How to Motivate Yourself to Clean

It is a necessary - never ending thing. No matter how much you do it, you will always have more to do the next week.

It's mundane. It's exhausting. It's cleaning.

Somedays it's hard to convince myself to clean. I have a million other things on my todo list that I just HAVE to get done that clean ends up taking a backseat. But when put off for too long the cleaning becomes overwhelming. Where to start? Oh it'll never get clean -- it just makes me want to go AHHHH. and I loose all motivation to do it.

Oh if I could only snap my fingers and have a sparkling clean house. But with a toddler, even that would be a mess after .5 seconds!

Cleaning doesn't have to be stressful, but I know it takes some motivation sometimes to get things going.

Here are some tips to motivate yourself to clean when you are overwhelmed or just plain don't want to:

1. Turn on some upbeat energetic music.

I usually pop on my favorite pandora station, the David Crowler (SP) Band and that really encourages me to get moving.

2. Set a timer.

I love this one, it makes it a fun game! Set a time for 10 minutes and focus on just one task. For example, picking up everything and putting it where it belongs. Then when done, move onto the next thing that needs to be done for 10 minutes.

3. Focus on small tasks at a time.

When cleaning becomes overwhelming it is easy to not know where in the world to start. In my post, Stress Free Cleaning, I mention that I separate my house by sections and clean a section a day - just focus on one section at a time. For example: Start with the kitchen and only focus on the kitchen: putting things where they go, wipe counters and refrigerator, sweep, mop etc. If you create small steps for yourself it goes from overwhelming to manageable.

4. Turn off the TV, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix. Turn it ALL off.

When it's off you aren't allowing yourself to be distracted and are forced to figure out something to do. When I turn off everything I become so much more productive that at the end of the day I am shocked to find that I have completed my entire to do list!

5. Give your cleaning time to God in Prayer.

God wants to be included in the mundane every day life.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

As I clean, I pray - I pray for the little hands that play with the blocks I am putting away, the hands that do the laundry, I praise God for my husband and how hard he works for our family as I iron and hang up his work clothes. I pray for this world as I walk by the TV and am reminded of its suffering. You can pray for anything as you clean - it focuses your attention on God, instead of the overwhelming or feelings of unending chores.

5. Make sure everything is picked up and tidy at the end of every day.

I love going to bed with a picked up house, it makes me feel like all is done for the day and I can finally relax. It motivates me the following day to keep things tidy and I become less overwhelmed because I can actually keep up with the mess if it starts off tidy. If it isn't left to pile up for days, it is easier to manage.

6. Somedays you just need to demand of yourself to get up and go clean.

Somedays you are just going to not feel like cleaning no matter what. The excuses why you shouldn't start popping into your head and you just start grumbling. Trust me, we ALL have these days. In this instances the best thing we can do it to just stand up and tell yourself - Go Clean Now- No excuses, just get up and start.

Because if you're like me, If you can at least get started - you won't stop until the jobs done and motivation comes the more accomplished you feel.

Your Turn: What are things that motivate you to clean??

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