How to Get Motivated to Clean When Overwhelmed by A Mess

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Whether you live alone or with your family, your house tends to become messy most of the time. Especially when there are little kids at home, the mess tends to accelerate under your roof.

This guide will help you learn how to get motivated to clean when overwhelmed by a mess.

How to Get Motivated to Clean When Overwhelmed by a Mess

Go through the following guide to get motivated to clean and declutter.

#1 Find Your Reason

Having reasons for cleaning your home is important. For example, if you’re tired of searching for a dress in your wardrobe, you will be compelled to declutter the mess.

If you have kids at home, it gives you all the reason you need to clean the floor with a disinfectant. It’s your responsibility to maintain a hygienic environment for kids. This may also apply having pets, such as cats, in your home.

A person wearing protective equipment while spraying a disinfectant

Having a clean bathroom and kitchen is an important step towards hygiene. It is a big reason to start cleaning.

All the above examples imply that you get motivated to clean your house only when it is personal to you. Unless and until you feel the need to clean, you will never be convinced about the endeavor. 

#2 Prepare a To-Do List

When you prepare a to-do list, it becomes easier for you to manage the tasks. Keep this list of priority-based tasks always at hand.

Lining up troublesome and challenging tasks in the beginning can exhaust your energy and motivation. It’s better if you pick less challenging tasks first.

For example, you can clean the dining table and shelves first because such tasks will instantly make your place look better and consume less time.

The tasks that are completed quickly will give you inner satisfaction and boost your motivation. When you’re mentally prepared, decluttering your house won’t seem like a problem.

#3 Don’t Get Distracted

Distraction is the biggest enemy of your concentrated effort. Once you get side-tracked, it would be challenging to gather the same amount of motivation.

This also means that you should focus on a single task first. If you leave any task unfinished, you won’t feel like completing it again.

Let’s say you are arranging your clothes in your wardrobe, and you find some unwashed clothes. Instead of keeping them aside, you go to wash them up first. This distraction can pile up a lot of unfinished tasks in the end.

Stick to your first task and then move towards the next. To save yourself from getting distracted, you can note down the task in your to-do list depending on its priority.

#4 Set a Timeline

You probably know how setting your goals can help you achieve better results. When you are about to complete your first task, set the goals for the next task on your priority list.

When you set up a timeline and complete your tasks in an orderly manner, you will be able to clean up your house. Completing the first task will motivate you to start the second one soon.

If your whole house is in a lot of mess, you can set daily goals. You cannot expect yourself to complete all the tasks in a single day. This could also help you manage your time, especially when you are busy.

Set daily goals based on urgency. For example, washing dishes and mopping the floor are essential tasks. Washing clothes and deep cleaning of the house can take a back seat.

#5 Listen to Music and Ask for Help

When you enjoy something, you tend to complete that task sooner.

When cleaning alone, you can put your headphones on or play songs on your speaker. Listening to energetic music while cleaning the house might keep you active for a longer period.

Ask other members of your family to lend a hand. You alone don’t have to go through all the trouble. Obtaining a helping hand in decluttering will reduce your workload and add a little fun to the cleaning process.

If you have teenagers in the house, you can ask them to help you out in tasks like cleaning cushions, arranging tabletops, etc. More the hands, the better it is.

Two persons cleaning together a messy room

#6 Play the Arrangement Game

Before beginning the cleaning process, it is suggested that you clear up the overall mess in a room. For example, toys all over the floor or messy body pillows on the bed, used dishes all over the house, messed-up makeup is to be kept in their place immediately.

To start with, keep all the junk away before you get on to the cleaning part. Put all the broken toys of your kids in a basket and put them away.

Clear up everything that’s scattered on surfaces and slabs in your house. This will be the first step of your deep cleaning process and make it easier for you to complete.

Ensuring nothing is scattered across any room in the house is critical to the process of cleaning. Once you’re done with a room, only then move towards the next room.

#7 Set a Routine

It’s important to develop a clutter-free routine if you’re living by yourself. There are a few clutter-free hacks that might help anyone in the cleaning process.

Maintaining a basket organization system at home helps in maintaining a clutter-free routine. Keep all the kitchen stuff, toiletries, toys, etc., in proper baskets or boxes so that they don’t go missing when you need them.

When you keep everything in its place after using it, the practice keeps your house neat and tidy. Then it won’t take you days to do the deep cleaning.

Clean your house daily; arrange all the stuff, clean all the tabletops, shelves, etc. You can take up the bigger cleaning jobs over the weekend like arranging your cupboard, deep cleaning of the house, etc.

#8 Make Rest Your Reward

Getting rest is extremely important in between intervals. A human body cannot keep working constantly. Hence, taking a rest for some time is essential.

For example, once you’re done cleaning the lobby or a single room, you should take a break for at least 10-15 minutes. This interval is meant for you to relax. You might even want to get a cup of coffee during that time, so you don’t become lazy.

When one of the major tasks on your list is accomplished, you can take a generous break of 40 minutes. Give some time for your body to relax so you can start working back with doubled energy.

The most important thing to understand here is that you have to be patient when cleaning your house. It cannot happen overnight when it’s so messy, it might take a couple of days, and that’s all right.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Reduce the Mess in My House?

If you have an organized system in your house, like kitchen stuff organized in boxes, you won’t see the mess all over your house. When you have a healthy cleaning routine, you won’t become messy at all.

Two persons organizing things with boxes and wrap

What Is the Quickest Way to Clean a Messy House?

A big mess isn’t easy to clean. However, keeping used dishes in the sink, picking up laundry in a basket, and picking up all the scattered toys can accelerate the cleaning process.

Conclusion

Cleaning a big mess requires a great amount of motivation. Using some of these tips will help you stay on track and keep your home clutter-free and welcoming.