A couple years ago, multitasking meant talking on the phone, instant messaging someone else and checking e-mails.
Now, it means something completely different.
Don’t ask me why, but dust just springs to life before my eyes when I’m on the phone. It doesn’t matter which room I’m in or when I last dusted in that room – I see more dust than I thought was humanly possible, in places I apparently haven’t looked at before. So I strap on the bluetooth headset – which used to keep my hands free to I could use the computer while I was on the phone – and continue talking while I get a cleaning cloth and some Pledge, as well as a long-handled duster for the cobwebs, and get to work. As I’ve mentioned before on Twitter, spiders seem to love the hot, dry weather we’ve been having and there’s been an explosion of cobwebs inside and outside the house.
I did decide it’s somewhat rude to run noisy machinery while talking on the phone, so I don’t vacuum. Folding and hanging up laundry is acceptable multitasking.
I don’t think I’ve discussed it here before, but I let my cleaning person go several months ago. Aside from the savings, I just wasn’t happy with the job she was doing. Here’s my philosophy – when I do clean, I do a better job than she was doing, partly because well – I do a better job – but also because I don’t leave things for that day when I know someone will come and clean, so some things get cleaned more often. Given the amount of dust I’ve discovered while on the phone, obviously there are things I don’t get to as often, but my bathrooms and kitchen have never been cleaner.
Another thing that jumps out at me when I’m on the phone is the fact that my windows really, really need to be cleaned. That’s one I haven’t attempted while on the phone because I feel it’s necessary to do ALL the windows once I start – and I just don’t feel like doing that just yet. On the bright side, neither did the cleaning person. OK, so maybe I don’t do a better job in all respects, but I’m a lot cheaper!
