Cleaning’s a chore, but here’s how to make it LESS of a chore

Ugh cleaning is the worst. It takes a lot of time and effort that you could spend relaxing after a hard work week, but it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think it is! The trick to effective cleaning comes from making simple changes to your routine, and afterword applying it as much as you can. Cleaning really can be easy, and here are some ways to help you along with the process.

Use a timer

Using a timer for any task you don’t really want to be doing (cleaning, but also any other chore, or work, or whatever) can greatly boost productivity. The Pomodoro Technique is a great example of this (which is named after a tomato timer – Pomodoro is Italian for tomato!) and it involves utilizing 25-minute intervals in which to get work done, and then taking a short break after. By breaking up any task into 25-minute intervals, your brain is much more ready to stay on target and not get distracted. Anything is easy to do for 25 minutes, right? All you have to do is stick with it for that amount of time! You’d be surprised how much you can clean in 25 minutes.

Take before and after photos

For the exact same reasons you’ll see those weight loss before/after screenshots in the infomercials, so too can the principle be applied to a cluttered and messy space. Seeing tangible results side by side will not only encourage you and show you how well you did, but it will give you a wonderful sense of completion and satisfaction when the job is done. When looking at something that magically seems to go from clean to dirty, your mental space will be much more satisfied.

Inspiration leads to energy, leads to cleanliness

It’s funny how easily we can get caught up in our own heads and spaces and forget the outside world, but every time you look at someone else’s apartment and think, “this place is beautiful and clean! I wish my place was like this!” it encourages us to go back and reassess our living spaces, and eventually gives us the drive and desire to clean up. Even if all you do is look at some apartment living blogs and Pinterest accounts before you get started, the positive effects can happen immediately. So get online and start looking at clean apartments so your brain gets jogged into place! Go out and get inspired!