Does anybody else suffer from Intermittent Domestic Goddess/Domestic Whore syndrome? Not much routine, not much motivation until you want to scream?
The answer, I've found, is the humble kitchen timer. Faced with some boring household chore I give myself so many minutes then OFF I GO and try to beat the clock. It's kinda fun.
Voila! Here is what I did to my study in 45 minutes today. I'm sure some people will hardly be able to spot the difference (like my sisters?) but this is how I like it.
This cartoon is by the late great David Austin, who worked on The Guardian. Many years ago I cheekily wrote and asked him for it and he sent me the original. It seemed to resonate with the wise advice of one of my kids' godfathers: "When you have children, keep your standards.. DOWN."
All images © Rosie West
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Rosie, a timer would be a good idea for me for household tasks. I tend to take however much time I have. This spark a revival of the 1950s TV game show "Beat The Clock".
ReplyDeleteT D C , gosh I remember Beat The Clock! It was incorporated into a variety show 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium', the highlight of the week. I never enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI used my timer later for baking. The goddess really had kicked in by now.
You and I seem to have that brilliant mind syndrome, whereby it's reflected in an untidy desk. Mind you all these things are relative!! (My "before" is much better than your "after", (so there). But I've found another creative outlet - hoovering - well, Dysoning - the silk lampshades. I noticed how dust-covered they were and just had to attack them with a vengeance. I managed 4 on Friday morning before the maid came. It felt quite liberating.
ReplyDeleteColumnist: dusting, dusting always dusting! A mantra of my husband and never said without irony. Of course your 'before' is much better than my 'after'. I look at your Bangkok apartment and
ReplyDeletesigh. But would I need an all-risks insurance policy if I came to stay??
No, but I might, (need an all risks insurance policy). Anyway, you're in very august company. Did you see the Queen's desk at Balmoral?
ReplyDeleteDon't know why I didn't acknowledge this at the time. Got in rather a muddle with my comments. Oh Balmoral, darling! Wonderful, marvellous, intimate chats sitting on the Queen's desk. In my dreams..
DeleteActually I do dream about Her but it's embarrassing to admit because it's like we're best friends. I wonder how many other people suffer from that??
I don't know if I could work at that desk. Not enough snack items. Where's your jar of olives? Your jabanero sauce?
ReplyDeleteI also seem to keep three or four changes of clothes handy. In fact, I'm prepared to live here if the rest of the house falls down.
Recently I started tackling the problem of having a cluttered studio by distributing it uniformly through the house. Wax sculpture alone is enough to overpower the minimum desire for order.
I tend to have an art studio in every room. Lovely! hmm
ReplyDeleteI play the game with the alarm on my phone---but my desk never gets as clean as yours. Maybe you should offer classes.
ReplyDeleteI do it in 15 minute increments. By the time the alarm goes off, I am reminded that I must complete the task, as something else has usually caught my attention!
ReplyDeletexo
It really does work to get me started! That's an achievement even if I get distracted like you. Thanks Meg x
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