Let’s be honest finding the motivation to clean and declutter can be hard sometimes. Life can be pretty hectic, right? And there are times when we can all feel tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or just lacking energy. So let’s look at some simple ways for how to get motivated to clean and organise when the struggle is real.
Visualize Your Space Looking Clean
This is the first step I like to take when I am looking at how to get motivated to clean and organise. If there is an area of my house that is bothering me because it’s looking messy and cluttered. I start to visualise how I would really like it to look if it was all neat and tidy. Making plans for how to use that space is also very helpful.
My garage was converted into another living area a few years ago. But over time it had started to slowly become a dumping ground and it was really annoying me. I knew it could make a really good space for a little office if I got rid of the mess.
So I began by imagining how I would like it to look. I thought about where I could fit a table or desk. How I could decorate it and how good it would feel to have somewhere quiet to work.
I thought about it a lot and made many plans in my head. In the end, I psyched myself up so much that I was actually excited to start the whole process.
Start Small
Sometimes it’s easier to start on a smaller and more specific area than trying to tackle a whole room. Choose one thing that you would like to see tidy and work on that first.
For example
- Get rid of paper clutter from your kitchen benchtop or table
- Declutter a desk
- Throw out old plastic containers from your plastics cupboard
- Toss old makeup and unused beauty products from your bathroom cabinet
- Clean out one bedside table drawer
Choose anything that will make you feel good about having made a start.
Play Your Favourite Music
The music you love will always lift your spirits so why not go ahead and crank it up to make cleaning and organising fun. You can have your own dance party and bust out some moves alongside your broom.
Perhaps make up a playlist with say 20 or 30 minutes worth of your favourite songs. That can be like your timer, once the music is finished so can you!
Listen To A Podcast or Audiobook While You Clean And Organize
Sometimes it feels like there are so many other things I’d rather be doing than being stuck cleaning and organizing. That’s where listening to something interesting serves as a distraction from what I’m NOT having fun doing.
Listening to something while tackling unpleasant chores almost feels like you are killing two birds with one stone. You are cleaning and learning something at the same time. Win/win!!
Watch A Cleaning Video On YouTube
Another strategy for how to get motivated to clean and organse is to watch a YouTube video. I like doing this before I get stuck into a task. For example, if I want to clean my pantry I might watch a quick video that will give me tips and suggestions. Plus seeing someone else’s pantry all organised usually gives me enough pantry envy to get the job done quick-smart!
Other times I like to have a cleaning and organising video playing while I clean. I know it might sound strange but having someone cleaning alongside you is very motivating. You almost feel like you are not alone because you are cleaning with a YouTube buddy. Just be careful not to get distracted.
Try A New Cleaning Product
Find a new cleaning product that will motivate you to get started with cleaning. A couple of years ago the Method Cleaning products were constantly being talked about and recommended. They were very appealing too. The cleaning liquids were all pretty colours and they came in nice clear bottles.
I bought some after I had read so many recommendations and got stuck into cleaning. They worked quite well and smelled really nice too. Best of all they motivated me to start tackling my floors and kitchen cupboards.
Reward Yourself
This is another big motivation for me. If I know something I like doing is waiting for me at the other end of the clutter road, then I’m all in!
It doesn’t have to be anything huge. For me, it’s usually an episode or ten of my favourite show. The best part is that once you finish the cleaning task you have assigned yourself you will be able to enjoy your reward guilt-free.
Implement A Regular Cleaning Routine
Once you’ve successfully been able to clean an area of your home. You will definitely be more motivated to keep it clean.
Perhaps consider assigning and delegating chores so everything is not always on you. Set up a doable cleaning schedule that you and your family can regularly carry out.
Cleaning a little each day is probably the safest way to stop the household chores from getting out of control. Furthermore, if you do a little bit every day then you will be able to enjoy your weekends more. No none wants to waste their precious weekend doing housework. No ma’am
Plan To Have Friends or Family Over
This is a huge motivation because you don’t want your friends or family to see your house looking like a mess! Also if you know you’re having guests over on a certain date then you know how many days you have to get your house in order and meet that deadline.
I have a friend who does this. She is naturally hospitable by nature so this is her big motivation. She likes having people over but detests cleaning and organising. If she knows people are coming over then she will get stuck into cleaning no problem.
Set A Timer
Set aside 20 solid minutes to get a cleaning chore done. Keep focused during that time so you can achieve as much as you can. Once the timer goes off then feel free to stop.
You’ve Got This
I really hope that these simple strategies for how to get motivated to clean and organise will be helpful.
Give yourself grace and time, don’t be hard on yourself. Start small and once you see the progress your motivation will grow.
Remember the quote by Sheryl Sandberg “Done is better than perfect”.
Here Are Some Links To Other Cleaning And Organising Posts You Might Find Helpful
Cleaning Hacks For Busy Working Mums
I always do a more thorough clean when expecting visitors! During lockdown we didn’t have visitors, so got a bit relaxed about doing big cleans. Lucky I came across this blog to motivate me again!
Yay!! That’s so great! Thank you for your lovely comment Dori:)
Great tips! These tips work for anything too! Visualization is one of the most important steps to beginning any task that we see as overwhelming. Then instead of making one large goal, you make several small goals, such as spending a short time working on one or two small, but achievable goals. Once that gets done, we naturally feel good and want to continue and we create a routine to get it done. It’s also very important to set a timer like you mentioned. The task will take as long as you allow yourself to work on it.
I totally agree! If I don’t visualize things first I find it really hard to get started. Thank you so much for commenting:)
These are really great tips! I love cleaning and I can’t be productive if the home is a mess. I always clean up any messes first thing in the morning so that I can spend the rest of my day relaxing.
Thanks! Yes, that’s the best way to go. Get all the cleaning out of the way first!:)
Having a cleaning schedule really helps me to stay on top of keeping the house visitor ready lol
Great tips for house cleaning. I mostly get motivated to clean my house when listening to my favourite music.
Podcasts make “housework” possible! 😂 I loathe cleaning, but am happy to crack on if I’ve got a good audiobook – and batch-cooking on a Sunday feels like a real treat (!) because I cook and get my audiobook at the same time.
It’s a win/win! 🙂
Great post! Visualizing a clean space and starting small are such practical and effective tips to stay motivated. I love the idea of using music and podcasts to make cleaning feel less like a chore—makes the process so much more enjoyable! Also, rewarding yourself after finishing a task is a nice way to stay on track. Thanks for these super helpful ideas, I’m definitely going to implement them