It's the end of April, which means that if you haven't started your spring cleaning, it's probably time to get on that. Here are four tips to help you get motivated to clean, even when you don't want to . . .
1. Break it down into smaller tasks. The idea of cleaning your whole house can be daunting, so break it down into smaller steps. Buy some cleaning supplies one day, clean the counters the next day, sweep the floors day after that, and so on.
2. Set a 10-minute alarm. With this, you're basically making a deal with yourself: even though you don't LIKE cleaning, you'll do it anyway for 10 minutes. The idea is that once you've already made some progress, it'll be less tempting to quit. And even if you DO quit, at least you did something.
3. Remember that you don't have to "feel like cleaning." According to one psychologist, you don't need to feel inspired to clean, even though that would be nice. You just need to get it done.
4. Hire someone to help. If hiring someone else to help clean makes you feel like you're lazy or it's not worth the money . . . try it once and see. For a lot of people it's worth cutting back on other expenses so you can afford to pay someone to help.