The Joy of Housework ... no, seriously.

I have to laugh - I'm just rewatching the Clutterbug's 5 Speed Cleaning Tips (because, well, procrastinating) and I realized ... the last tip apparently stuck to my subliminal mind on the first viewing.

I live alone, which means I don't have to worry about anyone judging my housekeeping. And yet ... I *still* feel ashamed about that it wouldn't meet my mother's muster. Most of the time, I feign disdain, but that disillusioned feeling is triggered anytime I invite someone in.

But I think I finally found the cure. Last week when I was hosting a group meeting, just when I was starting to sink into the paranoia of juggling real meeting prep with reorganizing and sanitizing my entire house, it occurred to me that no one else was going to look at the floor. No one else was going to look into my kitchen sink and tsk tsk. No one else cares.

So I changed my rationale: I started cleaning to make myself feel relaxed and content in my own space. And because it was just for me, I focused on the things that turn my nose up.

Step 1: My bathroom sink looked so scummy that I didn't even want to stand there long enough to floss. So I quick-cleaned my spa from the top down, using one spraycleaner and one microfibre rag that went straight into the washer on hot. (And a bit of t.p. to wipe the under-lid parts of the toilet.) That's counters, sink, door handles, light switch, tub edges, baseboards and toilet all in 5 minutes.

Step 2: My stairs were collecting dirt in the corners, my entry is streaked with dried salt from outside and my kitchen floor could support a family of mice. So I swept and mopt (that should be a word) to bring out the shine of the stairs my Dad built with me, de-crumb the kitchen and de-salinate the lino in my entry. One soft broom, one damp microfibre mop pad sprinkled with a bit of washing soda. That's office, main stair, front entry (quick pass thru living room) to kitchen all in 5 minutes.

Step 3: My stainless kitchen sink—what a misnomer—is boring and stained. So I pulled out my new spray-snozzle tap, rinsed the crumbs into the drain baskets and emptied them into my compost bin, loaded the baskets into the dishwasher, and erased a bit of rust and scum with a quick pass from a potscrubber. The final touch: I dried the sinks with a quick swipe of the dishcloth so they looked shiny and new to me. Tops 2 minutes.

Now I feel content in my own home. And a little house-proud. I'm daydreaming out the window instead of feeding the critic in my head.

The guest review: "Your house looks like I imagined your house would look. It looks like you - quirky!"

That's seriously satisfying :-)

Finally, 10 minutes on youtube that actually improved my life. See, procrastination is good ;-)