It has been a little over a year now that I have worked diligently to stick to a home management routine. A clean home is very important to me. It makes me feel happier – I am more productive and creative when my home is clean. When the toys take over, and there are dirty towels on the bathroom floor, along with unmade beds and piles of laundry that need to be folded and put away I get stressed and short on patience.
So. There are a few things that I try to do every.single.day to keep the home closer to neat and clean than cluttered and chaotic. That being said it is something I have to consistently work on. I do like having a clean house but I do not love the act of actually cleaning. Sure, there are times that I enjoy it, but the majority of time it is just more work. So there are some things I do to help motivate me to get my cleaning done. They have made a huge difference for me, and hopefully they can help you too!
Note- I have been struggling A LOT lately. Hudson (or as I call him Hurricane Hudson) is an absolute destroyer. He makes keeping our home nearly impossible. I have to work A LOT harder to keep the home neat. I am in a phase of transition, but a clean home is still just as important to me!
What makes you the happiest?
Remember how I said that a clean house makes me more productive? By tackling the jobs that impact me the most first I am much more motivated and inspired to keep going. My top 3 things that motivate me are:
- Cleared off and made bed!
- I am much more likely to tackle the laundry with a cleared and made bed! (Since this is where I fold my laundry)
- Cleared off counter tops!
- I put the clean bottles away – put the crock-pot where it belongs and any other nonsense that have found a home on the counter tops.
- Put the shoes and diaper bag away
- Despite having “homes” shoes tend to pile up at the door – and it drives me crazy. Having the entrance cleared and tidy makes a big difference for me.
Your top motivators might be completely different for you. That is fine! Just figure that out, and tackle those three things first.
Cleaning Motivation Ideas:
Sometimes it is hard to get motivated to start anything. I have those days every once in a while! It usually stems from being totally exhausted OR when the weather is gloomy! I discovered that YouTube has videos of people quickly cleaning their homes. I know it sounds crazy, but watching one totally motivates me!! These are my two “go-to” videos: ONE, TWO
If that does not work – I know people (Cough*Me*Cough) who will throw on an episode of Hoarders (On Netflix) because that gets them motivated to get up and clean their house. Seriously, it works.
Routine
This will take some time and tweaking – but find your routine. What is the natural flow / order for you? I like to focus on one room at at time. I will take a laundry basket with me from room to room. If I am cleaning the bedroom, and I find one of the boy’s stuffed animals I will toss it into the laundry basket – instead of running it to their room, to put the stuffed animal away right then. When I am done cleaning the house, I will put all the items in the laundry basket away. Greyson takes all of his items and puts them away. Hudson just takes the items out of the basket and throws them …
I also start my cleaning at 4:00, everyday. I will pick up throughout the day – like the lunch dishes, and put items away as I go…I do not let things pile up, because I know I will be cleaning at 4:00. That being said, no matter what I am doing I stop when the clock says 4 and I spend about 45 minutes cleaning the house.
Why 4 o’clock? Well, both boys are are up from their naps – and happy. They play nicely together, while I run around cleaning. Also (and my biggest reason) – Scott gets done with work at 5, so when he arrives home, he walks into a clean house. I know that I hate coming home to a messy house, why would he be any different?
If you are following these steps but still find that you house is a mess – check out these reasons why your house is always a mess.
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