There is a new word going around the organizing world. Chaos. It may be as old as dirt but they've given it a new meaning. CHAOS: Cant Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Many times we don't allow people over to our houses making a million and one excuses. Or when someone doesn't visit when they were going to we sigh with relief. Ahhh, our secret is safe. Our dirt sighs with relief too knowing it will be allowed to linger for another week.
(not my house any of them)
Yet tell me what happens when riiiing goes the phone? You answer it nod and say a hasty "of course, I'm not doing anything You're more than welcome tomorrow at 7am for breakfast and tea!" You thought you had another week to get your CHOAS into control. Then the unexpected happens and you turn into a character from the X-Men.
Your supernatural ADD/ADHD HyperFocus Powers go into Superman mode. You're a whirlwind around the house looking like you have 50 arms and feet as things fly magically into the right places. Within three hours your house looks like a magazine advertisement and you crash into bed for a good nights sleep. The next morning you wake refreshed and greet your guests as if you didn't have an X-Men on Speed alter ego.
When they leave hours later you realize how much you can accomplish with your HyperFocus and how good it felt to unleash it upon your home. You unconsciously purposely let your house pile up, subconsciously waiting for that ringing phone. That cue to make your boring life super exciting, just to get that rush.
So I nearly wet my pants laughing the first time I came across this suggestion in my Organizing with ADD Book, under ways to MAKE yourself clean: Invite someone over.
Three words and I could NOT stop laughing. The idea of purposely calling up someone instead of waiting for them to call you so that you can turn on your HyperFocus was just ridiculous to comprehend. The Whole Point of CHAOS is you cannot manage your life to be clean enough to have anyone over, and there you go screwing with your own mind just to get it done makes it seem like you have a hidden saboteur inside.
But deep inside we all know this would work. It really would make us get off our butts and release our Super Powers and get things done and then have the added bonus of social time.
So there we have it, two ways to combat our CHAOS:
Invite Someone Over
Unleash Your Inner Supernatural HyperFocus Powers
10 intelligent thoughts:
Do you have sisters over a lot Brandy? I can barely do it once a week with Samira, I feel so overwhelmed. If this was an American girl, let's face it we could make a Better Crocker Super moist cake and call it a day, but with Muslim sisters it is always more like an early dinner.
I never have a huge mess like the one there, but there's likely some dust bunnies. You know another great motivator? The new Febreze sprays that are just like Glade but this one is Brazilian. I like nice smells, it's a good way to get cleaning. How about you?
Love you!
Ha ha this was a great post!
I just recently did this with my car! I was going to drive some friends over to another friends house and needed to clean out my car - after 3 hours it was cleaned...top to bottom! But yeah I only did that massive cleaning on it because I would have 'guests' in the car!
I am a neat FREAK! My husband can tell you that he automatically sits with his feet up now, because he got tired of me telling him to move them so that I could vacuum or mop. I work extremely long hours, but I always clean for about 45 minutes a night when I come home (I even move furniture!).
Part of it is that when Arabs come to your house they are unashamed to look in places considered off limits in American culture. My aunt gave an impromptu tour of my apartment to my mother in-law and a few other aunts during a surprise visit once. They had no shame opening my closets and cabinets, nor commenting on the type of fruits that I had or my coffee serving style.
It doesn’t matter who visits, though, I am so programmed for Arab guests that even our American friends get the rounds of water, soda, fruit, nuts, coffee, tea and special candies. They love it, because it’s a bit of a novelty to them (especially my husband’s friends) and they always leave with a goody bag (I have to get rid of the extra fruit somehow).
My cleaning cocktail tends to be a mix of Windex, Tilex and Palmolive with Oxyclean. Don’t judge me…lol.
asalamy alaykum
nice tips! alhumdulillah i have someone come and clean my house a few days a week but then i still dont have people over. i just make myself stressed out by wanting to have a wide range of snacks and drinks available and i cant always get to the store.
Lisa YAsemin:LOL the sad yet funny aprt is I don't have guests over much. But if I do it better be ready for them! This month I had 3 guest OH MY! And the first i was frantic mode and the other two alhamdulillah arrived after I had already done the weekly cleaning!
Yeah I have to know way ahead of time if I have to make dinner or buy cookies and juice. But sometimes i get away with everyone knowing I'm poor so they don't expect much... alhamdulliah though I give them what I have....
Oh I love these scented sprays, i dont think they have febreeze here but I remeber in in USA. My parents stopped buying it cause I'd use it up so fast.... I do love the all purpose cleaner in Floral or Popouri scents and it cheers me up to know that the room will smell like that when I'm done.
Brazilian man that sounds nice!
Aalya: LOL good you got the car thing done....reminds me to do a car post....
hehehe that's a hard one to predict as peopel rarily give you advanced notice they need to use your car....
Mrs.S. WOW I'm very impressed and very angry at those women but yes I know how they are! Shameful!
Fab for u though for being prepared!
Sometimes I wish desperatly I was liek this! I know when i get down to it it is fast but jsut getting to it is my hard thing. Lol. Lol i liked you got ur hubby well trained!
Hehehe yes my American friends were surprised when I was forcing the drinks and food on them like there was gonna be a famine the next day. But they all loved it too. Sometimes I think the Arab Hospitality has it's real benefits even though it's a pain to be hostess sometimes.
ilka! I'm glad you have the chance to have someone do the cleaning for you! That must help your life alot!!! Alhamdulillah!
But please don't waste all that awesom cleaning! Have people over!! hehe I feel as long as you have one beverage besides water and perhaps a cookie or homeade popcorn to offer you've got it made. After all they should be wanting to come see you not to eat your food.
Please get back to me that you've invited over more poeple soon ok :D
Assalamu alaykum, this is a very good advice,sometimes i surprise myself how much i can clean in those 2,3 hours(supernatural powers;) ), it goes so much faster than usual,cause i have no time to get distracted by things.
one of the photo is from our house! how you got it? :P
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