10 TIPS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO CLEAN!
26 May 2022 | DIYA RAJGURU
Let’s face it, no one likes to clean. But everyone loves to live in clean, spic and span surroundings. If you look round, se the mess, and tell yourself “I will do it tomorrow”; or if you have a pile of laundry that needs your attention, but you simply turn away; or if the dishes in the sink are calling out to you, and you pretend like you don't hear them, do not worry, you are not alone. Cleaning can seem daunting, boring, mundane, and what jot. The trick is to snap out of the mood, and simply get it done. How though, you may ask. Read on to get the most apt cleaning motivation tips to get you started.
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1. Time your activitiesSometimes things may not be as overwhelming as they seem to be. All we need to do is set a timer and work in small chunks of time. The best thing about setting a timer is that you know beforehand that this is all the time that it is going to take, and we are comforted by that fact. For instance, set a timer for 25 minutes. And get to work. It could be wiping down the kitchen sink, or dusting the drawing room, or changing the sheets. Pick one, or maximum, two activities, and do not more than 30 minutes a day. 2. The Pomodoro methodPomodoro is a great way to increase productivity. It chalks out 25 minutes of work, and 5 minutes of break, followed by another 25 minutes of work. This is simply a fantastic way of playing a game with yourself. How much can you get done in 25 minutes? The well deserved 5 minute break, is like a little reward that you will receive, and that is a sure shot motivator to get a few things done. 3. Start smallIf you find yourself doing random things instead of getting to the real deal, know that you are simply evading the jobs at hand. Unfortunately evading them doesn’t make them go away. When this realisation dawns on you, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and begin small. Do one chore, and do it well. It may be as simple as putting away laundry. Or loading the dishwasher, or cleaning the bathroom sink. Small jobs, when done consistently over time, means a not-so-bad home. And that’s a great place to begin with.
4. Call someone overThis always seems to work. When you have friends or family over, you do not want to present a shabby home. You will find yourself doing a quick clean up, just enough to keep your surroundings clutter free, tidy and dust free.
5. YouTube to the rescueSometimes watching someone transform their homes from dirty to clean, cluttered to tidy, shabby to spic and span, does a lot to our morales. We immediately feel like getting up and getting it all done. We may not really get it all done at once, like a YouTube video, but hey, at least we tend to begin. Once begun, we will get into the flow of things and before we know it, we will have a tidier space. Warning - watching can be addictive. So beware and stop with two videos. You could go back to watching as a reward for your efforts perhaps!
6. Take picturesSometimes, we need to be shamed into doing things, as cruel as it may sound. Sometimes taking pictures of our mess can actually nudge us to get to the cleaning jobs at hand, done. But here’s the good news. When you click the pictures after you are done, nothing can be as rewarding a feeling as well! Try this if all else fails!
7. Call someone you haven’t talked to in agesPut on your hands free, call your best buddy or your mom or your sister, pick up that dusting cloth, and yap away! Catch up on life, while your home catches up with cleanliness. Dust, wipe, tidy up and put away clothes. It may take a good one hour, but you will never know the mundaneness of it, because you were busy catching up with your loved one. Word of caution - be sure to take up tasks that do not need your undivided attention, and that are matter of fact and simple. Tasks that need your attention, like clearing out digital photos, or putting away important documents will never work when you are taking to someone. You may find yourself completely confused and lost. So beware!
8. Remember the whyAll too often, we may think “what’s the point of all this cleaning? It is going to get dirty all over again”. Why do we clean? Why do we invest time and energy in maintaining tidy spaces. The answer is when the surroundings are pleasant, well kept and neat, our inner soul is at peace too. We are happier, more productive and in a better mood. Marie Kondo mentions this in her book, ‘The life changing habit of tidying up’. Try it, and you’ll know why. And when you know why, you can't help but clean up and tidy up.
9. Routines to the rescueThere’s immense pleasure in writing to-do lists, and ticking them off. Creating routines need not be cumbersome. All you need to do is chalk out a few tasks everyday. And when you stick to it, at the end of each day, week and month, you will always have a clean home. Rome wasn’t built in a day. And a home isn’t cleaned in a day. Small, simple tasks when cast in a simple, sustainable routine, goes a really long way in keeping your spirits high, and giving you the required motivation.
10. Promise yourselfWe promise so many things to so many people, and we move mountains to keep them up. Here’s a simple thing you can promise yourself, and keep up the promise - Say it after me - “I promise to sleep and wake up in a clean home”. Re affirming this over and over again, will wire small behavioural changes at a subconscious level, and automatically, you WILL get to maintaining a clean home. Although it may not be perfect, although you may falter, you WILL be able to sleep and wake up in a clean and tidy home. Try it, and keep at it.
Cleanliness is truly next to godliness. True, it is boring and mundane, but when we actually motivate ourselves to do it, it doesn’t really seem that hard, after all. Let me know your views, and share a few tips as well. I would love to hear from you. This is a space to motivate one another, so keep those ideas coming!
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