Author: Steven Aitchison (399 Articles)
The owner of this blog. Proud father, doting husband, blogger, hire me as freelance writer, and addiction worker
Clear your house to clear your mind
Do you ever wish you were more organised in your daily life? Sometimes I feel
there is just too much going on in my head that it overwhelms me and
I cannot get things done. A great way to shake this feeling is to clean
the house.
Cleaning the house and ridding it off old clothes, old toys, old books (personally
I can’t throw books away or give them away) and giving it a general spring
clean is like a shower for your mind. It seems to clear the mind and
make way for important tasks to get done. Why does cleaning the house
make us feel this way?
Cleaning the house frees up energy for you to concentrate on more important
things in your life. When I see a pile of ironing that needs to be done
and I say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow, when I’ve got a bit time’ there
is an instant ‘post it’ note stuck in my brain saying ‘do
the ironing’. That niggling feeling stays with me until the job
is done. Of course my wife does this a lot of the time, which sometimes
makes me feel worse as I know I am not pulling my weight. I have lots
of post it notes stuck in my brain and they all niggle at me until they are
completed.
Think about all the things that need done about the house, the garage needs
cleared, the loft needs cleared, the wardrobes need emptying, throw out old
clothes, throw out old toys, fix that leaking tap, do the garden, clear the
shed, paint the bathroom, sort out your paperwork there are lots of things
that need our attention. Now is the time to do them. I know you might
not have time but make it. 3 hours of spring cleaning the house might
free up 10 hours in your daily life as your mind will be free to concentrate
and focus on other tasks, so it’s worth the effort. If you don’t
believe this, try tidying and cleaning the untidiest room in the house and
pay attention to how you feels afterwards. Often when I do this and have
motivation to carry on and clean the rest of the house. One of the biggest
small tasks is cleaning out the bedroom and kitchen drawers.
Here are my 10 tips for clearing your mind by cleaning
the house
- Schedule time at the weekend to start your clean, this way nothing else
will get in the way. - Start with the undtidiest room in the house and don’t finish until
its clean and tidy. - Reward yourself every 90 minutes (if it’s a big clean) every 30 minutes
if it’s smaller clean. I usually have a cup of tea and a biscuit. - Don’t turn on the TV for background noise as something will distract
you and you might want to sit down and watch. Instead turn on
the radio for some noise, or turn on a program from Hayhouse
radio - If you are starting the clean in the morning get up an hour early and you
will be more focused. - If you haven’t worn it in 6 months chuck it.
- Throw out old christmas, birthday, mothers day, fathers day, granny day,
dog day, that time of the month day cards. I only keep the cards my
sons made me and wife gave me. - If you can’t manage the springclean in one day, concentrate on one
task at a time or one room at a time and spread it over x number of days. when
your whole house has been done take another day to go round the whole house
for a few hours and give a general clean. - Make a habit of cleaning a room every day. Making a habit of
cleaning a bit every day will free your mind for other important tasks. When
mess build up in the house so it builds up in your mind, if you clean a bit
every day it keeps your mind free. - Delegate: this is a great way to keep the house tidy. I don’t
mean deleagte all the jobs but delegate smaller jobs to your kids. My
kids wash and dry the dishes, keep their own rooms tidy and take out the
bins. This has an added bonus of making them more indepenedent and
teaching them skills for when they leave the nest (well, that’s how
I make myself feel better).
Some other posts on clearing your mind
Clean
crazy by Crazy aunt Purl
Decluttering
challenge by Charlotte
Productivity
and organizing Myth #7
Spring
Cleaning by Mom2Mom
Declutter
your desk, DIY style by Core77
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips, Steve! I loved the post-it analogy… I can just see my brain covered with little yellow pieces of paper!
Your little bit at a time idea is a great one, too. I use something called The Fifteen Minute Rule. If I find myself procrastinating on something like housework often, I force myself to do it with the promise that it only has to be for 15 minutes, then I can stop. Sometimes, I’m staring at the clock the whole time. Other times, I get into such a groove that I don’t want to stop!
Thanks for the insights.
Thanks for linking to my article! It looks like spring cleaning is first and foremost on everyone’s minds. Your ten tips look so helpful. Great ideas!
Excellent and useful article! Great job, Steven!
Excellent advice and may I ad: What you are focused on, you get more of you know:-)
I’m here from MyBlogLog – thanks for your visit!
Hopefully I’ve got my own housekeeper. But I’ll keep your recommendations in mind when this one goes away.
It really is a pain to look at an unorganized home. It only shows how unorganized our life is. However, great ideas on clearing things. Everybody needs it.
Thank you for the link to Hays House! I never
knew the site existed. So much to listen too!
(Archieves). I must make room on my Ipod. Thanks
again.
Thanks for leaving a comment Kathy much appreciated. The HayHouse radio is a brilliant website and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I like the idea that the children have jobs so they know how to clean when they leave the nest…I just wish i had done the same with my daughter she left home over 4 years ago and her home is in that much mess that she has mice..
My husband and her are having to go round tomorrow and gut the whole flat..She never learnt to tidy up as i was behind her picking up anything that she left.
Because i have a phobia about dust let alone dirt my house is spring cleaned every day from top to bottom so i blame myself for how she as turned out.
I have a terminal illness and no immune system so i can’t put myself at risk of going to my daughters..
keep up the good work that is helping your mind as i have always enjoyed cleaning… it helps me forget my illness for a while.
Great post! Steven. I am working with that now in my parents house, I am just twenty years old and I now know how important is to keep the house clean in order to clear my mind.
This is a huge step for being more present instead of being in the past, this keeps your in focus on new tasks.
Thanks Alot!
Having just moved house, we were determined this time not to move all the crap that we didn’t want or need (unlike last time we moved). This made moving day a lot less stressful, and easier to unpack the things are are important.
3 weeks into the new house, and we’re just about sorted. No clutter, and we are managing to keep on top of the small jobs around the place. I’ve actually found important things that I thought I’d lost years ago!
Nothing stresses me out more than a messy home…so needless to say no one stresses me more than my messy roommate!
Very nice advice indeed, especially coming from a guy
. It’s good to notice that some men do value the importance of a clean home.
http://www.homeimprovementadviser.com/
I can’t help but to agree with this one, well having a clean surroundings can help you a lot in thinking more proficient. Isn’t it nice to take a rest at a clean house? nothing is more refreshing than that.