8 Cleaning Habits I’ve Learned that Help Destroy the Overwhelm

I have this strange love/hate relationship with cleaning.

You have NO idea how weird it is.

There’s a part of me that finds it kind of therapeutic; it feels wonderful to see things come together and look so inviting and clean.

But then I also hate it because a lot of the time,  I struggle to keep it that way. It gets so discouraging to start to see things pile up and get messy again that I get overwhelmed and try not to think about it. Which only leads to it getting much worse.

Anyone else like this too? 😬 

But recently, I’ve been learning about how other people deal with messes and how they’re able to keep their place clean. And honestly, it’s been encouraging!

So I thought I’d hop on today to share with you some tips that have made things easier for me. Enjoy! 🙂

How I Got Rid of the Discouragement

I remember feeling so frustrated at myself that I couldn’t be like one of those people that always seem to have a perfect house.

You know, the person where you come over and they’re like, “I’m sorry my house is a mess!” And you look behind them and see an immaculate room (almost as bad as those people who can draw and tell you that their art is trash when it’s basically a masterpiece).

But then, I saw something that helped change my perspective. Two things actually.

There was a post, I believe, that I saw on Instagram where someone was talking about how keeping a clean home was a daily thing for them. And to me, these people had the perfect home. A home that never got messy because they had the perfect habits.

But that wasn’t the case for them. The only reason why they had a clean home was because they straightened it up daily. They weren’t some super humans, they were just… people who decided to just do it.  To just clean the home daily and not make a fuss about it.

And the second thing (also hailing from the internet 😅) was a meme (I know, I’m super sophisticated) that was basically saying how it felt like a never ending chore to keep the home clean. That once you cleaned it, it was suddenly messy again.

This just really helped me realize how not alone I was and how I needed to understand that I wasn’t some loser who couldn’t get it right. I was human and that was ok. But it was also possible for me to evolve into someone who was able to keep things straightened.

Side Note: If you want a great system for keeping your home consistently clean, then check out my 100+ page Home Organization & Cleaning Binder here. 🙂

If it’s Under 60 Seconds… Do It

This one has really helped me see things differently. 

It’s honestly so easy to see that shirt on the ground or the trash in the garbage and go, “Yeah, I’ll get it later.” But then all those tiny, under 1-minute things, pile up. And soon you have an hour’s worth of cleaning to finish.

So what I learned was, hey, if it’s under 60 seconds, just go for it. Do it fast and finish it. That way, when you accomplish these small things, you have more time for the big and important things in life.

This Mindset Hack

I was listening to this woman’s video and she talked about how once she stopped having the mindset that cleaning was a hassle and an annoying chore to do, it suddenly became so much easier. Instead of complaining that it was frustrating, she just started looking at cleaning as a part of life. Just something you do like eating or sleeping or taking a shower. 

And what she ALSO noticed was this; once she stopped complaining about it, then her kids stopped complaining as well and started to see it as something that you “just do.”   

Time Block

Whatever task you’re doing will expand to however much time you give yourself.

So if you don’t have a time limit for yourself to clean, then it can be easy to be done whenever and take way longer than you need to.

And I’ve personally found that if you give yourself a certain amount of time to finish something, you usually find a way to make it happen.

I learned about this in a story (yay story time! 😂 ) where a professor told his student to finish his (extremely) long essay in 12 hours. Of course the student complained, but the professor insisted.

If he had given him 2 weeks to do it, he would have found a way to make it take exactly 2 week to finish the essay (he wouldn’t have finished it before or after, but on the deadline).

And sure enough, the student finished it within that time frame and did VERY well.

In fact… he did incredible because he knew he had to put in the extra effort to really make sure it did good.

So I feel that this is a super important hack for making sure your home gets clean WAY faster!

The Habit of Multi-Tasking

Another thing that helped make keeping the place clean was multi tasking

So for instance, taking out the trash when I left for the co-working space. If I’m already going out, I might as well take the trash out so that I don’t have to deal with it later when I’m in my pajamas and cozy.

Or cleaning up as I go when cooking. Oh, there are some dishes in the sink while the rice boils? Cool, I’ll get that. I got some flour on the countertop? That’s fine. I’ll just put the flour away and clean it up while the batter is being mixed in the Kitchen Aid.

That way, you feel extra productive by doing two things at once and kinda feel cool. 😉 

Cleaning Up as You Go

I know this is similar to the multi-tasking tip above, but it really is good to go over.

I feel that it’s super important, that no matter what you’re doing (ex. cooking or doing a project), to keep things clean as you go.

That way, once you’re finished, you don’t get to the end and go “Oh gosh… look at this mess.” Instead you go, “Wow, there’s not much left to clean up… let’s finish it off.”

Understanding Your Why

I know this sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You need to understand your why.

Why do you want a clean house? 

Once you find your why, you’re more likely to actually stick to it because a “why” is always important to you.

And this could be anything from “I deserve to live in a clean home” to “I want my family and myself to feel relaxed in the home they live in.”

It’s up to you to find that why, but once you do, it’s a great hack for keeping your home under control.

Have Something to Treat Yourself with at the End

And of course,  treating yourself is always a good motivation for getting the cleaning done that very day.

Here are a few things you can do: 😊 

• Have a nice bath with your favorite skincare products (and maybe some candles?).
• Cuddle up with a hot cup of something while you watch Netflix or read a book (and don’t forge the cozy blanket and snacks!).
• Grab a cup of coffee or make your own.
• Uber Eats something you’ve been craving.
• Face Time with a good friend (or, if it’s post-Covid, have them come over to your newly clean home and hang out in person).

It’s up to you! 🙂

What are your best cleaning tips? Tell me in the comments down below; I’d love to hear about them (& maybe add them to a future blog post 😉 )! 

Also, like I mentioned above, if you ever want to have a great system for keeping your home clean & organized (consistently), then click here to get my 100+ page Home Organization & Cleaning Binder! 🙂

Silas & Grace

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Chasing Foxes was started in 2016 as a way for Grace and her husband, Silas, to start traveling. However, they started to realize that they had a passion for improving themselves, and wanted to help others level up their lives as well. So whether it's with cooking, travel, or staying healthy, they want to help you better your life bit by bit, as they do the same.