Geelong

Have you been trying to clean your house when what you actually needed was to tidy? I ask because I do this to myself constantly. My brain sees the state of the kitchen and defaults to clean, meaning bench spray, mop the floor, wipe every surface. And this is usually where the pile-on starts. I glance at the lounge room, that’s a mess, that needs a clean. Dining room, last night’s dinner plates, that’s a mess that needs a clean. Insert all the need I repeat in my head, and both PDA and freeze kicks in. Hours of work. The size of that job locks me up and I do none of it. The dishes stay on the sink. The floor stays sticky. My brain calls me a failure and I go make another cup of coffee. ...

People always apologise at the door. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess.” “Don’t look at the kitchen.” “I would have tidied but, " I get it. I’ve done it too. We’ve been taught that someone seeing your house honestly is a moral failure, and a professional organiser walking in feels like inviting the judge into the courtroom. So let me tell you something, properly: I’m not looking at your mess. ...