Resolve to Beat the January Blues
It’s the new year, and by this point you’ve probably been celebrating Christmas for almost two months. That’s just the way we do things in modern America, where each year the Twelve Days of Christmas seem to inch closer to becoming twelve WEEKS of Christmas. I don’t know about you, but as much as I’ve enjoyed the parties, the treats, the gifts, the music, the family time, etc., by the time January rolls around I am more than ready to ditch the tree and the wreath and all the remnants of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
However, once the trappings of the season are put away and life resumes its normal schedule, I often find myself slipping into a post-holiday funk. Sure, January is the month of new beginnings. But that includes the beginning of a long, grey winter with no more colorful lights to brighten the darkness. Any of that cold white stuff that may have seemed so magical when it fell in December quickly turns dirty, brown, and ugly. Bundling up several times a day in frigid temperatures to do simple things like walking the dog or checking the mailbox becomes a major chore. Hibernation is starting to sound like a viable option.
Make a New Year’s Resolution
Yes, I’m afraid the January doldrums are setting in already. But I’m hoping to distract myself from this by adopting a meaningful New Year’s resolution for 2018. Like most people, I have sort of a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. I like the idea of starting a year with a goal of some sort. But I dislike my usual inability to follow through by the time February rolls around.
Nonetheless, I’m thinking I may have come up with a realistic one this year — and one that I think can make a difference in my whole family’s life. Instead of making a resolution to get by body in shape this year, what if I make a resolution to get my HOUSE in shape?
Replace holiday decor
First of all, part of the post-holiday blues comes from taking away the pretty decorations and returning the house to its normal “blah” status. What if I could find a way to spruce up the living room with accessories that could brighten up the place for the other 11 months of the year? It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Maybe all it takes is a potted plant to replace the Christmas tree, or some colorful throw pillows and non-Christmasy candles to add to some of surface space now vacated by holiday decor.
Schedule small purges
Second, and maybe most importantly, having a clean and relatively tidy house definitely helps to brighten my mood. So as part of my resolution for this year, I think I will promise myself to set aside 20 minutes each week to purge a cabinet or a closet or a drawer. That’s totally doable, and the results will add up to a huge difference if I can keep it up for 52 weeks.
I’m also going to enjoy having my home professionally cleaned, without feeling one ounce of guilt about it. I know that cleaning is not my strength, so leaving it to the professionals ensures that it will get done right. My home and my family deserve it. If you feel the same, be sure to check out Immaculate Clean’s New Year specials, starting as low as $92! Text “New Years” to 410-549-0727.
5 Tips for Tackling Your Holiday To-Do List
If you read my blog post last month, https://immaculateclean.com/blog/tis-the-season-for-holiday-stress/ you already know that I have been stressing about this year’s Christmas preparations since before Halloween. After much careful analysis, I’ve concluded that most of that stress is due to the fact that the holiday “To-Do” list in our house looks much like this:
Wife’s Christmas To-Do List
- Fill Advent Calendar
- Have Christmas Card photo made
- Order Christmas Cards
- Address and mail Christmas Cards
- Decorate
- Water Christmas tree (daily)
- Move Elf-on-the-Shelf (nightly)
- Shop for Kid 1
- Shop for Kid 2
- Shop for Husband
- Shop for Mom
- Shop for Dad
- Shop for Mother-in-Law
- Shop for Brother
- Shop for Sister-in-Law
- Shop for Brother-in-Law
- Shop for Nephews
- Shop for Nieces
- Shop for Teacher
- Shop for Mailman
- Shop for Toys-for-Tots drive
- Shop for Boss
- Shop for Dog
- Shop for Best Friend
- Shop for Neighbor
- Wrap presents
- Hide presents
- Buy outfit for holiday party #1
- Buy outfit for holiday party #2
- Bake cookies
- Cook/clean for holiday guests
Husband’s Christmas To-Do List:
- Shop for Wife
So I’ve learned a few things over those 26 years. If your Christmas to-do list looks anything like mine does, and if every single year you just aren’t sure how you’re going to get it all done, here are a few tips:
- WRITE IT ALL DOWN. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Lists are the key to keeping yourself organized and remaining calm. Although a list like the one above might fill you with a wee bit of panic at first glance, it sure beats floating through your days wondering whether you’re forgetting to do something important. Plus, I’m all about that little dopamine rush that comes from crossing an item off of the list.
- SET AN EARLY DEADLINE. As a serial procrastinator, this was a hard lesson for me to learn, but after being burned by too many Christmas “emergencies,” including things like sick kids or snow days, I now set a drop-dead date for myself of December 20th for all shopping to be done and gifts to be wrapped. Without the last-minute shopping pressure, you might actually be able to relax a little bit and enjoy the last few days of the season.
- SET THE MOOD. Although I’m a Grinch when it comes to stores decking the halls in mid-October or TV stations showing Christmas movies before Halloween, once Thanksgiving hits, it’s all fair game. Crank up the Christmas tunes and sing along, loudly; it will put you in the right frame of mind to do whatever holiday-related task lies in front of you.
- GET YOUR HOUSE CLEANED. Maybe you are hosting your husband’s office party (yep, I somehow got roped into that this year), or maybe no one is going to step foot in your house besides your immediate family. Either way, having it professionally cleaned during the holiday season can alleviate a lot of your stress. For one thing, it is a lot easier to focus and get things done when your house is clean. Immaculate Clean makes it easy! They offer one time cleaning services! You can hire them to clean your whole house, or just have them focus on something like bathrooms and the kitchen. They even offer a One Time Holiday Clean Discount! Contact them for information.
- ASK FOR HELP. As evidenced by my list above, that’s a lesson I still haven’t taken to heart. But delegating some of the the tasks on my side of the list would probably do wonders for my stress-level and wouldn’t hurt my marriage either!
Oh, and here’s a bonus tip: If you find yourself struggling for a gift idea, don’t forget: an Immaculate Clean Gift Certificate makes a perfect (and easy) gift! New and existing clients can save up to 12% with their pre-pay discount. Contact them today to learn more!
6 Easy Ways to Make House Cleaning Less of a Chore
House cleaning is a necessary evil that just needs to be done if you want to maintain a healthy, happy home. So how do you make this chore less dreadful and more fun? Our Maryland cleaning crew has a few ideas:
Play some music
There is something about music that boosts your enthusiasm and makes whatever you are doing more fun. You could blast your iPod via a portable speaker or turn on one of those music channels on your TV.
Put cleaning on your calendar
No one likes to spend weekends cleaning, so why not spread your chores throughout the week? If you clean one room a day, they’ll never get messy to the point of a weekend-long cleaning ordeal. And unless you live in a mansion, you’ll be done by the end of the week, which means you’ll have the weekend all to yourself or to spend with your family.
Use a timer
How much cleaning can you get done in 20 minutes? It might not sound like enough time to do anything, but you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish if you just stay focused on cleaning. Set your kitchen timer to a short interval and don’t stop cleaning until it goes off. In just 20 minutes, you can put away surface clutter, load your dishwasher, gather laundry in the basket and even vacuum one room.
Make a to-do list
Cleaning may feel overwhelming, especially if you treat it like it’s one big chore. Try creating a check list. Do the laundry—check! Put away clean dishes— check! Organize the pantry—check! Clean the bathrooms—check! Wash the kitchen floor—check! Dust—check! Vacuum—check! This way, you will feel more accomplished as you cross each item off your list. And house cleaning won’t feel like it’s never-ending, because you’ve just itemized it on a piece of paper. If you love apps and gadgets, you can use a to-do app on your phone—there are plenty to choose from. Some apps even allow you to assign tasks to family members, which is a great way to get everyone involved in maintaining a clean home.
Reward yourself
For some people, just having a clean house is rewarding enough. If you are not one of these people, then come up with something to make cleaning more rewarding. Go out to your favorite restaurant after cleaning, sneak in an episode of your favorite show or take a power nap. Whatever your guilty pleasure is, indulge in it after you are done cleaning—you deserve it!
Hire a cleaning service
A live-in maid might not be a viable option, but you can certainly afford a weekly or biweekly professional cleaning service. As a Maryland cleaning company, we help many homeowners like you maintain a healthy, happy and more harmonious home. Just let us know what your top priorities are and you won’t have to worry about anything. It’s not the lazy approach—it’s a smart way of cleaning for people who value their time. Consider hiring a service if you have a busy schedule. We all know that life is busy and we need time to relax, and time to spend with family and friends.
Live in Maryland and tired of cleaning? Contact us to work out a cleaning schedule that will meet your cleaning needs and fit into your budget.