Housekeeping Made Motivational!

Housekeeping doesn’t get any easier as we grow older, and we’re not all in the position of being able to afford ‘help.’ So, what’s the answer to getting through the chores in a way that makes them feel manageable and less burdensome? We have a few tips, below, to get you motivated!

Be inspired!

Let’s face it, cleaning isn’t sexy! However, there’s a lot of fun to be had by heading to the net to hunt out new tricks for getting the job done. YouTube videos, such as the one below, will inspire you, or at the very least make you smile (who knew cleaning the shower head could be so easy!).

The ‘get roundtuit’ jar

Is your motivation to start chores a little lacking? If so, on a piece of paper, make a list of your weekly tasks. Get out the scissors and snip each task into a jar. Mix the tasks around. When it’s time to do the chores, take a lucky dip and carry out the one job you pull from the jar.  (You might even like to decorate the jar – or get a little one in your life to do it for you – to make it feel like a more attractive object to dip into.)

Pop on your headphones

Next time you have a cleaning job you’re not looking forward to, tune into an audio book or favourite podcast, and listen while you work. The time will speed by! You might even like to make it a rule you only get to listen to the book when you are on cleaning duty!

Love a pinnie

Get into the habit of donning an apron around the house, and keep a moistened microfibre cloth in its pocket. Next time, as you walk from room to room and notice annoying marks on walls and doors (never use a damp cloth on switches or electrical sockets), the answer to wiping them away is at your fingertips!

Set the oven timer (or your mobile alarm)

Research shows self-imposed distraction is a major cause for jobs taking longer than they should to complete (and jobs taking longer than they should is one of the reasons we put off doing them). To avoid distraction, set your chosen timer for a period of work you know you can sustain (don’t overdo it – be kind to yourself). Set to work, avoiding distractions such as social media chimes or going to the mail box. When the chimer goes off, reward yourself with a break before you set it again.

Yabber, yabber, yabber!

We all have a friend who calls at the most inconvenient of times (just when you’re about to sit down to a meal, watch your favourite TV programme, or head out to the garden). Instead of waiting for the annoying interruption, choose a chore that doesn’t make a lot of background noise, switch your phone to speaker mode, and call your friend to chat while you clean.

Break it up into baskets!

One of the reasons we dread a chore, is it actually has several components, and each one is a chore in itself. There’s the preparation (gathering everything we need such as cleaning cloths and liquids, bowls and buckets). Then there’s carrying out the actual task, followed by clearing up after ourselves, and putting everything away again. Feel more ready to tackle the chore by having a ‘cleaning basket.’ Do your prep the night before by placing everything you need in the basket. When you’ve finished the job, put everything you’ve used back in the basket, stow it out of sight, and attend to the ‘putting away’ later on when you’re feeling fresher.

Check-list Charlie!

What can make a chore (such as cleaning the bathroom) feel exhausting, is trying to decide where it begins and ends. Even after years of doing this job, over and over, many of us are still plagued with indecision. When you break down the chore into bite size pieces (such as: wipe hand basin, polish taps, wipe toilet stand, clean shower drain) and write them on a list, the job feels so much more do-able. Check lists can go in bathroom and kitchen drawers, laundry cupboards, and on the back of your bedroom door. Leave a space on your list to pop a tick beside each micro-chore as you complete it, then when they’re all done, vacate the space pronto!

Housekeeping never gets easier, but it can get more manageable, and even have an element of fun to it. Do you have motivational tips for housekeeping?