Say what?!?
Yes, I actually have what I consider a fun motivation for housecleaning.
When I don't have a goal in sight, housecleaning can be discouraging to me, because the house so easily and quickly becomes unclean. Which makes me feel like, "What's the point?" Nod if you've been there.
Of course, there are several realities that should motivate us to clean our homes--to love our husbands, use time more efficiently, and--I remember this one when things get really bad--to at least be hygenic.
But one of my favorite motivations for housecleaning is having people over!
This lights a fire under me and gets me to cleaning. It's enjoyable to me because my goal is
1) to have a comfortably clean house so that my guests at ease
2) there's a deadline
3) having fun with people is like the reward at the end
Ultimately, it reminds me that I'm doing it for love. And that makes it worth it.
What about you? Does having people over stress you out? Or are you laid back and easily go with flow? Does it motivate you to clean in a fun way?
This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday and Homemaking Day.
Nothing like doing the busy bee dance when companies on the way. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good motivator for me, too!! When you're in a hurry, you shoudl try listening to the Fly Lady's Crisis Cleaning podcast...it's free on iTunes, and she coaches/motivates you through cleaning your kitchen, main living room and main bathroom in 45 minutes. I listen to it all the time bc it makes me SOOOO much faster when cleaning than just doing it myself.
ReplyDeletebtw...thanks for visiting and commenting on my freezer jam post. You have DEFINITELY got to make you some freezer jam, girl! You don't know what you're missing! I promise, you'll LOVE it!! :)
So true! I do a lot more making sure everything is perfect for company. I think I overstress though... Ugh! :(
ReplyDeleteThe best thing that ever happened to my housecleaning was starting to teach piano lessons at my home. I don't think I would ever mop my floors otherwise. :)
ReplyDeleteHaving people over definitely motivates me!!! When I'm finished I think to myself, "why don't I do this all the time?" But, then I just go back to my normal ways... Ha!
ReplyDelete@Jane: Thanks for the recommendation! I am going to have to try that, it sounds like fun (haha, I sound like some sort of house-cleaning nerd!). :D And I am really looking forward to trying the freezer jam. Have you ever tried it with something besides strawberries? There are TONS of blueberries in my area, so I'm curious how it would taste with them.
ReplyDelete@Sherry: Yeah, overstressing is no fun! My mom used to get pretty stressed about company (having 6 kids did not make it easy to get the house clean!).
@StarvingStudentSurvivor: Mopping...ugh! Our new apartment is all tile flooring, so I am having to get reacquainted with frequent mopping.
@Christine: I totally feel you! That's part of why I'm trying to make having company over a regular thing!
Having people over is VERY stressful for me! As much as I try to tell myself that they're coming to visit my family and the house doesn't have to be spotless, I know that some of our guests (ahem) can be very critical and outspoken. (Maybe we just need to invite different guests!)
ReplyDeleteOh this is about the only way my house gets a good scrubbing, not just a random pickup!
ReplyDeleteHaving people over totally stressed me out. The cooking, the cleaning, the hiding piles of paper so no one will thing we are slobs. But in the end, when the house is spotless, I love it. It's the perfect motivation.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...me too! My house is always the cleanest whenever I have company over. Nathan and I always joke that we need to invite someone over at least once a week so I have the continued motivation to keep it THAT clean! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love company b/c it gets my husband involved too - we usually get a great tag-team / team work system going on!!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've realized that most (realistic) people don't expect your house to be perfect, and that's helped me relax.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time when I'm stressed, it's my pride popping up (thinking about myself instead of others)...so I try to remember that when people are coming over.
@Zakiebaby: Haha, that's funny! My husband and I actually have made a decision to try try try to have people over at least once a week.
@Mandi: We tag-team, too, when possible! It makes it so much less work AND makes it more fun!
YOu're soo right! My husband often jokes it's about time to have folks over when the house starts looking shabby. It's win, win for everyone since the house gets clean & we get to have a great time ... AND I can be proud of my home
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