here struggle with being consistent? I know this is a big problem and I have it! I'm not consistent in much about anything except for the fact that I know I will have coffee today and be on the computer. That's it.
My lack of consistency has hurt me in a lot of areas. Cleaning, the kids, my time with God, and so on.
But ever since I was doing my Comforting Psalms Challenge, I've learned something. I'm one of those people who never finish a book, I start a Bible Study and rarely finish it. I start projects and don't finish them. However, I have been reading the Psalms every day...even if it's just ONE...and I'm still getting through them. Right now I'm up to Psalm 92. That's HUGE for me. What this challenge has taught me is if I keep at something, I will get to the end. I know I suffer from the whole instant gratification thing. But many things in life are not INSTANT.
So here is what God has been doing with me. Of course, God is smarter than I am. Normally I would want to change a TON of stuff at once. Nope...that's not how God works. He started me with the laundry. Every day, in the morning, after getting dressed, I immediately throw a load of wash in. EVERY MORNING...(I've been doing this for about a month now). And as soon as I hear the washer stop, I switch it to the dryer. And then after it's done drying...my goal has been to get it done before 11-noon. Once I started doing that, then God put it on me to clean the lint tray AFTER taking the clothes out, instead of doing it before putting the clothes in. That saves me a few moments early in the morning. I'm usually busy at that point, so now I just have to stop what I'm doing, and go to the washer and just throw everything in and turn the machine on. Very quick.
That little "lesson" started showing me something. I used to let it pile up and then do a few loads in a day, about 3 times a week or so. I used to argue with myself saying "I refuse to do laundry every day." Well, since I've been doing it, I learned it's really quick to fold and put away just ONE load of laundry, doing a load a day causes me to NEVER run out of towels or underwear or socks, and I never have it hanging over my head.
Then after I got really consistent about the laundry, God started with me about the dishes. Right after I throw that load in the washer in the morning, I empty the dishwasher. That sets the whole day because seeing a stack of dishes in the sink stresses me out. So now I immediately rinse a dish, and then put it in the dishwasher. Once it's full, I run it.
Those 2 simple things have helped me a lot. But the biggest thing that I have learned about consistency, is that if you are NOT consistent, then everything you do is hard.
Being consistent about cleaning the fridge out once a week and wiping down the shelves saves time down the road. It doesn't give too much time for science experiments to grow and spills and messes are easier to clean up.
Wiping down the toilets and sink daily makes you feel good when you go in the bathroom, and then you never have a real mess to clean up. It's also nice to have a clean toilet because you never know when you are going to have to throw up. Seeing gross yellow spots and hair will just make ya gag more! lol!
I'm not going to list everything here. What I'm trying to say is being consistent is a blessing...it's a time saver. It takes me, maybe, 8 minutes to clean my bedroom now (that includes making the bed, vacuuming it, picking up stuff and dusting surfaces). That's because I've been doing it EVERY DAY. But if I didn't do it every day...when I did do it..that 8 minutes may be 20 minutes...or more. I started to notice that as I work towards consistency...I have more time to do what I want.
Now if only I could be consistent with the kids, life would be great lol! That is where I am REALLY bad! But hey...I'm making progress!
If you struggle with consistency, pray about it. Ask God to help you. I'm still going and I'm still working on it. But I no longer have a long mental list of excuses on why I don't have to do this today and that today. I'm working on just doing it on a regular basis and then it's quickly over.
God bless you all!
Linked to:
The Better Mom, These Five of Mine Plus Two, Lowercase Letters, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story, Call Me Blessed, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Growing Home, A Pause on the Path, Our Simple Country Life,
15 comments:
Thank you SO much! This is something that has been heavy on my heart. (I was in tears last night sweeping the floor thinking about it) One of the lies I've believed is that I just can't be a "normal" mom and wife and keep up with everything. Knowing that it doesn't come naturally for everyone really gives me encouragement!!! Thank you SO much! I'm going to go throw in a load of laundry!
Amanda,
I clicked on your name, but nothing leads me to a "contact me" kinda info...so I'll just reply to you here.
The situation you are discussing is the WHOLE REASON I created this blog. I have found my passion and God's true calling for me and that is to encourage the discouraged homemaker.
I HIGHLY recommend you read my post called "See! They didn't have it together back then either!"
I have an area on the left hand side of my blog titled "Posts for When You're in a Homemaking Rut." Take a look there.
Thanks so much for visiting!!!
This is an awesome post, it's so similar to the way God worked with me. I can remember crying out to God and asking Him to help me be a more patient, more loving mommy, and His glaring answer for me was organization! I thought it was ridiculous until I began to do things consistently!
Wow, God has been working with me in this area as well. I'm finally getting to the point where I consistently start the laundry, empty and reload the dishwasher and take out the trash before 9AM. Once this is done the rest of my day is SO much easier. Thank you for this encouragement.
Thanks Ladies!
It's amazing how when we get that stuff done, our days go smoother and we have more time for other stuff.
Your cleaning journey sounds so similar to mine : ) Right now I'm struggling with my stamina after several months of a very hard post-partum recovery. I have to keep reminding myself how much I love a clean home as I go.
I'd love it if you'd link this post up with my encouraging hearts linky. http://www.lessonsfromivy.com/2012/04/encouragement-in-trials-with-linky.html
Fantastic post.
Thanks Denise!
KM Logan - I liked up! :-)
Isn't it funny how the little things matter so much in life? Great thoughts and tips, Angell!
Thanks Beth!
I've been reading a book that really lays it out about how important consistency really is. It is actually my favorite book and this is my 3rd time reading it. It is by Jeff Olsen and it is called. The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life. I highly recomend it. Thank you for the post and the cleaning tips.
Angell...we have the same habit with laundry. I do at least one load a day if not two. I start it in the morning as well. Its a great plan! Consistency is a good habit to master. Keep it up! Thank you for sharing at What Joy Is Mine. :o)
Ahhh, a much needed read! Thank you!
Bowman Clan - thanks for the book recommendation...I'll take a look into it :-)
What Joy is Mine - Yes, getting laundry (and dishes) done in the morning is so great! I notice that when it's not done there is a cloud hanging over me!
Kasey - Thank you!
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