To clean up, you simply have to be motivated. Let’s be real, after years of living amid the mess, it takes a lot to get you to clear out the dirt. It has been established that not all untidy people are lazy, and not all lazy people are untidy. Still, if cleaning up is not first on your recreation list, then you just might need to shove it somewhere.

A messy room can distort your creative process

Not only is it hygienically unhealthy, but you can also lose valuables and waste money getting them back. For instance, when you need a new pair of pants, you know it’s in your room somewhere but just can’t fathom ‘where’. Then, it’s off to another shopping spree, and there goes another non-budgeted cash down the drain.

There’s a lot of downside to being messy but it all boils down to one need – to clean up once and for all. No matter how much you try to ignore the clutter, there are days you wish you could move out to be in a neater place. If you envy the picture perfect magazine covers, then you’re not alone. If you also catch yourself staring at those neat rooms, wondering when yours would be like it, then you’re not alone

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One thing is for certain, you need to get up and clean up. Now, that seems so easy to read, but action speaks louder than words. To get yourself motivated to clean up, you need to go through some stages. Sure, you can just get up and clean but how long will it last before your room takes its old shape again?

Cleaning up can become a habit even for someone who doesn’t enjoy doing the task. It’s a gradual process, and you can start from point A to point Z in no time. No, there aren’t 26 steps to cleaning up – don’t run away just yet! There are five simple steps you can follow. You may as well just jump right to the last step and do the work. Remember, cleaning needs to become a habit – and not in a mysophobic way.

How to Clean Up in Five Steps

1. Begin with admission

First, admit to yourself that you have a cleaning problem. It’s nothing to be ashamed of because several people think it takes a lot to do the laundry after a long day at work. Surely, it can get drastically appalling when the laundry keeps piling up, and it forms into a laundry monster. Most people get into that stage in their life when they can’t be bothered with the chores. Too much stress and life generally works its way into making that the bottom of the priority list. Still, you don’t want to keep getting those judgmental looks from guests who come to visit. Neither do you want to keep losing items in your house. So, it’s fine to say, “I’m untidy and I need to clean.” Being aware of this would help in actually putting in the work to get rid of the clutter.

2. Get yourself motivated with a goal.

There’s nothing like a reference to motivate you. You can achieve this by taking a picture off the net or an offline magazine of how you would like your room to look like. There are many you can get off from Pinterest. Using this, you can motivate yourself by picturing a cleaner room even before you’ve started putting in the work.

3. De-clutter

There a lot of rubbish lying about. Start with those. Do you really need 50 hangers or that school bag you used when you were in high school? Glance around and move items in search of those items. Then you can pack them up, trash, donate or recycle. Okay, you may even find a slice of pizza or bread with mold while you’re searching – that’s obviously for the trash. Select everything you don’t need and get rid of them fast.

When you huddle, you can get tempted to keep everything. Therefore, you need someone who can help you in de-cluttering with no sentimentality. That buddy can also help clean up if you ask with ‘pretty please’ and some icing on top.

4. Start gradually

If you can’t even bother getting motivated to clean up regularly, then you can start gradually. Your first step can be to pick up yourself that towel or plate you just used. When you start small, you can move on to other things. Eventually and probably by the end of the week, you may be done with the cleanup. As motivation to clean gradually, you can use the ‘If, then’ technique. For example, “If I see a book out of place, then I’ll put it on a bookshelf.”

5. Have fun

What do you enjoy doing the most? Include this pleasure in your cleaning process. There are scenes in movies where an actor cleans up with some background music. They either sing along or dance while doing the chores. This is a smart way to get yourself doing what you don’t like while doing what you like. You can also listen to a podcast or an E-book. There’s nothing like killing two birds with one stone.
Before you clean, purge yourself of every negative thought that you can’t – tell yourself you can because the truth is at the last stage you would be more than ready to pat yourself in the back after you have done the deed of cleaning.