“Hey, kids! Time to pick up your rooms!” I holler up the stairs. Predictably, the request is met with groans and complaints.

It’s Friday, and on the heels of a busy week, especially a night with no homework or other school responsibilities, I’m sure cleaning bedrooms is the last thing they want to do. But there’s one caveat.

“I’m setting the timer for 20 minutes. Pick up as much as you can in that time and we’ll be done for the day.”

The whining dies down as they scurry to work, eagerly anticipating the rhythmic beeping that signals their freedom, because one can do pretty much anything for just 20 minutes.

With 5 children and a puppy, our house is in a fairly constant state of disarray, and I can tolerate it most of the time. I don't know about you, but I tend to be an all or nothing kinda gal. When the disaster is extreme, I get overwhelmed, and, not even knowing where to start, completely shut down and do nothing. Other times, as if some invisible threshold has been crossed, I snap into full-blown type A mode and demand order like a 5-star general before we move onto anything else.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve crawled around on their bedroom floors, literally digging my way through a dumpster’s worth of toys, clothes and garbage. Sometimes it’s so bad we need an entire morning to unearth the carpet. I don’t like the feelings of frustration, discouragement, and overwhelm that accompany those situations, and although I’m far from an organized or disciplined person, I knew there had to be a better way....

***I'm at Kindred Mom today talking about how we can take hold of everything from our daily tasks at home to our God-sized dreams, one 20 minute chunk at a time. Head on over to read the rest of my first guest blog post! Click here!***