Current Thoughts
| I have three children, 7, 6, and 4, who my wife and I are in constant battle with for keeping the house clean. When they play with legos, they dump every lego they’ve ever gotten onto the ground to initiate the process. When they read books, they take one down from the bookcase, read it, then leave it on the ground before choosing the next. Clothes are removed and left wherever they were removed, for whatever reason they were removed. When we inform them we’re having a clean up day, their usually reaction is on of horror as they look around and see the mess they have made and gain awareness of the size of the task ahead of them. On the other end of the spectrum, once it’s clean up, they’re more likely to try to keep it clean. It’s easier to put your single cup in the dishwasher when the sink is empty and the counter is devoid of dirty dishes. It’s easier to throw your clothes in the hamper when their isn’t a mountain of clothes already sitting on floor. I have nicknamed this the “Screw It Threshold”. At some point you just say screw it because undoing your destructive actions is too big a chore, it’s easier to just continue them. This is where the majority of people are with their health and fitness, they’ve just said “Screw It”. Here’s what we know about a dirty house: clutter leads to anxiety, it makes life more difficult, it leads to more clutter, more mess, more entropy, it makes it more difficult to engage with others, with yourself. Though the tasks seems large, it is the first step that is the most difficult, once we have some momentum, it’s actually quite enjoyable. Once the task of cleaning is completed, there is a sense of accomplishment, lightness, pride, joy. It is easier to keep it clean than to clean it. All of this is true of the body as well. If you’re reading this, then statistically, you’ve probably said “screw it” with regards to your body. If that’s the case, then let this be your cue to begin your clean up. |
Things I like
| This quote I got from John Goodman’s blog |
Things to Check out
Have a great week!
David
