True confession time. I don’t like to clean. No matter how many podcasts or fun songs I put on, I can’t get into it. I avoid it like the plague.
I admire people like my neighbor who are OCD about it and tend to it often with zeal.
My favorite way to force myself into cleaning is to throw a party, which is admittedly way more work than cleaning. It requires cleaning before your guests arrive and way more cleaning when it’s over. I just realized that. Oy.
But it gives me something I desperately need, a deadline.
Obviously I’m not throwing parties on the regular, so I keep up as best as I can. But every now and then, I need a deeper cleaning and that’s when I bring in a professional to do the job.
Now bringing in a pro requires some cleaning beforehand as well. I want to make it easy for them to navigate my apartment. I have some piles of paper lying around (the result of indecisiveness and/or fear of letting go - deep, huh?) I’m also guilty oftentimes of not putting my clothes away at the end of the day when I’m exhausted.
When I’m ready to hit the hay, I am ready. My bed can’t come fast enough to me. I jettison my clothes into another pile in my bedroom and get under the covers as fast as possible.
Last night was a perfect example.
When I walked in after work around midnight (waaay past my bedtime), my apartment was bitter cold again. I could put my hands on all of the radiators, so I texted my super to turn on the mofo heat. Then, I stayed in my coat for about 20 minutes to try to stay warm, flipped on my space heater and crawled under the covers leaving my clothes and scarf on.
You never know what you’re going to find and where. :)
While I was lying there, I noticed something that was out of my place. It was a place I’d never think to put really anything, much less clothes. I looked up to find my pajamas sitting on top of my armoire. Hmmm… interesting. I wasn’t sure to make of it.
It’s always funny to see where your things wind up when you bring in an outside person to clean your place. I consider it a little surprise. You know, to keep me on my toes.
Regardless, this little indulgence felt like a great type of self-care inside and out. It gave me a new way to see the world based on how some items were now organized. It was worth every penny and ultimately, it saved me a lot of time. Now if I only could clean up my act with my piles, I’d be in good shape.
Is your place spotless? Do you like to clean or do you put it off? What’s one of your indulgences that saves you time? Tell me below.