I am not the most naturally clean or organized person – which means I have to be really intentional about keeping my place picked up. Once I start to slide, my brain does a 180 and my place can go from a cute and organized to a complete war-zone in days. (My current situation) Once it’s at this phase, it can be hard for me to find the motivation to clean everything back up because it just seems so overwhelming.
I love finding little brain hacks that help me to live a better life. Even though the current state of my apartment may not reflect this – I truly do think that a clean home is vital to living a peaceful life. It’s hard to relax or feel creatively inspired (for me anyway) when I’m having to step over piles of clothing, empty boxes and god knows what else to get around.
When I am doing a good job of keeping my place picked up and organized – I find that I have so much more free time on the weekends as well. Instead of spending hours on a Saturday cleaning my house – there is very minimal work to do. I really want to get back to that place and so I want to share with you all one trick that has really helped me to find the motivation to get started – and then keep the ball rolling.
The 10 Minute Rule
You can do anything if It’s only for 10 minutes right? Sometimes our brains just need a little mental trick to get started. I understand that there are people in this world that just naturally keep their homes in perfect order every day. If that’s you – then this may not apply to you. If you are like me though – and need a little motivation to stay on top of house chores, then keep reading! This little hack really helps me and I hope it will help you as well.
Here are the steps:
Set a timer for 10 minutes
That’s right – you only have to clean for 10 minutes and then you have complete permission to stop for the day! Setting a timer makes it feel more official and like I’ve really accomplished something at the end.
Start in the area that needs the most work
Is your kitchen overflowing with dishes? Are you almost out of clean clothes and need to get a load of laundry started? Is the living room littered with random items that were dropped there? Pick the area that seems to be causing you the most frustration and start there.
Get as MUCH done as you can in 10 minutes!
Your whole goal is to get as much done as you can in 10 minutes. Our brains LOVE challenges, and so I find this to be pretty energizing. I’ll put on some fun music, and go to town until the timer goes off!
That’s it – you’re done!
You fulfilled your promise to yourself – you only had to clean for 10 minutes. I am often shocked at how much I was able to get done in that short period of time.
If you are feeling motivated – keep going
The nice thing about the timer, is that if 10 minutes is all you had today – then that’s great. I often find that I’m so motivated by how much I was able to get done in the first 10 minutes, that I want to keep going. I’ll often set a second timer and then clean until that one goes off. Occasionally I go for a third, but by then, I’m usually feeling pretty satisfied with what I accomplished.
Picking your 10 Minute Slot
If possible, try to pick a time of day that you can consistently spare 10 minutes. For me, I am going to do it first thing when I get home from work. If I let myself sit to relax, or get started on a project – I’ll likely end up skipping my 10 minute cleaning session because I’ll be wrapped up in something else. That’s why I think doing it immediately when I get home is going to work best for me.
For others, fitting it into the morning before work may be better. There can often be events or things to do after work in the evenings – which may kick you off track. If so, carving out your time slot in the morning may prove to be a more consistent timeframe for you.
I work from 6:30-3 most days and so I have zero desire to get up any earlier to clean my house. The afternoon works better for me because I rarely have commitments until 5pm or later. Since I get off at three – I really have no excuse!
I hope that you found this helpful and maybe it will even inspire you to try something new. Different things work for different people, but I’ve found this little trick to be a game changer for me.
Peace and love my friends!
