Happy New Year!

I know I am fashionably late but I have spent the last few weeks busily converting this entire blog into an ebook format, for your reading pleasure. During this process, I was struck by how many useful ideas I’ve stumbled across over the last year or two. Despite the fact that I’ve relayed them to you on this blog, even I had forgotten some of them, or at least forget to implement on a regular basis.

So in the spirit of new decade reviews, (can I still get away with that?), I thought I’d offer you a quick reminder of the best of the best from the last year of MPWH.

Plan, Shop, Chop

I was once reading a cook-book by that original domestic goddess -Nigella Lawson. In it, she casually mentioned that planning and shopping are as much a part of cooking as the kitchen-based business.

This was a eureka moment for me.

Of course! It seemed so obvious when pointed out! Yet all this time I’d been wondering why I felt so defeated by the prospect of feeding my family. I had neglected to incorporate two of the three vital ingredients – planning and shopping.

…live on air!

Today I took a giant leap beyond my comfort zone – I did a live radio interview to talk about my book, Housework Blues. Not being the biggest fan of public speaking (possibly why I’m a writer…), this was quite a daunting prospect for me. However, in my mission to spread the word about making peace with housework, I felt it had to be done.

You can listen to the results to hear more about why I wrote my book and set up this blog, along with some ready-to-use tips on making life easier in the home. There’s also a little info on the self-publishing process, as I found it. So, if you feel you have a book in you that you’d like to share with the world, you may want to listen in.

I hope you ? nd it useful – not least so I know I didn’t put myself through the ordeal for nothing! (Though I must say, the radio host, Mel McGee from the fabulous supermummy.com, was a pleasure to chat with and really helped to put me at ease.)

Update November 2010

I must be a glutton for punishment because I’ve been on the radio again!

This time on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour with the lovely Jenni Murray. You can hear my take on The Lost Art of Housekeeping here.

Thanks to the marvels of technology, some of my recent online articles included a comments facility and some people very kindly used this space to volunteer their own housework-success secrets.

These included some real gems and I thought it would be helpful to put together a summary of these words of wisdom. So, here follows a collection of top tips from the online community, on how to cope in the domestic trenches. (Thanks, readers!)

As so many children’s stories have it:  “At last, the great day arrived.” For me, that day is today. I hold in my hands a real-life, in-the-flesh version of my own book. This is very exciting for me, being a new author this is a very special moment and also, I think, quite an achievement.

However, it’s also good news for you because it means we are only days away from seeing the Paperback version of Housework Blues on sale on Amazon*. Days! Then, for those of you not keen on eBooks can get in on all the fun and frolics to be had in tackling your domestic demons.

It’s not often you’ll see the word feminist linked with the topic of housework. Surely, feminists don’t do housework..?

Oh, but we do!

A belief in equality is all well and good, but it won’t do the dishes or make the beds. And until the theory of equality reaches the domestic workload (don’t hold your breath…) guess who gets the bulk of the housework? Feminist or not – if you are The Lady of the House, chances are it’s down to you to keep it clean and tidy.

So, what can we do? Spend all our time fighting the regime? Berate our menfolk for their enviable ability to dodge domestic pressure? Possibly. But in the meantime, the dust is gathering.

…to help with the housework!

I recently wrote a chapter about motivation in the domestic realm, for my new book, Housework Blues.

It lead to the following spin-off idea which I think you may find very useful and effective. The idea is to utilise a powerful technique that deploys your subconscious mind – requiring less conscious (and begrudging) effort from you.

Sound good?