I don’t know about you, but a messy and cluttered house stresses me out! It makes me feel overwhelmed and distracted. In the past, I have tried to talk myself out of caring. I have 4 kids that aren’t very good at cleaning up after themselves (no matter how many times I tell them we don’t have a maid). Although, I think they do think they have a maid and they think that person is me. I however, have never had the desire for that to be my profession.
Some people actually like to clean, so I’ve heard. I’m am not included in that group and probably never will be. I do love the end results though. I would love to have a clean, uncluttered house all the time. Having an organized and clean house seems to give me a better mindset. In other words, it promotes positive mental health.
Make a plan to clean your house and improve your mental health
It took me a while to realize how much extra stress I felt when the house wasn’t cleaned up. I realized a clean house lead to a calmer mind. I could no longer wait for someone to invent a self cleaning house, so I figured I had to have a plan to deal with the problem. Obviously, I didn’t want to spend most of my waking hours achieving my goals of a clean and organized living space. I usually look at my schedule at the beginning of the week and declare one of the days “cleaning day”. That is the day that I spend putting things back in their places, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping, and maybe even doing a little laundry.
I feel that if I get most of the big stuff out of the way in one day then I can more easily maintain the condition of the house by just doing little things here and there throughout the week. Sometimes I’ll set a timer for 10-20 minutes and do a quick speed clean throughout the house or in one particular area. It’s amazing what can get done in that short period of time, especially if you turn on some good music. I think the race against the clock helps too. You might feel like you’re getting a little extra bonus workout in as well!
Declutter your house and mind
A major problem with decluttering is not having a designated place to put everything. You might just simply have too much stuff. You might have to focus on cluttered areas during chunks of free time. Start by getting rid of the stuff that isn’t needed or used and then find a way to reorganize what’s left. It might take some time to get it how you want, but it will be worth it in the end. Of course, after you get rid of the extra stuff, you have to be careful about not bringing more unneeded stuff back into your house. Getting rid of the distraction of clutter in your house will free you up to focus on more important things in your life.
Getting most of the cleaning out of the way in one day gives me more time to work on bigger projects around the house. It also allows me more time go meet up for coffee or a walk with friends without feeling guilty. I don’t have to constantly think about all of the things I should be doing instead. I definitely don’t consider myself to be an expert in this area. What I do know is that a clean house leads to better mental health though. If you have any time saving cleaning hacks that would make it even easier for me and other people that can’t stand the mess anymore, please let me in on them.
