Cleaning Cleaning Cleaning

I've spent this week in a (good) flurry of activity. Making and decorating mini trees (my floor is strewn with glitter, which my husband would hate if he noticed), wrapping presents (huzzah for oatmeal containers!), and working on other presents.

And cleaning.  It seems that no matter how hard I work on cleaning my house, I'm still days behind the mess. So yesterday, I decided to try something new - and it worked!  I set a timer for 15 minutes and started in the bedroom.  My rules were this:
1. I had to stay in the bedroom for 15 minutes cleaning and straightening.
2. I could only leave to put things away if they belonged in other rooms.

I got so much done and it looked so much better!  I then reset the timer and went to work on the living room, which was much messier, so it's still not perfect now, but much better.  And then again for the kitchen, where there was even more of a mess, so it's only barely passable right now, but that's not the point, since it looked like the aftermath of a war before (a war with a juicer, actually).

I realized that I can do just about anything for 15 minutes - and staying in one room forced me to focus on what really needed to be done, especially in the bedroom.  Normally, when I clean in there, I make the bed and call it good, but having 15 minutes forced me to clean out my nightstand, dig lost clothes out from under the bed, and even start cleaning my book shelves before the timer rang.

I think I still like my cleaning schedule, but for weeks/months when I'm really busy, this also works.  Do you have any cleaning methods like this?

I am off to my parents' house for the day to work on crafts.  I made a list of the crafts I need to finish there (they have the sewing machine, the acrylic paints, the Mod Podge [this is actually my sister's], and the table saw) and errands to run in their area (they have stores other than an overpriced 'food center').  It's a very long list.  Very very long.

Love and Tape Measures,
Leah Joy