New Year’s Cleaning: How to Motivate Yourself to Tidy Up Even When You Don’t Want To

As this year winds down and a new year is right around the corner, people start feeling the need to bring out their mop and get their homes ready for a fresh start. However, sometimes motivation just seems nonexistent when it comes to tidying up, especially if your house has been neglected and is filled with mess and clutter. If that describes you right now, don’t worry — staying on top of household chores doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Read on for some practical, easy-to-follow tips to help you find the discipline and motivation needed.  Food Town can help you keep your home spic-and-span by supplying all the cleaning supplies you need.

1. Create a checklist

Home cleaning without any planning can easily turn into a big mess. So, before you start your New Year’s cleaning, have a walk around your place and take note of all the jobs that need to be done. Having a to-do list helps you understand how much time is needed, schedule your cleaning more efficiently, and ensure that you won’t miss out on any task.

Moreover, if you have lived in your house for a long time, you might have gotten used to it and have a skewed perspective of your surroundings. It might be a good idea to go online and search for some house-cleaning checklists to see if there’s anything you should add to yours.

2. Build the schedule based on your cleaning style

Everyone has their preferred way of cleaning. Some people don’t mind dedicating long hours to get the job done in the shortest time. Others may not have the time or motivation for that and prefer dividing the work into smaller parts to get a little done every day. 

Whether you prefer the marathon cleaning session or the more gradual approach, as long as you are still making progress, any cleaning style will do. So decide which approach will be the best for you, set up a schedule based on your preference, and make an effort to stick with it.

3. Prepare all the cleaning tools beforehand

Just like in any other job, the better prepared you are, the easier the house-cleaning process will be. It would be a real hassle to realize that your vacuum has broken, you have run out of cleaning detergents, or you can’t find your scrubbing brush in the middle of a cleaning session. 

If you don’t want to waste time constantly looking for necessary tools, check your to-do lists and make sure that you have all the needed equipment in your home before cleaning. Putting all the cleaning supplies in one basket makes it much more quick and convenient to move them from room to room.  And if you run out of supplies, don’t worry, Food Town saves you time and money by offering an entire aisle of cleaning supplies. You can do your grocery shopping and household cleaning supply shopping in one stop.

4. Start with an easy task

You are definitely not alone if you find it hard to motivate yourself to start with the cleaning process. To most of us, a thorough house cleaning really seems like a gigantic, endless task when contemplated. In fact, gathering enough motivation to get started is often considered even harder than cleaning itself.

To get over your procrastination, start with a tiny, easy task first — the one that won’t take more than five minutes for you to finish. Once you finish that small task, you might feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that will motivate you to continue on. If not, take a five-minute rest, then start with another one. Take one small step at a time, and soon you will find yourself getting in the flow.

5. Make it fun

House cleaning might not be the most enjoyable thing to do, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Listening to a podcast or singing along to your favorite songs are great ways to speed up your sense of time while cleaning. Also, have some snacks ready so that you have something to enjoy and recharge your energy during the breaks. 

Another way to make the housework more enjoyable (and even memorable) is by sharing it with your family, so get everyone in your house involved. While it doesn’t seem like an interesting group activity at first, sharing chores can be a great opportunity for people to bond and create special memories. 

6. Focus on one task at a time

One of the most common mistakes people make while cleaning their house is doing it room by room, which means they would finish all the cleaning in one room before moving to another. Of course, it’s whatever works for you, but it might be discouraging to spend the whole day cleaning but most of the house still looks like a mess. 

Instead of focusing on one room at a time, try the task-to-task method. Pick one task and do it through the entire house. For example, dust every room first, then move to the vacuum after you have finished dusting. Not only is this approach more convenient and time-sufficient, but it’s also more rewarding emotionally as you can easily see the progress you’ve made.

7. Take it easy

It’s easy to become frustrated with yourself if plans fall through. Yes, you just want to adhere to your set schedule and get this whole house-cleaning thing done as fast as possible. However, life just happens sometimes. And whether it’s because the workload is more than you anticipated or due to unexpected events, it’s not uncommon to find ourselves straying from our original plan.

Even when things don’t go as planned, don’t be too hard on yourself. The stress of trying to keep up with a schedule isn’t necessary and may even make house cleaning more of a chore than it has to be. Taking it slow and easy can help you stay relaxed while working and make the entire process less of a burden. 

8. Make it a habit

So you have finished your New Year’s cleaning and have a pristine, spotless home now. Great job! However, don’t completely neglect cleaning until your house becomes dirty again. 

If you get stuck in the cycle of avoiding cleaning and then having to do all of it at once, your mind will always associate it with feelings of stress and difficulty. In order to change your perception towards house cleaning, try to turn it into your daily habit. The thought of having to clean up your place frequently does sound like a nuisance at first. However, setting aside even 10-15 minutes each day for tidying up can help you stay on top of the mess and ultimately save time in the long run.  Another time saver is to buy your cleaning supplies while buying groceries.  Food Town can help you by offering everything you need at competitive prices. https://www.yourfoodtown.com/

A well-organized, pleasant-looking living environment enhances both mental and physical well-being. By making small yet consistent efforts towards cleanliness, you are actively taking steps to improve every aspect of your life.