How to Turn Cleaning Time Into “Me” Time
One of the obstacles to getting organized can often be the time that you have to put in. It feels like just another thing on your interminable to-do list that can easily fall behind the rest of your priorities, like working, feeding yourself and your family, taking care of children and loved ones, and hopefully--hopefully!--getting in some exercise. And then what about relaxation time--shouldn’t you get time to just do nothing, too?
I hear you, I see you, I AM you. Finding a way to make organizing enjoyable is the first step to your new, organized, unstressed nest. Herewith, some of my tried and true tips for finding the bliss:
Listen to an Audiobook
One thing I constantly complain about is how little time I have to read. But thanks to the birth of a new baby last year, and needing to find a way to do some hands-free “reading,” I rediscovered audio books and my life has changed. Now most of my “reading” is actually listening--while I’m getting ready, while I’m cooking, and yes, while I am cleaning and organizing! Knowing that I have 30 minutes of “reading” time ahead of me actually makes me look forward to cleaning up. And here’s a hot tip--you don’t need another paid subscription to get great audio books! Most libraries lend audiobooks via apps like Libby.
Make a Game of It
Perhaps it’s my competitive nature, but I like to make games of many tasks, challenging myself to silly or low stakes goals to see if I can reach or surpass them. Many cleaning and organizing tasks are perfect for this. For example…
Trying to beat your own record for how many dishes you can wash within the length of a 3 minute song
Racing against a partner to put away [fill in the blank: dishes, books, clothing, paperwork]
Better yet, having your child(ren) race to help you clean up a space
Challenging yourself to learn all the lyrics to a new song as you listen to it over and over (and over) again while you complete your task
Watch Your Favorite Show
So this one comes with a catch, because watching TV can be super distracting and actually make you spend more time organizing and cleaning than you need to--but that’s if the project you are working on requires you to move around the room or your home in order to accomplish tasks. What it is perfect for is accomplishing small organizing tasks that keep you stationary, like going through your coupon box and discarding the expired ones (super satisfying, FYI) or sorting and folding clothes. A perfectly organized clothes drawer and watching all of The Chair (SO. GOOD.)? Sign me up!
These are some ways that I make organizing fun. Any tricks you have up your sleeve?