I know I've written about "eating the frog" and getting the tough stuff done first, but developing initiative is something I struggle to have as a quality in myself and to teach to my son.
I'm currently on my winter break from work. I work at a state college. The state gives the staff the week between Christmas and New Year off work. I often use this time as an opportunity to get away and visit my parents. This year, however, I decided to stay home and reclaim my guest room and get a few more chores done around the house.
When I say I want to reclaim my guest room, I mean, I want to get all my son's stuff out of the guest room. When a tree fell on our house during Hurricane Irene, it fell on the part of the roof over my son's room. At that moment I told my son to hurry and get all his stuff out of his room and put it in the guest room. I told him the ceiling could collapse at any time and if he wanted to save his stuff he had to get it out of his room as quick as possible. After shouting in his face to snap him out of the shock he seemed to be in, he did just as I asked.
In the meantime, the drywall on the ceiling has been repaired, and painted, and the carpet has been cleaned. Now I have two rooms in utter chaos.
I am trying to motivate my son to get his room back in order. In the process, I'm encouraging him to cull his possessions. He has a serious amount of stuff. Most of his stuff involves electronics and games. There are a lot of wires and controllers and STUFF.
My son does not have a lot of initiative. It seems he is paralyzed by the job set before him. I can understand this paralysis, to a certain extent. I struggle with a lack of initiative when it comes to doing something new. Something I have never done before. I get scared. Even though the project may not be difficult, I find myself struggling to take the first step.
Today I am encouraging (read, nagging) my son to clear my guest room of his STUFF. I'm trying to help him by giving him one box of stuff at a time to sort through, and then decide whether to keep or toss or sell. So far, today is going pretty well. (and by well, I mean we are not screaming at each other and some progress is being made)
The new project I want to start is to begin selling stuff on facebook. I've discovered an on-line yard sale group in my area. There are over 4000 members in this group. I joined the group. Now I need to start taking pictures and start pricing. If this goes well, I can be having a yard sale every day of the week. I'll let you know how I do.
Ps. Another project I want to accomplish today is to make pounds of meatballs. I bought a BUNCH of loose sausage from a local pig farmer. I love to make spaghetti and meatballs and Italian wedding soup. I need to make a bunch of big and tiny meatballs. It's a lot of fun. :)
I'm currently on my winter break from work. I work at a state college. The state gives the staff the week between Christmas and New Year off work. I often use this time as an opportunity to get away and visit my parents. This year, however, I decided to stay home and reclaim my guest room and get a few more chores done around the house.
When I say I want to reclaim my guest room, I mean, I want to get all my son's stuff out of the guest room. When a tree fell on our house during Hurricane Irene, it fell on the part of the roof over my son's room. At that moment I told my son to hurry and get all his stuff out of his room and put it in the guest room. I told him the ceiling could collapse at any time and if he wanted to save his stuff he had to get it out of his room as quick as possible. After shouting in his face to snap him out of the shock he seemed to be in, he did just as I asked.
In the meantime, the drywall on the ceiling has been repaired, and painted, and the carpet has been cleaned. Now I have two rooms in utter chaos.
I am trying to motivate my son to get his room back in order. In the process, I'm encouraging him to cull his possessions. He has a serious amount of stuff. Most of his stuff involves electronics and games. There are a lot of wires and controllers and STUFF.
My son does not have a lot of initiative. It seems he is paralyzed by the job set before him. I can understand this paralysis, to a certain extent. I struggle with a lack of initiative when it comes to doing something new. Something I have never done before. I get scared. Even though the project may not be difficult, I find myself struggling to take the first step.
Today I am encouraging (read, nagging) my son to clear my guest room of his STUFF. I'm trying to help him by giving him one box of stuff at a time to sort through, and then decide whether to keep or toss or sell. So far, today is going pretty well. (and by well, I mean we are not screaming at each other and some progress is being made)
The new project I want to start is to begin selling stuff on facebook. I've discovered an on-line yard sale group in my area. There are over 4000 members in this group. I joined the group. Now I need to start taking pictures and start pricing. If this goes well, I can be having a yard sale every day of the week. I'll let you know how I do.
Ps. Another project I want to accomplish today is to make pounds of meatballs. I bought a BUNCH of loose sausage from a local pig farmer. I love to make spaghetti and meatballs and Italian wedding soup. I need to make a bunch of big and tiny meatballs. It's a lot of fun. :)
I know a lot about being paralyzed when seeing a bunch of stuff that needs to get organized. I had many of those moments when we were getting our house ready to sell. Sometimes I would cry, one time, twds the end, I was sick of it! So I told my husband to go into my closet and to do whatever he wanted with my stuff. I didn't even want to know. And he did. He would pass by me with large bags of trash!!! I felt I was going to get sick. But I kept my promise and I didn't interrupt him. Then I saw my closet empty and it was a wonderful thing! I love decorating, I love changing sheets and making bedrooms look pretty. But I don't like decluttering and organizing.
ReplyDeleteIt's frustrating when you have a vision for a certain space and the rest of the family doesn't cooperate! So, I think the laundry room is safe for high efficiency washers but am not sure. I heard you shouldn't use it in septic tanks but I don't know why. You may want to research it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I did check on the soap flakes. Not good for septic and I'm on a septic. Thanks for the "heads up."
ReplyDeletebest wishes on the cleaning of the room...you could always move all his stuff back in to his room at least clearing one...smiles....
ReplyDeleteThat will be so cool to have all those meatballs already ready. And I hear you on hating clutter.
ReplyDeleteI think you're taking the right approach with your son. Give him one small, very concrete thing to do at a time. It's less overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteSend me some meatballs!