Beat Overwhelm : Win Motivation and Clean the House

Cleaning house is an ongoing task. And when it feels like things have gotten behind and out of hand, the easiest thing is to just ignore it go on.

But that doesn’t fix the dirty house problem. And how does one get the motivation to start cleaning when it all looks so overwhelming?

Get motivated to clean your house by first starting with small tasks. This leads to small wins which promotes motivation to tackle the larger tasks.

And it’s the big tasks that are the most overwhelming, right? The small tasks are easy and don’t take much time.

But the larger ones like cleaning up all the clutter or washing floors are so often what brings on discouragement.

And that’s what you want to avoid. Because you do want a clean house! It just seems so hard to get there.

But come on, let’s work at that motivation and see if there isn’t a way to get motivated to keep going and get the house cleaned, without falling apart.

Take Care of Yourself

It’s easy to focus on taking care of the house, cooking, doing laundry and all the other tasks that come with homemaking, but for some reason the homemaker doesn’t take enough time for herself.

And that can be a problem because she gets overwhelmed a lot easier when she doesn’t take care of herself. I know what it’s like because I do it all the time.

Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. It’s giving yourself the same compassion you would give to someone else in your shoes.

Yes, it’s hard to do because it does feel selfish. And it’s hard to not feel guilty about it. But it’s necessary so that you can avoid burn out and overwhelm.

Taking care of yourself can be done in small ways like taking a break and drinking your favorite drink, or doing something you really enjoy.

It can even be something as simple as lighting a candle.

Do small things for yourself throughout the day. It will give you motivation.

Examine the Source of Overwhelm

If you really think about what it is that makes you feel overwhelmed, do you think it’s the mess and dirt or is it something else?

When I have analyzed my thoughts, I have realized that there are many thoughts other than the dirtiness and mess that were making me feel overwhelmed.

And these thoughts are the same from when I was a newlywed, to now as a mom of 5.

The overwhelm didn’t come from a lot of mess back then because there wasn’t a lot of mess. At least not as much as now! 😉

There are pressures, my friend! Pressures that we put on ourselves. Pressure to match up and keep our house as clean as “Mrs. Jones”.

Keep it as clean as I think others think I should, my husband, my mom, my friends.

I put a lot of pressure on myself. And you probably do to, although, possibly not in exactly the same way.

Take a listen inside yourself and listen to what you are saying. Is it positive or do you need to change some wording?

There may be some “I shoulds” that are being said.

I should clean more often. I should get rid of some stuff. I should get my children to clean up more often.

All those things are legitimate, but when it starts with “I should” that right away puts pressure on. And you don’t need that.

Instead, change the “I should” to “I want” or “I would like to”. It takes off the pressure.

I want to clean more often. I would like to clean up that cabinet drawer. Instead of ” I should clean more often”, or I should clean out that drawer”.

Try that in your head. Can you tell the difference in how the statement makes you feel?

“Shoulds” produce pressure.

Even if you don’t like cleaning, saying “want” or “like” instead of “should” simply means it’s a desire instead of the panicky feeling of “should have, but didn’t”.

Get Motivated by Starting Small

The crazy part about cleaning house is that there are so many areas to clean but only so many hours in a day. Plus, it doesn’t take long after cleaning for it to be dirty again.

Which makes any homemaker feel like she’s taking 3 steps back for every step forward.

But, giving up doesn’t look like an option because that means it will just get worse. Besides, the energy level being really really low.

Then here’s what you do.

• start small
• time yourself
• make a backwards to-do list

Just do a little bit at a time.

Simply choose one small task to do that you feel would make a difference. Maybe it’s cleaning the sink and toilet in the bathroom.

Yes, the whole bathroom may need cleaning, but the sink and toilet are the most important.

Or maybe you could empty the dishwasher or clean one kitchen counter.

Time yourself for just 5 minutes and clean until the timer rings. It really is amazing how much can actually get done in 5 minutes!

And once you can see for yourself what can get done in that little amount of time, you’ll be more ready to tackle the next thing.

Setting a stopwatch and cleaning the bathroom or another place in your house can help too so that you can see exactly how long it takes to clean. And then you know for next time how long it will take you.

This is where the momentum starts and you will feel so much more like it’s doable to keep going.

Now for the backwards to-do list. Instead of writing down all the things you want to do today, write down each task you accomplish.

Write down everything from getting out of bed to brushing your teeth to eating breakfast. It’s amazing what writing down each thing does! It gives you a visual of what you have actually done today.

Stay Motivated by Adding Accountability

Being accountable to someone besides yourself is sometimes the only thing you need to stay motivated.

It’s as simple as posting your to-do list on the fridge. The traditional to-do list that is. The one with all the tasks that you want to get done today on it.

Once you have it on the fridge, everyone in the house can see it. They may not even look at it, but being on the fridge makes it “public” and now there’s no turning back.

Another way to be accountable is just telling someone what your plans are. It can be anyone, even a child.

If I tell my 6-year-old I plan to wash floors today, he will likely remind me somewhere along the way. But even if he didn’t, saying it out loud somehow makes the plan more concrete.

Remember though, you’re starting small, so don’t put a lot on that list. Three items on your to-do list is enough.

And that is another way to stay motivated. A short to-do list is so much easier to get through! And how fun is it to be able to check off ALL the items on that list!

Besides that, since you are accountable to someone other than yourself, you have the fun of telling them that you got through all your list and still have time left for something else!

Take Breaks and Scale Expectations

Here comes the fun part. Taking breaks. Who doesn’t like taking a break and reading a book, chatting with a friend or drinking coffee and eating chocolate?

I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t enjoy one of those.

So you have been cleaning for 15 minutes. Take a break. Eat some chocolate. Give yourself a little reward. And then go at it again.

Clean a little. Take a little break. Or clean longer and take a longer break. Whatever works for you. Just make sure you take breaks. Fuel up as it were.

And even if you have a to-do list posted, write a backwards one as well. That will give you double motivation. Because in reality, you are always doing side jobs.

If you’re cleaning the bathroom, you might be throwing a load in the washer. Or if you are washing floors you are likely tidying up as you go.

It all adds up to quite a bit in the end! Woohoo!

Now it’s time to scale your expectations.

Meaning, your cleaning plans as you move forward. How often do you want to clean your house?

Cleaning the whole house every week is ideal, right?

Is it real though? What feelings do you get when you think about doing this all over again next week?

Are they feelings of overwhelm? Do you feel discouraged again and start losing that motivation?

If so, how does it feel when you think about doing it in 2 weeks time? Does that feel better?

Really, there are areas of the house that can wait longer than you think. And remember that you are cleaning for you and not anybody else. You clean at your own pace and on your timeline.

As you move forward and keep cleaning, you’ll get into the swing of things and pretty soon you’ll feel on top of it.

And cleaning won’t feel like such a big deal because you have started to develop a cleaning system that works for you.

Conclusion

In the end, my friend, all you want is a clean house that you can relax in, right?

So scale back in your expectations, start small and just clean one small space. The more you keep moving the more you’ll feel like doing more.

Remember that this is for you. You want a clean house so that you can feel peaceful and safe. And once you feel that way, it’s going to feel the same for anyone else that steps into your home.

Also, don’t forget that you only need 3 items on that to-do list. 😊

You got this!

What is your worst place to clean in your house?

Let me know in the comments below!