Motivational Tip #5

Choose one room of your home and go on a treasure hunt.  Find the most valuable/useful things in that room.  Now look at the other things in that room.  How many of them can you get rid of?

If the thought of going on a treasure hunt does not motivate you, read this article:

STUFF AND THINGS - The 75 Things Movement, Minimalism and Freedom

Now, I should confess upfront that I am not a minimalist, and probably never will be.  For one thing, I like my books too much.  Real books -- not computerised ones!  Never the less, I found this article motivations.  Imagine living with only 75 possessions.  What would you keep? 

Motivational Tip #4

Find some music that really gets you moving, in an organized mannor, and start cleaning with it.  If the first thing you try does not motivate you, try something else.  Pick CDs or play lists that are a good length for the amount of cleaning you want to get done, then work until the music stops.

I have about five CDs that I enjoy listening to while I clean, and there is one in particular that really gets me moving.  I can't identify what it is that I really like about the CD, except that I find it easy to focus on the why of my cleaning while it is playing.  I have used this one CD so much while cleaning, that I almost *have* to clean while I listen to it--which is very distracting in the vehicle!  (Don't try to clean and drive.)

Motivitional Tip #3

Here is an article for you, written by SliverOfData.

How to Keep your House Looking Clean

There are a number of tips for quickly making your home look decent, especially if you are expecting company shortly.  For me, the best tip was:

"Once you've finished your quick cleaning, and your guests arrive, don't apologize for the state of your home. Guests come to see the host/hostess, not the house. Unexpected company, especially, will understand if everything isn't perfect."

Motivational Tip #2

Do the worst job first!

There is something that you know needs to be done, but are dreading doing.  You try to do other things, but just want to go back to bed -- to hide under the covers.  Let me tell you what:  There is nothing like just getting it done and over with. 

The other day, it was time to pay the bills  I hate that job!  And yet it comes twice a month...  I had managed to put it off for several days, but the due dates just kept getting closer, and I hate late fees even more than paying the bills, so decided it had to be done.  Done today.  But, I would clean my bathroom first, and help the little boys pick up there room, and weed the garden and then tend to some of my daily chores.  There would be plenty of time to get the bills paid!  Yah.  Right.  I cleaned my bathroom, sort of.  It did look a little better than when I had begun.  Then I mosied outside, determined to do better at weeding, but after wandering around the garden for half an hour, I decided it was time for a break.  It was only after I had a glass of water in my hand that I realized I had not pulled a single weed the entire time I was out there.  I attempted to do some other things, I even tried to write several articles, but nothing good came about.  Finally, I realized, I just didn't want to pay the bills and that nothing was going to change until they were out of the way. 

Time to bit the bullet.  Sit down.  Getter done!  It was 5 pm.  I had wasted the whole day, not paying the bills.  By 5:30, the bills were all paid, recorded, stamped and ready to go.  And I finally had energy!  Energy and ideas!  I cooked a good supper and cleaned up several other things that had been bothering me all day.  Today, I started with the most unpleasant chore:  Admitting to my husband that I had lost a tool he had loaned me, and had no ideas left as to where to look for it.  *embarrassing*

He found the tool a few hours later.  It was on his work bench, probably where I had set it moments after he had entrusted me with it.  *relief*  And I got quite a bit done today. 

Doing the worst job first is a trick I learned from reading the Little House books as a child.  When Laura was a teen she had a job at the local General Store, sewing shirts.  She hated making button holes, so always did them as soon as she could, and as quickly as possible.  She did such a good job at them, that her boss complimented her, thinking it was her favorite part of shirt making.  She did it so that she could enjoy the rest of the prosses.

Motivational Tip # 1

Pick up and deal with five things, or groups of things, from each room in your house. 

Five seems to be an ideal number for me.  I have tried ten, and often get distracted before I am done.  I have tried three, and that works too, but does not make the impact on the room that I wish to make.  Five gets me moving and makes a small difference through out my home.

When I run out of obvious things to deal with, I begin cleaning.  When there is nothing that needs to be cleaned, I begin removing clutter, one surface, drawer or shelf at a time.

This last week I have been busy with family visiting and have not had time for my regular routines.  By taking a few minutes to pick up and put away or throw away five things from each room, each morning, I have kept on top of things and even improved some areas that I had been neglecting.

In the afternoon, after laying the kids down for thier naps, I have been going throughout the house again, taking care of three things this time around and doing a load of laundry. 

I find that working in all parts of the home helps to keep a balance.  When I work to improve just one room, the house feels unbalanced and my family will compensate by creating messes in the other parts of the home.  This can be very frustrating, but it is a natural reaction.  This is why making real change is much more affective than going on a cleaning spree.  This tip helps to make real change.

Get Me Moving! Motivate Me to Clean!

The motivation to clean comes and goes, like the tide.  The need to clean, however, does not, especially when you have a family!  Cleaning can seem like a non-stop chore, but it does not have to be.   There are ways of getting your home clean and enjoying the day, without hiring a maid. 

As I find things that motivate me or articles that inspire, I will post them as 'Motivational Tip # __ '.  I will also be tagging them by type, so that you can easily brows the ones most likely to motivate you.

If you need something, right now, go pick up all of the trash you can find laying around your home.  It will give you a sense of accomplishment and make a difference in the way your home appears and feels.

When the trash is gone, pick up the dirty laundry and deposit it in a hamper.  If you have a washing machine in your home, start a load!  Set a timer for one hour, so that you don't forget to move it over to the dryer or hang it out when it is done.

Now, plan what you are having for supper and get anything frozen thawing.  Decide when you need to begin cooking and clear the table, so that you have a place to eat.

Make the Necessary Changes

One of the most useful things you can learn to do is to put away what ever it is you are using, when you are done with it.  Learn to do this yourself and teach your children.  It will cut down on the amount of clutter and misplaced items around your home.  It is simple enough, that even a toddler can learn...

But what if your things don't have a place? 

Organized people love to say, "A place for everything and everything in it's place."  And they are right.  As much as I hate to admit it, they are right.  I wish there was an easier way, but there is not!  If you want order, then the things you own need a place.  A place that is accessible and orderly.  As I told my children the other day, "Your closet may be where that belongs, but if you just throw it on the floor, you will not be able to find it when you need it!"  They knew I was right, because the closet floor was three feet deep with stuff, and they were in tears trying to find their things.   After my little lecture, we hauled everything out of the closet, threw all of the trash away, sorted through what was left, putting away the things that readily had a place, and then made decisions on the few things that were left.  The things that they did not value enough to find a place for were given away.

In my opinion, getting rid of clutter is the hardest part of cleaning.  What do you hold onto and what do you get rid of?  The best advice I have found came from the book, Throw Out Fifty Things, by Gail Blanke.  She said to keep things that are loved, beautiful and useful.  She said to get rid of things that weigh you down or are not loved, beautiful or useful.  She also said to get rid of anything that you hesitate on.  Those hesitations were the part that had always kept me from feeling like I had succeeded.  Now I know that if I look at something and hem and ha over what to do with it, it needs to be given away.  Plain and simple!

Don't let the cleaning and organizing overwhelm you.  Do what you can, do what you know.  I realize the mess is fustrating, but you will burn out quickly without regular breaks.