edification of a wildflower

Lately, cleaning has been a focal point in my life. I’m working a cleaning job three days a week for a client who’s particular about how things are done. When I get home from work, I find myself cleaning random things in my house that I hadn’t bothered with or couldn’t “find time” to take care of.

Since I started the job, I’ve deep cleaned two bathrooms in the house, reorganized and deep-cleaned my bedroom, deep cleaned our kitchen, reorganized the kitchen cabinets, and packed up my winter clothes (which is not something I typically bother myself with). It’s not just cleaning, either. I find myself using my time in a more efficient way to complete projects or take care of myself. I started a garden with my best friend and am learning how to make sourdough bread. I grocery shop differently, making more trips as needed throughout the week rather than working with what I have until my next bi weekly trip.

All of the projects I’ve taken on are productive and bring me peace in one way or another. Working for my client has helped me to establish a stronger attention to detail, pride in my cleanliness, and has increased my awareness of how I spend my time. Prior to starting the job, I had been in my final year of school and only worked on the weekends. I would be so stressed with school that I procrastinated my work and tasks around the house because I had so much to do. In reality, I was just stressed and avoided productivity using my packed schedule as an excuse.

I never thought a part-time cleaning job would have such an impact on my daily habits and lifestyle, but I realize that Yahweh places us exactly in the places we need to be at the time we need to be there.

I had been feeling really lost following my graduation. My career goals don’t necessarily apply to my degree, and I wasn’t sure of my next steps in life. Should I try to start a career in the field of my degree? Start chasing my dreams? Take more time for self-discovery?

I tell you all of this to say that the small changes I’ve been making lately have brought me so much peace and given me the mental space I needed to process my next steps and what i really want in life (which is already hard enough in your 20s, if I do say so myself). Putting myself in an environment that aligned with my goals helped push me into a spot where I could focus on what I needed to without stress in the back of my mind about my space and time management problems. Through this whole journey I’ve been able to recognize the skills and habits that are foundational for my success and what I want in life. They just happened to show up through cleaning.

If you’re struggling with clarity on something, try cleaning your space. I’ll be the first to say it’s not easy to change habits, and sometimes it’s hard to find the time and motivation when you have other things on your mind. But if you’re struggling, surrounding yourself with the things that reflect where you want to be (be it in your career, physically, mentally, or in your home) may help to push you there like it did for me.

You might not want to start a garden or bake sourdough bread, but let’s be real: having a dirty living space is distracting. Speaking for myself, I can deal with a little mess here and there, but when I know my home isn’t clean, it’s hard for me to focus on other things I need to do. Knocking out those projects like deep cleaning my kitchen and reorganizing my room has given my mind the space I need to think and breathe for a moment. Try it out and see if it makes a difference for you.