I love a clean house but hate doing the cleaning. When I was a young wife I had many rules about cleaning my house. For example, I had to clean the entire house whenever I cleaned. If I didn’t have time to clean the whole house I waited until I had time. Now that I am older, I never have time or desire to clean my entire house on the same day. Each time I start a major cleaning project, I believe this time things will be different. I make a list, reward myself with stickers, money or other treats to motivate myself. I have even hired someone to clean beside me. Last time I did this was on Halloween day 2013. It was great and the house was wonderfully clean in three hours and only cost me $50. I had a plan to clean with this woman every six weeks. That was six months ago. I do clean my house, just not all at once. I have made new rules for myself. I set the timer for fifteen minutes several times a week and focus on cleaning and de-cluttering as much of the house as I can. I gave myself permission to clean parts of the house. There are certain chores I do every day. For example, I make the bed, clean the kitchen and bathroom sinks, put all dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down the shower. Cleaning the house several times a week for fifteen minutes is more like a game and less like a chore. My cleaning jobs have a beginning and end time and this keeps me motivated. Sometimes I even add on a few extra minutes to my cleaning time. Cleaning is still not my favorite thing to do, but cleaning for fifteen minutes is satisfying and productive.
