Cleaning Your House In One Hour Shifts Is The Simple Way To Create A Happy Home
For most people, cleaning is seen as a necessary evil that's not much fun. Because of this, many persistently procrastinate on cleaning and get behind. Then, they do a thorough deep clean all at once to catch up and undo some of the damage that occurred due to neglect, and a couple of days of vigorous scrubbing and dusting is sometimes necessary. However, this is a recipe for burnout and frustration. A better solution is to consistently clean your house in quick, one-hour shifts either in the morning or the night rather than going on a serious cleaning binge every now and then.
Consider devoting one hour a day to knocking out items on your cleaning to-do list and doing everything you can within this well-defined time frame. Then, once your time is up, simply stop and wait for the next day to do anything else. Cleaning in small bursts like this each day can help prevent you from getting overwhelmed, and you'll end up accomplishing a lot as the days and weeks go on. However, while there are many things to take care of around the home, this method works best for neglected cleaning tasks that only need to be done once every week or so rather than daily chores such as washing dishes or cleaning counters. Focus on non-daily tasks such as vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom. This is because including your daily chores would make it harder to get around to the deep cleaning tasks you've neglected.
Using the opening or closing shift strategy
When following a one-hour cleaning strategy, you can treat cleaning like a job. You'll put in your time, leave when the time is up, and then do it all again the next day. To keep track of time during your shift, you can set a timer for an hour. Using a timer is one of the simple habits of people who keep their homes clean and organized, so it's a good tip to implement. It's also a good idea to make this a clear part of your routine and know exactly which hour of the day you'll be putting in the time to clean your home.
For instance, you may want to clean either first thing in the morning or late at night as part of an opening or closing shift routine. If you're a night owl, it might be a good idea to do an hour of cleaning just before bedtime. This will help you wake up to a tidy home and is an especially-good way to keep your kitchen clean and functional. On the other hand, if you like to wake up early in the morning, you might want to schedule an hour of cleaning at the beginning of your day. Making a one-hour cleaning session a regular part of your routine will likely be easy to implement once you get used to it and can be a great alternative to occasional deep cleaning.
Developing the right mindset
Although following a one-hour cleaning strategy can help reduce the stress of cleaning your home, you need to have the right mindset to follow this process correctly. To create an effective cleaning schedule, always be realistic, and don't expect too much of yourself in any given hour or week. Remember that progress comes slowly and with consistent effort, not all at once. When creating your cleaning schedule, you may want to designate a day for each area of your home, ensuring that all the tasks can reasonably be done within an hour. For example, you could spend an hour on Monday cleaning the bathroom, an hour on Tuesday cleaning your living room, and so on. Alternatively, choose specific tasks to cover such as dusting and vacuuming one day and washing windows the next.
When cleaning with this method, it's important to focus on your goals and celebrate your wins. Always take the time to acknowledge how much you got done over a day, week, or month. Although it might be difficult to see your progress over one hour compared to a day of deep cleaning, you'll likely be getting more done than you realize. Review your progress and be proud of your accomplishments. Stay focused on the cleanliness goals you have for your home and remember that each time you clean, you'll be bringing your space closer to its ideal state.