You don't have to do it all to make a difference.
a gentle reminder for me & you
It’s been on my ‘To-Do’ list for well over a week to clean the bathroom. Time keeps getting away from me or rather, I keep getting away from it. No matter, it’s the same outcome. The bathroom remains grungy.
But earlier today I finally nudged myself to just do one thing—wipe all the dog hair from the vanity counter. And tonight while brushing my teeth, I thank my past self because it’s made a noticeable difference. It feels cleaner already. I feel lighter already.
Just do one thing. Why don’t I implement this more? Why don’t I apply this to other areas of my life? Questions to be answered another day. Maybe by then I’ll get around to scrubbing the toilet, too.
You see, we are in another season of life where the brunt of household chores have fallen on my shoulders. My husband has been chipping away on home projects. Winter this year has brought steady snowfall (yay!) which means after each storm he spends hours slowly clearing the driveway. It was only a matter of time before his back started to give him major grief again. It just so happens that my brain’s been giving me grief, too.
Mess begins to overwhelm me. A leaning tower of dirty dishes. Laundry that never ends. Dog hair like confetti, sprinkling every surface. Every task feels infinite. Every step insurmountable.
Seasonal depression and the despair I have felt since the inauguration come swooping in, and I am left feeling apathetic always. I want to burrow into my bed, pull the covers over my head, and pretend like my responsibilities don’t exist. How can anybody function during all of these unprecedented events? How can anybody function when it feels like the world as we know it is beginning to end?
I go on a run to avoid my responsibilities and when I return, I am rejuvenated. The endorphins are rolling, carrying me away on a tidying spree; helping me reframe my responsibilities into evidence of life’s luxuries. A full sink means full bellies. Dirty clothes evidence of life lived. And the dog hair, oh the dog hair—what grief I would feel if it were to all disappear.
I start with one small thing on my list, and the momentum of a finished task pushes me to start another. “Something is better than nothing,” I tell myself when I quickly wipe off countertops, when I lackadaisically follow along to an exercise video, when I send emails to senators begging them to do something ANYTHING to slow down the destruction of our democracy, when I pull an old draft from my Substack files and make some quick edits before sending it off into the world.
I don’t have to do it all to make a difference. Doing just one thing is a great place to start.
and now a book recommendation ☺
I read How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis two years ago, and it radically changed my mindset with how I approach taking care of my environment and myself. With helpful cleaning strategies, real life anecdotes, and a consistent emphasis of “you are not a failure if you have a messy space”—it is the perfect little guide on how to be gentler with yourself when it comes to housework during difficult seasons of life.
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