I sometimes struggle with becoming motivated when it comes to cleaning. Since my room is “my personal space” I don’t really think it matters too much when it’s messy. But after I stop procrastinating and clean, disinfect (especially important now) and re-organize, I feel amazing. I end up wanting to do more in my room,! I enjoy working at my desk, and I find it makes me more productive.
Why I Love Cleaning my Room –
It’s really important to me that I am able to find the right space to get the most work done in. When my room is messy, I find myself wanting to work in other places that can be distracting. I used to escape to the Library and other spaces in my house, to do work. But when I have a clean room, I feel motivated to work there. And that is when I can be most productive in completing assignments and studying.
I was inspired to create this challenge by a Tik Tok I came across on my “for you page”. The original video can be found here.
SO! Here it is: my 10 minute room cleaning challenge that (I hope) will make you instantly motivated, inspired, and peaceful.
1 – Make Your Bed
STEP ONE: make your bed! By starting with making your bed , you’ll have a space throughout the cleaning time that looks perfect. That way, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can just look at your bed and get inspired to keep working. I love making sure my bed is as perfect as it can be. If I had time, I would make it before school every morning. Here’s a picture:
2 – Clearing a Surface
STEP TWO: pick a surface and clear it off. This one’s pretty self explanatory. I usually clean off the ledge on the left side of bed. That’s where I keep most of my clean clothes that have to get put away. It also tends to accumulate homework, trash, and bowls and mug, etc. In the picture, you can see my essential oil diffuser. I got this one at Marshalls, but if you’re looking to get another one, I recommend this one. My sister has it and it works just the same!
3 – Clean up Trash
STEP THREE: clean up all of the trash in your room. Pick up clothing from the floor, sheets of paper, tissues, wrappers, anything you see that is not needed. Empty the trash out of your bathroom too. I recommend carrying a trash bag with you while you clean. It makes it so much easier.
4 – Get Rid of Food
STEP FOUR: Get rid of all food and drink related items. I have a little tea cart outside my room, so my room can get pretty cluttered with used mugs and old tea bags too. My room is on the third floor of our house, so it’s easy to be lazy about bringing dishes downstairs and therefore they tend to accumulate.
5 – Clearing Another Surface
STEP FIVE: Chose another surface (or desk if you have one up in your room). There probably won’t be much clutter left on the other surfaces at this point, because without trash or food, what else is there? I usually end up just putting away notebooks, pens, and other stuff that goes into the desk drawers.
6 – Put Away Shoes
STEP SIX: Put away all of your shoes. This will lead us into step seven….
7 – Cleaning the Closet
STEP SEVEN: Clean your closet/reorganize. Since I have a lot of sweaters, I like to color code, but whatever system works for you best is how you should organize it. If any pieces of clothing have accumulated on your closet floor, pick them up and hang or fold them and put where they belong.
8 – The Floor
STEP EIGHT: Finish cleaning the floor. Pick up whatever is still left and put it away/throw it out/ or donate it.
9 – Disinfecting
STEP NINE: DISINFECT! First vacuum, then wipe down. Use lysol wipes (if you can find them) or spray and a towel to wipe down EVERY surface in your room.
10 – Decorating!! (My favorite)
FINAL STEP: make it pretty! <3 Turn on fairy lights, use a pillow mist, turn on some music, straighten out your rug (if you have one) and maybe switch around your decorations! I have so many little trinkets in my room, and most of them are gold and can be easily moved around. Easy to redecorate when I get bored of how my room looks, as I can switch them around for a fresh view!
I hope you find this helpful!! A clean room triggers clear thinking, which can help relieve symptoms of anxiety and stress, as well as help you sleep better and work more productively. Having a decluttered room has also been proven to spark creativity, so stay clean and stay creative!