If you find it hard to find the motivation to clean house, I’ve got you covered! In this post, I’m sharing the nine things I do that help me to keep things clean and tidy. Simple but incredibly effective, they’re guaranteed to help you get motivated to do the housework – even if like me, it’s not your favourite thing to do!
Do you find it hard to motivate yourself to clean house?
Me too!
One of those tasks I seem to spend hours doing, it NEVER feels like it’s done. No sooner have I cleaned and dusted, everything feels like a giant mess again. Especially when my youngest is home. I’ve never known anyone make a mess as fast as he does. It’s like living with the Tasmanian Devil!
I know our homes are supposed to be lived in but just how do they get so dirty and so messy so quickly? Just where does all that dust come from? And don’t even get me started on the laundry! Catching up on all the washing is all very well but then I have a massive pile of clothes to put away and a ton of ironing to do. Then everyone wears everything I’ve just put away and before I know it, the washing basket is overflowing again! It’s just one giant laundry circle!
And I’m not the only one who feels this way. Most of my mum friends and the majority of my community feel this way too. Cleaning house really is one of those jobs that never ends!
So, how do we stay on top of things? How do we get motivated to do the housework – especially when we don’t want to or we’d rather sit and watch Netflix?
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Finding the motivation to clean house…
As much as I like things to be clean and tidy, I’m not a fan of cleaning house and I’ve far from nailed my cleaning routine. That being said, in my (almost) twenty-five years of adult life, I have found a few ways to motivate me to get started and make it feel like I’m making progress. If like me housework isn’t your thing, hopefully these little tricks will help you too!
Nine ways to get motivated to do the housework…
#1. Clear the clutter.
One of THE BEST ways to get motivated to do the housework? Clear the clutter! Own less and there’ll be less to keep clean and tidy. Sounds obvious I know, but it works! And so, every few months I’ll have a good purge and get rid of anything we no longer need or use. Does my house still get messy? Of course it does! I live with two boys after all – well, four if you count my husband and dog! It’s just that there’s less mess.
If you’re struggling to find the motivation to clean house, try clearing some of the clutter. Not only will it make you feel better – the housework will get done quicker too because there’ll be less to put away!
- Related: How to love your home that little bit more
#2. Create a cleaning routine.
This has been a gamechanger for me. I don’t always do everything on the day I plan to, but having a routine makes life so much easier. When I know what I need to do each day, I’m far more likely to just get it done. Breaking it down into bite-sized manageable chunks helps too. Cleaning the whole house from top to bottom in one go can feel incredibly overwhelming. But when you’re doing a little each day, it’s not so bad. If I stick to my routine, come the end of the week I know I’ve done everything I need to. It helps keep everything relatively tidy too.
Don’t have a cleaning routine? Why not create one! If you need a little help, How to Create a Cleaning Schedule that Works by Chrissy from Organise My House is a great place to start. As is A Down and Dirty Weekly Cleaning Schedule that Keeps Your House Clean from The Spruce. And, if you want a FREE cleaning checklist to download to help you streamline your routine, you’ll find one in this cleaning checklist post by Amy from Show Me Suburban!
#3. Start with the easiest task first.
When I have a lot to catch up on or I don’t know where to start, I’ll always start with the easiest task first. I ask myself which one is going to be the quickest to do and which one will make me feel like I’ve made the most progress. That’s the one I start with.
If you’re finding it hard to get motivated to do the housework, try doing the same. Scroll down your list of jobs, or walk from room to room and ask yourself which job is the easiest? Do that first and not only will you feel like you’ve accomplished something, you’ll find the motivation to keep going too!
#4. Tackle one room at a time.
When I flit from room to room doing a bit here and there, I never feel like I’m making much progress. But, when I tackle one room at time, I can see the house tidying itself before my very eyes. If like me you find it hard to find the motivation to clean, try focusing on one room at a time. Do everything you need to do in that room, then sit back and admire your work. You’ll be amazed at how motivated you’ll be to tackle the next room. And then the next. And then the next!
#5. Give everything a proper home!
One of the biggest reasons our houses get so messy is that our things don’t have proper homes. If you find yourself wandering, looking for somewhere to ‘file’ something, it might be time to sort out your storage. I did this a few months ago and I cannot tell you the difference it’s made in helping me keep things clean and tidy!
Want to get motivated to do the housework? Give things a proper home. Not only will get your housework done in less time, things stay tidier longer too. Clean out those drawers and cupboards and give everything a proper home. Then, next time you go to ‘file’ something, ask yourself where it’s real home is. If you can’t think of anywhere, chances are you probably don’t need it and you can get rid of it!
- Related: Five ways to love the home you live in
#6. Set the timer.
There’s nothing quite like a game of ‘race against the clock’ to challenge you to do something! If there’s a cleaning job I don’t particularly want to do, I’ll set the timer. I also have a reward ready and waiting too. If I complete the task before the timer goes off, I get my treat! Sounds silly but it REALLY works!
For instance, I get incredibly distracted by videos of French Bulldogs on Instagram…it’s my secret guilty pleasure. As a Frenchie pup Mama, I just can’t resist their little faces – Frenchies are so funny! And so, if I manage to do whatever it is that needs doing in the time I set myself, I get to spend five minutes watching those videos – without feeling guilty about doing it! Why not give setting a timer a go too? It’s incredibly effective! My only question is, what will your reward be?!
#7. Have a housework playlist.
The one thing guaranteed to get me motivated to do the housework? My cleaning playlist! I LOVE listening to music and pretty much have a playlist for every occasion (I really should write a post about that!). But one of my favourites has to be my cleaning playlist!
Full of upbeat songs that I can’t help but dance to, it puts me in a really good mood. It gets me fired up and I literally dance around the house while I clean! If my Hubby is at home, I’ll stick my phone in my back pocket and put my headphones in. But if I’m home alone, I tell Alexa to play it, it gets turned up loud and I sing – and dance – away to my heart’s content. Lost in my favourite tunes, the housework is done before I know it! I get a workout at the same time too – so it’s a win-win!
#8. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks.
As well as having a housework playlist, I find podcasts a great motivator too. I have a few I like to listen to and usually the only time I get to catch up on them is when I’m in the car on my own. And so, if I have a lot of housework to do, I’ll open up the podcast app on my phone and listen to a few episodes back to back. Like my playlist, I get so engrossed in what I’m listening to, it helps make the housework much more interesting.
My favourites podcasts to listen to are The Purpose Show with Allie Casazza, Design Your Dream Life with Natalie Bacon and Do It Scared with Ruth Soukup. If I’m catching up on all things blogging, I’ll tune into Kim Anderson’s Just Keep Blogging, or Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield. Another favourite of mine is Inbox Besties with Kate Doster. What podcasts or audiobooks could you listen to while you do the housework?
#9. Invite a friend over!
Finally, the one sure-fire way to get motivated to do the housework? Invite a friend over! It NEVER fails. There’s nothing quite like a bit of pressure when you need to get things done! It’s amazing how quickly you can clean house when you know someone’s coming over! I do my speediest cleaning when I know I only have a couple of hours to get things spick and span.
Struggling to get things clean? Turn up the heat and invite someone over! You’ll be amazed at how quickly you blitz the house! It works every time for me!
How to get motivated to do the housework…
It might be one of my least favourite tasks, but the housework HAS to be done. There’s just no escape. If I leave it for too long the dust gathers, the floors get dirty and the washing basket starts to overflow. There’s nothing worse than seeing a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, unopened letters on the side and my youngest’s Lego everywhere. It really stresses me out!
And as much as I don’t want to do it, these nine little tricks always help me find the motivation to get started. Then, when I’m done, I’m free to do more interesting things – like watch French Bulldog videos on Instagram! Do you struggle to get motivated to do the housework? Why not give them a try too?! Here they are again:
- Clear the clutter.
- Create a cleaning routine.
- Start with the easiest task first.
- Tackle one room at a time.
- Give everything a proper home.
- Set the timer.
- Have a housework playlist.
- Listen to podcasts or audiobooks.
- Invite a friend over.
That’s it for this post! Do you like cleaning house? How do you get motivated to do the housework? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time…
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