Nowadays, our lives are so chaotic that we often feel like we are doing 100 things at once while time is passing by without us realizing it is.
When someone gets out of bed every morning, each person has a list of tasks and obligations that need to be checked off before the day ends. Some people have kids, some have work, some are still in school. Whatever obligation that needs to be completed, we find ourselves overwhelmed. We go-go-go at rapid speeds at all times without taking care of the most important place in your everyday life, our safe space. The prime space where we relax and when our long and stressful day ends.
Have you ever caught yourself laying down in bed exhausted with ABSOLUTELY no motivation to clean even though it’s a complete mess?
Many people hate cleaning their rooms- it makes them feel like yet another chore to do after a long hectic day. It makes people feel like their days are never ending and they can never get peace, even in their own homes.
When you walk into your room and you see that you have not made your bed; find half empty water bottles and see a pile of laundry that needs to get done; your reaction is just to ignore it. You have no motivation to fix any of those things, even though you know you have too. You have no idea how to get yourself to get up and do it.
Cleaning your room isn’t just for the aesthetics, it helps you have a clearer mind. You are who you are based on the environment that you surround yourself with. Your room is the place where you start and end your day. The one thing you should avoid doing is waking up to a messy room, you’re starting your day on an unpleasant note. When you wake up and go to bed in clutter, it becomes difficult to have a clearer mind. Having a clean room contributes to a happy and healthy lifestyle!
So how can you change your mindset into wanting to do it? How do you find motivation to clean?
Here are 11 simple things you can do to give yourself motivation to clean:
1. Turn up the music
This is one of my favorite ways to give myself motivation to clean my room. Whether you’re having a good day or a bad day, you should turn up the music and start moving when cleaning. This is not only beneficial because of the results, but it can also be therapeutic after a long day. It serves to make your cleaning experience more enjoyable.
2. Reward yourself (Incentive Theory of Motivation)
This can easily turn into a fun game to play. Compensating yourself with something you want is an efficient way to get your butt out of bed and start cleaning. While you’re cleaning, you’re looking forward to the result of what you’re getting in return. It could be as simple as pouring yourself a glass of wine or treating yourself to a nice dinner. Whatever you feel the reward should be, it should be enough to motivate you to leave your room sparkling clean!
3. Know when it’s time to let go
Do you feel overwhelmed with how much crap you have?
If you feel like I’m talking to you, acknowledge when it’s time to let go. If you’re digging through your stuff and see something that you haven’t used in years, why keep it? You should either throw it away or give it away to someone who will use it. I know it’s harder than how I’m making it sound, but you will feel so much better once everything is nice and clean. Keeping things we haven’t used in years could turn into a very toxic habit to have. When you aren’t as overwhelmed with clutter, cleaning your room becomes easier.
4. Set a timer
This method will encourage you to stay more productive. Act as if you are racing yourself. It’s the best way to avoid distractions and focus on just getting it done. Setting up a timer is a great way to motivate yourself to clean your room. If you are feeling overwhelmed, consider doing 15-20 minute rounds with breaks in between. You will realize how minor part of your day it takes to complete. When you think about it, making your bed takes less than 5 minutes!
5. Visualize your clean room
Take a picture of your room when it’s clean. Admire the work you have done in the past and think how it made you feel. How did it smell? Remember how calming you felt and visualize that feeling every time you walk into your room. You should use this imagine as a guide to how you want your day to be like. You can even use your favorite air freshener and tell yourself you will only use it when your room is clean. When you walk in and find yourself disappointed, think of some things you can do to make it look the way you want. This will give you motivation to clean and make it look how it once was.
6. Prioritize the most important things
Start off with the tasks you want to get done the quickest. For myself, it’s doing the laundry off my messy chair in the corner of my room. (I think a lot of us have that) If I do this first, it would take an enormous weight off my shoulders because everything else would be tedious tasks. Make a list of all the things you need to do to make your room look the way you want it to and start checking things off once it’s completed. You will thank yourself later.
7. Make a time block for the day
Whatever time works best for you (you know yourself best). Making a time block and sticking to it may be the best way to get your room clean. We make time for the chores that are most important to us, whether it’s going to the grocery store or visiting your dentist for your 6 month check up. Cleaning your room should be one of the most important chores you do, it’s essential for your healthy lifestyle.
8. Form a habit
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Having a clean room should be one of the most important habits you need to have in your life. The good news is that once you get used to having a clean room, it will be hard for you to have anything less than what you’re used to. Once you start incorporating the best cleaning technique that works best for you, finding motivation to clean will not be as difficult.
9.Turn on some cleaning motivation videos
The good news is that you’re not alone! There are plenty of others going through the same setbacks you are. There’s plenty of motivation videos on YouTube that help you get up and get moving!
10. Turn off any distractions:
Are you are the type of person who just wants to be left alone with 0 distractions? If the answer is yes, turning off your phone or any other distractions you may have could be a great motivational factor for cleaning your room. It could serve as a way to disconnect your mind from current problems. You can use the time you’re taking to clean as self-care, and who doesn’t love self-care?
11. Buy new cleaning products:
Buying cleaning products with your favorite scents is a smart way to motivate yourself to clean your room. Once you buy them and see how good they smell, you’ll want to use them! What better way to try them out? You’ll end up with a new and (super fresh!) room at the end, while getting the most out of your money with your new products! Just try not to overspend on more than what you need!
12. Change your Clothes
Dressing up for cleaning, in comparison to wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, will give you more motivation. The reason behind this is that it makes the activity feel less like work and more like leisure time.
It’s like a “you look good you feel good” type of motivation. When you look good, you get an instant boost of energy to do the things that you should’ve been doing. Meanwhile, while you’re in sweats you feel like laying down in your bed and watching Netflix for the rest of the afternoon.
Bottom Line
Cleaning your room shouldn’t be looked at as something you dread doing. It should make you feel happy and something you do because it makes you feel better and its being incorporated as part of living a healthier lifestyle. It should be about enjoying the process. Finding motivation to clean should be less about the results and more on knowing that you got it done.
The energy surrounding your clean environment serves as a way of how you’re handling your life. If you are currently in a rut, cleaning your room should be your first step to flip that around.
Look through these simple hacks and use which one fits best to your liking. If you learn to stick with one of them and do it multiple times, it’ll become part of your daily routine. Once your routine is established, you can later show your family and friends so that they too- learn how to motivate themselves to a cleaner room.
What are some methods you used to find motivation to clean? Share your stories!