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Looking for motivation to keep my place clean.

Metalhead

Metalhead

Video game and movie addict.
V.I.P Member
It seems like every other week I am playing catch up on my household chores to keep my place clean and spotless. Most of the time, I just want to sit in front of my television and let the beer cans pile up around me and the dishes pile up in the sink. I know I would be happier if I just stayed on top of everything and kept work before play. Laziness is a bad habit and it is also one of the seven deadly sins.

To those of you who are able to stay on top of household duties - what keeps the motivation up? I live alone, so it is ridiculously easy for me to fall into bad domestic bachelor pad habits. I do make sure to keep taking the trash out, and I do keep my bathroom clean, but my kitchen is a mess and my living room is cluttered, and there are clean clothes in a basket in my bedroom that need to be put away. Plus I need to vacuum the carpets and dust the furniture. All work could be done in just a couple of hours if I just put my mind to it, but I am of the Nation of Procasti.
 
@KagamineLen I can only commiserate, housework just piles up around me too....I can get my head in the right place for pretty much anything - even stuff that is not me at all. Sole exception: housework, it sucks, it blows and it wont take out the garbage
 
I think you need to clean a room at a time. So it's not some impossible task in your mind. Do it in pieces, dishes, counters, floor. My motivation is that I was raised to do these things on a regular basis, so it's routine and repititious. Saturday morning while my Mother baked, I ironed all of our clothing, cleaned my bedroom, changed sheets.

Can't really relax all that much if my place is in disarray. It's a priority for me that work comes before play. As well, I more content and relaxed after tasks are completed, and feel as if I've earned my rest. Find myself agitated even annoyed when things are messy, but that may have something to do with OCD.

Often I don't want to do these things, I'd rather play video games, go for a walk. Yet, when I see dirt around the house, I'm disgusted and unhappy. So I'd much rather not be. I wear white socks everywhere in the home, and if they become dusty or dirty, I'll clean.
 
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Mia said:
I think you need to clean a room at a time. So it's not some impossible task in your mind. Do it in pieces, dishes, counters, floor. My motivation is that I was raised to do these things on a regular basis. Saturday morning while my Mother baked, I ironed all of our clothing, cleaned my bedroom, changed sheets.

Can't really relax all that much if my place is in disarray. It's a priority for me that work comes before play. As well, I more content and relaxed after tasks are completed, and feel as if I've earned my rest. Find myself agitated even annoyed when things are messy, but that my have something to do with OCD.

Often I don't want to do these things, I'd rather play video games, go for a walk. Yet, when I see dirt around the house, I'm disgusted and unhappy. So I'd much rather not be. I wear white socks everywhere in the home, and if they become dusty or dirty, I'll clean.
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I think I will start by tackling the kitchen when I get home, then. That is the biggest disaster area in my place, everything else will be simpler in comparison.
 
I struggle with this, too. Zero motivation at the moment, mainly because I work and don't have much energy for anything else. Also, I resent chores taking up all me free time and not having time for stuff that I want to do. One thing I can say that helps though, is to do one task every day, whether that be cooking, cleaning, or whatever - make that a target.
 
Progster said:
I struggle with this, too. Zero motivation at the moment, mainly because I work and don't have much energy for anything else. Also, I resent chores taking up all me free time and not having time for stuff that I want to do. One thing I can say that helps though, is to do one task every day, whether that be cooking, cleaning, or whatever - make that a target.
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My therapist has been telling me that exact same thing. Funny how I pay a therapist and listen to some of the things she says, but dismiss some of the other things that I know will be helpful. It’s almost as if I am an imperfect patient.
 
KagamineLen said:
My therapist has been telling me that exact same thing. Funny how I pay a therapist and listen to some of the things she says, but dismiss some of the other things that I know will be helpful. It’s almost as if I am an imperfect patient.
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When someone makes suggestions, a therapist or people on a forum or anyone else, not all things are going to work but some might, so you can choose which things you think might be useful and which things won't. Hopefully, some suggestions will help.
 
I am much the same as you, it's hard to care about housework. But then the mess makes me feel guilty and a bit unhappy. I tend to break down a room into areas and it does help, plus when I have done an area and it didn't take long, I feel encouraged and often do more. I will start saying I will do an hour, but then maybe finish the room or even do another. But sometimes it all builds up. It's partly mood I think, or how tired I am from other things I am doing. Good luck with this!
 
unperson said:
accept the fact that cleaning is a daily thing.
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But..... but..... Being a responsible adult sucks. Being an irresponsible adult sucks even more, but I am not about to let logic get in the way of procrastinating!

Kitchen is clean now, at least.
 
I have the opposite problem, get this i come home tired and my drive is to cook a simple meal and watch a movie BUT what i see is ....... things not in their place, dishes on the side, washing to be done, dirt on surfaces and for OCD me 'have' to have those things done before more purpursful pursuits can exist!!!!!!!
 
Living room is now done. Tomorrow I will tackle the other half of my apartment. Now I feel like I earned the right to chill out the rest of this evening.
 
Living with a strignet narcissist, helps a lot in this regard lol

I struggled a lot in the past, but concluded that I prefer a clean house and so, discipline myself to clean and feel so much better for it.

The sense: oh, I will do that tomorrow. Well, tomorrow always arrives and so, I figured it is best to just do it and then can breath afterwards.

I vacuum twice a week and have a great excuse for not more days, because our kitten Milly is petrified of the vacuum and so, to not torture her, I vacuum mondays and fridays.

I also do "heavy" cleaning on those days and rudiment cleaning on the other days.

Basically, I cannot stomach a dirty environment and so, that is my motivation.
 
Can't watch a movie if my place looks like crappola. So l have color levels. Red, did a nuclear bomb explosion happen? Clean it. Is this organizational issues or garbage that needs to be tossed? Just bought drawers to tidy up. And finally my new goal to let go of stuff and feel good about it. A cluttered room is bad for us. Clean zen rooms help us in our regulation of emotions. l interviewed at a medical office that look like a complete packrat hole. Under no circumstances would l work there. Because l am visual, l realized that l don't like disorganized walls. l will even organized my grocercies on the cashier belt. Right now l have one area that needs fixing. It bothers me so l need to clean it up.
 
Barymore said:
I do that too.....by size and grouped by utility group from hard to soft for easier bagging....with the code side up for easy scanning by the cashier....
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Whoa. Very industrious of you. l like to do mine at whim. l like cans all orderly like little plastic green solider men. The soft stuff goes on top. The utility stuff can back up the rear and my platoon advances to the meancing cashier holding her scan gun. Think l spent to much time here today. lol

Sad thing is- l really do line up my cans. l am embarrassed. Who cares? It's just more pleasing to my eyes.
 
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