How can I get really motivated about doing some heavy house cleaning and organizing?

Question

I'm an adult living with my Mother and we live in a very large, old house with tons of antiques that collect dust. When my parents were together when I was a child, we had a housekeeper. However, I my Mom and my sister and I did housework and yardwork as well. I'll admit that I'm lazy but I'm a little bit more overwhelmed. I can't expect my 66 yr. old mother to do all this and we can't afford help right now. Oh, did I mention we have a large yard with tons of trees and about a million leaves that need raking? The house is getting really gross and dusty and I'm a nervous wreck, please give me suggestions and don't tell me to get off my lazy you know what or I'll report you. Please help.

Answer 1

Maybe you are overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done. Take it one step at a time. You dont have to do it all in one day. Do one room at a time. Maybe one room a day.

Bartering can also be an option. Get on craigslist and see if there is anything you are willing to barter for cleaning services.

Or...you could sell something in order to be able to pay for cleaning services once, after that, its easier to keep up.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

I don't know if this will work for you but it definitely works for me... I turn on music very loudly!!! Either that or put on head phones and turn the volume up. Some might concider me a bit lazy because I have a hard time getting up and going. I'll sit and look at the mess I need to clean or the objects that need to be dusted and get overwhelmed because there is so much to be done. We are actually concidered perfectionists. Strange but true. Anyway, when I'm dusting I always listen to Barbra Striesand or Celine Dion. Those two will get me through a whole day of dusting. But if I'm washing windows, cleaning counters that were in need a month before I prefer something a little more upbeat. I give myself deadlines of when certain things need to be finished. Example... If I'm dusting I'll give myself until the end of a certain song on the CD. It never fails me. Seems kind of silly because I'm just playing a game with myself but it works for me. Just keep trying different things. You'll find your game and you'll be happy in the long run. Also remember that you don't have to do it ALL in one day. Pick certain rooms to tackle for different days of the week. And about the leaves. I hear ya sister... :) We have 5 acres that are surrounded with trees and also have trees throughout. It's a little late for this year but I've learned that it's a great idea to run the lawn mower even after the grass has stopped growing. It will mulch up the leaves and you'll have a more beautiful lawn the next year. You'll have to do it several times after they start falling. Before I learned this I use to invite nieces, nephews and friend's children over. They would all rake and have a great fun day doing it. I would give them snacks and at the end of their raking they got to play the Colored Egg game. Maybe if you have children in your neighborhood you could invite them to a leaf raking party. Who ever rakes the most leaves (the biggest pile) gets the biggest prize. And so on from there. It could be cheaper than hiring someone to do it and you could have a fun filled day. They may even look forward to doing it next year. Good luck to you and God Bless!

Answer 3

Hey there Jenni!! I am very anally organized!! I like to call my style "military planning". First, you CANNOT get overwhelmed..you need to plan out which area needs to be tackled first, and which area can wait. I suggest starting w/ the areas used most, the kitchen and bath. As far as all the dusty areas are concerned, you need to get a good polish, I like to use Pledge clean and dust. That will get rid of all those allergens that have been lingering and it will last longer than regular dry dusting, eliminating the need to dust every day. You have to stick w/ whatever room you start in..dont start one room until the one you are currently cleaning is done. The yard can be a group effort..especially if you have kids..they love to rake and put the leaves in bags!! Try to suggest to ur mom that some of the antiques are fragile and need to be either packed up and put away..or maybe they just need to be put on ebay!! I wish you luck!!

Answer 4

Start in the least dirty room and go from there. It will help you build up your energy to tackle the worse rooms. My aunt lives in a big 2 story with 4 bedrooms and she's a pack-rat so I see where your coming from. I have helped her every year to clean her house completely and this always works for me. Her bathroom is usually the least dirty and the spare unused bedrooms and living-room is always the worst. So maybe try this order Bath(s), laundry-room (so you will have laundry already going), used bedrooms, kitchen, dining-room, unused rooms. Find a place to put things that don't have a planned spot yet and don't forget to check laundry as you go along and takes a break every once in awhile for about 10 minutes.
As far as outside goes- I would find a nice hardworking teenager and offer them a job to rake leaves, etc. and decide on a fair price to pay. You might find one you that you think works good for you and keep him/her working on a regular basis. Ask around in the neighborhood a lot of people hire teenagers to cut grass for summer. It will help a teenager learn good work ethics and help you out with your housework ;)

Answer 5

Set a time limit and break the work into smaller sessions. I often set a timer for 60 minutes. I'll work hard until the timer goes off -- it's amazing what you can do in 60 minutes! (Or choose to work in 30-minute sessions if you want!)

Or sometimes I'll use a favorite CD as my timer. I'll pop it in the stereo and work hard at cleaning/organizing/whatever for the entire length of that CD. Again - you can get a lot done in a short amount of time. And you don't have to do it all at once! Short sessions can really be helpful.

Good luck!

Answer 6

The thing that always gets me motivated is knowing that people are coming over.

Or I try doing one big clean, then after that I do what I call maintenance. Just turn the radio on and go to town.

Basically taking the extra steps it takes to make sure that by the end of the day the house was left in as good or better shape than it was at the start of the day.

Set mini goals. Only allow yourself to do something once you've gotten so much accomplished. Like no tv untill you have the first load of laundry in the washer.

Answer 7

Try picking one room at a time. Get that one in order, don't even think about the rest of the house. Then before you start on anything else when cleaning, go through that room and staighten it. That will keep that one from getting too bad. Eventually, once you've gone through all the rooms in your house it will be all up-keep and not so overwhelming.

Answer 8

honestly, take it one step at a time. i dread cleaning and b/c i live alone, i can take my time, and it takes me forever to get motivated. i won't even say do one room at a time b/c that can be just as overwhelming. literally take one corner at a time. it may take a while, but as you accomplish tasks, you'll feel better, and before long, it will be done. don't put yourself on a time restraint, either; just take it one step at a time. wish i lived close, i'd love to help you. just wish i had the same energy to do my own, lol.

Answer 9

well first things first... Don't look at the picture in a whole, because then you will feel overwhelmed... Tackle one thing at a time, one weekend, rake the leaces, cut the grass etc..., next week, dust, change curtains, sheets etc...

Limit yourself to doing one thing at a time and you will see that you'll get everything done.

Answer 10

Open the house up and let the fresh air in, get the radio on and once you get started you wont want to stop. i have the same problem with getting motivated as wel and the house gets out of control....