Being in a slump is the worst. You feel unmotivated and unproductive plus guilty for being that way. That guilt then makes you feel exhausted which results in feeling even more unmotivated and unproductive. The cycle just repeats itself until something (you) changes and you’re able to break free.
On top of all that, if your environment is cluttered or dirty, it leaves you feeling even worse. But what do you do when you know that your environment is worsening your feelings, but you still feel unmotivated to clean. Here are a few tips and approaches that I have found helpful when I’m just not feeling up to tidying up. On a side note, make sure to also check out my favorite online tools for improving mental health.
Make a list and a goal
This is the approach that I used most recently and it was extremely helpful. I walked around my apartment and I made a list of all the things that were causing it to be untidy (suitcases that needed to be unpacked, laundry needed to be put away, toiletries were unorganized, etc.). Survey your environment, jotting down all the things you see that are weighing you down and making you feel unorganized. Review your list. If all these things were resolved, would you feel at peace in your space again? If not, add more items to the list.
Once you are done, establish a mildly challenging but not overwhelming plan for tackling them. Maybe you will spend the day cleaning with the goal of completing four items from your list each hour and then taking a short break. The number of tasks and the time frame is up to you. Tasks can be as big or as small as you like. I like to make my tasks medium-sized, which to me means things that can be completed in 15 mins.
Find an approach that feels achievable to you. For example, you could have a task that says “clean kitchen”, or if that feels overwhelming, you could have a task like, “empty dishwasher”. Still too overwhelming? Try “put away spoons from dishwasher”. Don’t judge yourself for how small your tasks are. You are trying and you are making progress so that is all that matters.
One of the reasons I love this approach is because I get to feel accomplished for every task I complete, no matter how small it is. Plus, by crossing off items on my list, I can see how completing a task is getting me closer to my larger goal of having a cleaner space. If you take this approach, you will see your space transform over time and may even feel motivated to complete more tasks in a given period than you originally planned.
Start with a corner of the room and work outward
Another cleaning approach that I have tried is picking a corner of the room to start with and working outward. If your bedroom is the room you want to clean, stand in a corner of your bedroom and address the thing closest to you that needs to be tidied. Maybe it’s a sock that hasn’t found its way to the hamper. Once you handle that item, continue to work outward, only focusing on the next task immediately in front of you so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the mountain of other tasks that still need to be completed.
As you work, you can look back and remind yourself of the progress you’ve made as you can see the area behind you is now cleaner. Let that motivate you to continue moving forward.
Group similar tasks together
If you find that you have many rooms and spaces to clean that all require the same tasks you may want to try grouping tasks together so that you can knock all the similar tasks out at once. This prevents you from having to repeatedly work up the desire to return to a task that has already been left. For example, maybe the trash needs to be emptied in multiple rooms in the house.
Instead of working in one room and cleaning it completely before moving on to the next room, empty the trash in all the rooms at the same time. This approach can also work for vacuuming, picking up clothes, etc. Pick a task that you know needs to be completed in multiple areas, then walk through your space and address that task in each room without feeling the need to do more than that task when you are in that room. This is a great approach because it avoids having to switch back and forth between tasks which can make cleaning feel less exhausting mentally.
These are just three approaches for how you can tackle getting organized when you are feeling unmotivated to clean. The great thing about each of them is that they can be modified to whatever works best for you. Let go of any shame or guilt over what you think you should be doing and just get started with the smallest, most achievable task and you will be amazed at how much you will achieve doing this on a consistent basis!