As the old saying goes, out with the old and in with the new, and that couldn’t be any more relevant with the beginning of the spring season now fully realized. Flowers in full bloom and sunnier days usually trigger thoughts of spring cleaning — an arguably difficult time for many if you don’t have a solid plan of action in place.
The problem usually lies in trying to tackle your household chores with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Since cleaning is rarely anyone’s favourite activity, why not try and “hack” the process? Make cleaning and decluttering something you enjoy by tailoring your cleaning methods to fit your unique personality with our handy guide below.
If You’re Indecisive:
Decluttering isn’t always as easy as splitting all your belongings into a “keep” and “throw away” pile. You may find yourself holding on to items that have well outlived their usefulness, or maybe you’re plagued with decision fatigue — the paralyzing feeling when faced with the prospect of having to make a hard decision. Whatever the case may be, the KonMari Method may be the key to easing the stress of decluttering.
Created by the world-famous cleaning consultant, Marie Kondo, one of the core tenets of this method is to be mindful about the items that take up space in your home. Kondo encourages individuals to ask themselves, “Does this item spark joy?”, a famous phrase that’s now become the hallmark of the KonMari method. Almost as a form of meditation, Kondo asks us to sit and ruminate with the items to determine whether or not they bring us value in our day-to-day lives. The goal is to shift the focus away from discarding, and towards cultivating a collection of items that truly speak to your heart.
If You’re Easily Overwhelmed:
If your home is long overdue for a deep clean, but you’ve been avoiding the task like the plague, it may be time to start rethinking your approach. Instead of tackling the mountain of chores it takes to keep your home in tip-top shape all at once, start utilizing the FlyLady Method to break everything up into digestible chunks.
Cleaning shouldn’t be a rushed and stressful process, which is why FlyLady implements an incremental approach, by restricting the amount you clean to a mere 15 minutes per day. You first begin by separating your home into “zones” (high traffic areas), and tackling one zone each week. This way, you’re much more likely to maintain these areas you’ve cleaned over time, forever avoiding a giant and unmanageable mess.
If You Never Have Enough Time:
It seems like there are never enough hours in the day to do the things we want to do, let alone the things we don’t want to do (but have to anyway). But who says you need to tackle the cleaning mountain all at once? The 20/10 Rule allows you to work at your own pace, avoiding the dreaded feeling of burnout that tends to plague even the best of us.
Start by segmenting your chores into 20-minute tasks, with 10-minute breaks in between each one. You’ll be surprised at the amount you can get done in as little as 20 minutes, even if you don’t complete the task at hand. The goal is to strike a balance between the things you have to do and the things you want to do in order to make meaningful progress.
Having trouble keeping your home clean? We’ve found the ultimate key to a tidy home, plus explore our tips for organizing your fridge like a pro.