How To Get Motivated To Clean When Overwhelmed by Mess

With all the stress of parenting, especially being a single mother, it’s understandable that some things just slip through the cracks. One common concern that can fall by the wayside is maintaining the house. Once it gets to a certain point, it can seem like your home will never be clean again. The truth is that having a clean living space affects your mental health more than you realize. To help you get over that annoyingly large hump, we’ve got a few tips on how to get motivated to clean when overwhelmed by mess.

Don’t Go It Alone

At the end of the day, you’re still just one person. If you really can’t find the time or energy to clean up your space, that’s okay, but you may need to enlist a little outside help. Sometimes just having someone to keep you accountable is enough to find the motivation that you need. Don’t underestimate how much your loved ones want to help you. No woman is an island, after all.

Start as Small as You Can Handle

Looking at your entire house as one huge project can immediately flatten your resolve. The best way to start is to pick one small area. It doesn’t matter how small it is—just clean that area to perfection. As the days go on, start to slowly expand the area that you keep clean. This way, you’re only worrying about a small portion of the mess at a time, and you can take it day by day, rather than all at once.

Visualize Your Goal Clearly

One of the best ways to get motivated to clean when the mess is too much is to take a time-out and remember why you want this in the first place. This is not the same as needing to clean up a spill or a few toys; this is about getting your home more organized and cleaner as a whole. Remind yourself how much better you’ll feel when everything is in its proper place. Goal setting is the key to a lot of life’s problems, including cleaning up.

Realize Not Everything Needs To Be Thrown Away

If the idea of throwing away certain things rubs you the wrong way, there is another option. Old clothes and extra home goods can be donated to help someone else. Some organizations like the Purple Heart Pickup will even come right to your door to receive these donations, so you barely have to lift a finger. If the idea of creating trash is what’s holding you back, this is your best option.