My sister has perfectly described clutter narcosis, the point where things get so cluttered and messy where you don’t know how to just start cleaning. What I find truly terrible about myself, though, is that I even let things get so messy. I know that thirty minutes a day will keep my house relatively pristine. I have about 5 hours on weekdays, total. Is sacrificing an hour to cooking and cleaning really so terrible? Somehow, the answer to that question is yes. For some reason, sitting and talking with people takes precedence, playing video games comes first, and other general bumming ranks in priority.
Now, I know my version of messy isn’t the same squalor that some college student’s. However, I’m sure my mother would be ashamed, and her opinion counts to me more than… pretty much anyone else’s opinion in the world. How is it that I still can’t make myself take the time? How can I be so lazy and apathetic? Even when I was close to home, I didn’t manage to take that thirty minutes of care.
So, now that I’ve taken myself down a few pegs, I probably should point out a few things. Here are the things I don’t manage to clean:
- my room
- countertops (I fail to just wipe things down, though that’s probably because I hate the way my sponges manage to smell… even after just washing them.)
- Laundry (Really, it’s mostly ironing…)
Everything else is pretty much clean. Of course, I haven’t vacuumed or dusted or anything…
So… what would help to get things in line? Should I schedule events like ironing, vacuuming, and dusting to particular days? I’m not sure that will be enough to surmount my laziness. x.x Will guilting myself into cleaning actually help me get the job done, or will I just let myself feel bad without actually doing anything?
How much time and determination will I need to become a fully responsible adult? Am I just clinging to the what remains of my college life and childhood? So many questions, not enough easy answers…
It’s difficult at any age to make cleaning a priority. There are so many things that are much more fun.
One technique that can be helpful is to create a forcing function. Invite friends over for dinner. Invite family to come and visit. Offer to babysit a small child at your place while their parents go to a movie.
If you make it a point to do one of those every couple of weeks, it’ll force you to look at your place with a more critical eye. How do you want your place to look to your guests?
Another technique is to channel frustration or other negative feelings into a fit of cleaning. You burn some calories (rather than eating every fattening thing in sight), and you get a sense of accomplishment afterward that helps your mood. And then, of course, you have a clean house, so you can invite somebody over to party!