Do you hate to clean your house? Me too. I am a champion procrastinator and can ALWAYS find more desirable ways to spend my time. I don’t have a messy house mind you as I can’t tolerate clutter but clean? Not usually.

I have heard tell of “spring cleaning” but don’t remember my mother ever engaging in such an activity when I was growing up which I now appreciate as I have no compunction to do any such thing myself. I have however, known others who take spring (or fall) cleaning so seriously they even vaccuum the mattresses! A totally unecessary and completely ridiculous waste of time if you ask me. Okay so now you don’t want to sleep over right? Never mind!

Yes, I do vaccuum the floors, clean the bathrooms and wash the sheets occasionally but that is about the extent of my regular maintenance. I do not enjoy cleaning. ConsequentlyI usually wait until the condition of things is pretty intolerable before I act. When I literally can’t stand it anymore, I crank up the music, open all windows and go like a maniac all weekend.

This used to drive my former husband crazy. He would say condescending things like, “if you would just do a little each day you wouldn’t have to spend the whole weekend cleaning.” Please! My method was obviously superior since it allowed me to go long periods of time without doing ANY cleaning which really suited me fine. Besides which, since I was the one actually doing the cleaning, I reserved the right to do it my way thank you very much.

The only thing more motivational than ”I can’t stand it anymore”  is COMPANY. Having people over is truly the only thing that can get me to take an objective look at my house and shake things up. Given this knowledge, I have hit on a (I think) brilliant strategy for keeping my house relatively clean for most of the year and here it is:

HAVE A PARTY!

It really is the perfect solution. I love parties. And if I am having friends over I want my house to look nice. It’s as simple as that. I do a walk through of the house and imagine I am a guest seeing it for the first time. Finally, I notice the ratty looking rug in the mud room or the mess in the laundry room or the pillows on the sofa that need cleaning or replacing. I love puttering around the house changing up artwork and rearranging furniture, rugs, plants, etc.

And of course if I am busy doing all that, and time is getting tight and it’s becoming hectic then hmmmm…….I can justify hiring a cleaning service for half a day to do the stuff I hate. You know, the things that only need doing occasionally or seasonally like wiping down baseboards, replacing shower curtains, cleaning windows and screens, etc.  Huh, spring cleaning. Only I don’t have to do it ’cause I’m doing other equally (or more) important things.

So in the last year I have had an end of summer barbeque, a holiday cocktail party, and a spring event of some kind. This year it was my step-daughter’s bat mitzvah and six out of towners stayed at our house! Trust me, if you take any pride in your home, having a party or company visiting will literally force you to take stock and clean up. In my case, it’s just about the only thing that does.

If you haven’t taken an objective look at your house in a while or it doesn’t excite you anymore, plan a party or invite some friends or family to visit. If someone is graduating soon or has a big anniversary coming up, play the host. It doesn’t need to be costly. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask your guests to bring something or have family members help you get ready. You really don’t need a special event to celebrate friends, good food and music and the wonderful space you call home. Just plan some fun. It will motivate you to get your house in order.

If you like the idea but don’t know where to start or what you’d like to do call me and I’ll help you make a plan.

P.S. This strategy is useful with all kinds of tasks you dislike, especially ADHD challenges. Pinpoint something you love or enjoy doing and find a way to use it as a springboard to deal with the things you don’t like doing. I think you’ll be thrilled with the result. All my guests are gone now and the house still looks wonderful and the results will last ’til the next time we have company! 

When’s the party?

Popularity: 50%