Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast - Feeling Unmotivated? Find Your Cleaning MOJO Now! | Clutterbug Podcast # 213

Episode Date: March 4, 2024

Are you ready to find your mojo and motivation?! In today's podcast, let's get up and get cleaning together! I'm sharing shortcuts, tough love and house cleaning inspiration - Let's do this!   You can find more Clutterbug content here: Website: http://www.clutterbug.me YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clutterbug TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clutterbug_me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutterbug_me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clutterbug.Me/   #clutterbug #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you ready to jumpstart your mojo and motivation? That's what we're doing today. I'm giving you a kick in the pants. I'm giving me and kick in the pants. And we're going to get up and we're going to do amazing things together. Hey, Clutterbugs. Welcome back to the Clutterbug podcast. Today, it's all about motivation and inspiration and mojo. And mojo to me is like that feeling of ambition, that like, yes, I'm excited to tackle my life kind of feeling. And if you're like me, you go through periods of time where you feel you got the mojo and periods of time where it is completely gone. And right now, I don't have a lot of that mojo. And I'm not saying that we have to be go-getters 24-7 because that is unrealistic and we will burn ourselves out. But what's really fascinating,

and maybe you can relate, for me, is when I get into a period like where I give myself just full rest and I just do the nothing, it feels impossible to get started again. when you're in a state of like slow I'm not I don't want to say lazy because that's a terrible word word but when you're in a state of like yeah not being productive I think I think the whole thing is like objects in rest stay in rest and objects in motion stay in motion maybe Newton said that I have no idea some smart physicist type person said this and it really doesn't just relate to physical objects that are moving, but it really is true for us as well, and our motivation. So when we're doing things, when we're at work and we're coming home or

we're busy and we've got a lot of things on the go, we're more likely to get more things done the busier and the more moving we are. When we stop and we do the nothing for a while, whether it's watching lots of movies on TV or sitting and reading or surfing the web, getting up and getting moving again can feel impossible. And I last week went to Disney World. We went for nine days with my family. So the week leading up to that, I worked like a dog. I had to get so much done, film extra videos, do a bunch of stuff so that I could take nine

days off work. And when I came back, I just about crashed and died. While we were in Disney, we had five days of theme parks. Even on the days we weren't going to theme parks, we were either it was a travel day, so it was crazy, or we were out shopping and we went to Disney Springs and we went to medieval times and we did like a bunch of things. We went swimming and we woke up in the morning at 6.30 and we didn't get home and I didn't go to bed until midnight or even later every single day. And all day was walking and go. I had my, I had my watch on my Apple watch and it was like, you're working out. Today you fit your weekly walking. It was crazy. I was so tired, so exhausted that the day I got home, I fell into bed. And I was.

stayed in bed from like two in the afternoon to like two in the afternoon the next day, just getting out to get snacks and go to the washroom and coming right back to bed. And then I said, well, I think I feel like I need another day. So it was another day of just laying around and watching TV. And then another day of just doing the nothing as the dishes piled, as the laundry piled, still hadn't unpacked the suitcases. and now we're going on the fourth day and I am exhausted. I am exhausted from doing very little.

I'm exhausted from doing the nothing. I'm not physically exhausted. I'm emotionally. I'm, I'm, I just don't have any motivation or mojo because I've been in a state of rest. for too long. And getting started again is the hardest thing. Getting up and getting moving and getting going. That is hands down the most difficult part. I can't wait for motivation to hit me. I can't wait to feel inspired. I can't wait to feel like, yeah, I want to get up and unpack and do the dishes because it's not going to happen. We have to make it happen. And I could yell at you and yell at

myself to get up and get moving. But we're going to try something a little bit different today. We're going to try a visualization technique to help us really want to, not just getting up and going because we have to, but wanting to. And coming from a place of love and gratitude and true inspiration. Okay. So we're going to do this really quickly. Then we're going to grab a trash bag and you and I are going to move mountains today. Or we're going to clean or whatever it is that you want to do. But I'm hoping you choose trash bag. But let's start with the visualization. You can close your eyes or you cannot close your eyes. You know, you do you. But I really want you to think about your home and think about what you're so grateful for about your house.

There are people, a lot of people, who would kill to have your home. There are people who don't have a home. There are people who are still living with their parents. There are people who have lost their home. We are so lucky. But what specifically about your house do you really love and are so grateful for? We're not talking about when it's perfect and when it's clean. and when everything's away and when everything looks amazing.

That is unrealistic. We can't only appreciate our house in the good times. What are you grateful for about your house? What do you love about your house right now? I love my windows. It's so bright. There's so much light that comes in. After living in a house that was very dark for so long,

I love the sunlight that comes in. into my house and it feels so bright. Think right now, I want you to really capture something that you love about your house. And you may think that this is odd, but I just come with me on this journey because I promise you you're going to feel some mojo coming back in doing this exercise and you can do this at any time. So we're thinking about things you're grateful for. What else? Can you think of something else. Do you love your bed? Is it cozy? Do you love curtains in your home? Do you love the softness of a space or the brightness or the openness or the closeness of a space? Do you love your neighborhood? Do you love that feeling when you pull into your driveway after a long day and you open the door and

it's just home. What do you love? Really, really think about all the different things about your house that you absolutely love. And it's important because that feeling of love for your house, that gratitude for your home and the things in your home that really make you happy, when we remember those, when we focus on those, when we pick those out and make those a priority in our thoughts, something really magical happens. We fall in love with our house all over again. So we're focusing on those. Now I want you to do something a little different and imagine a space, one space, really clean

and organized and tidy. Hopefully you've gotten there in the past and revisit, you know, what that looked like, really visualize it. But maybe today it's your living room. You've got it completely tidy. All the pillows are tidy if you have pillows. Everything's straightened up. It's vacuum. It's dusted. It feels so inviting. Maybe it's your kitchen. The counters are cleared off. All the dishes are done. It's gleaming. You can see the front of your fridge. It feels so clean. Feel that pride and that love for that space, that clean, organized space. Like, honestly, feel how good that that feels.

And that is a feeling that you're going to give yourself today. You are going to love your home today. And what I'd like you to do with me, what I'm going to do and what I hope you do with me is grab a trash bag. Maybe it's a bag for donation, a box for donation. It can just be a trash bag, though, if that's all you can manage. And we are going to make a difference in our space today. If you're not in the mood to declutter and that feels overwhelming and just me saying that, today we're letting stuff go makes you kind of close up and feel a little bit anxious, you're not going to work on that. You're going to do the dishes.

You're going to grab a cleaner and a rag and just go around and wipe surfaces. You're going to do something that makes you feel excited about your home, whatever that is today. This is not about getting to a place where like, oh, look what I've accomplished and look at how perfect my house looks. This is about I'm going to love on my house today. I'm going to hug the crap out of my house today. I'm going to fall back in love with my space by giving it acts of kindness, whatever that is. And it's getting up and I'm getting moving and I'm going to feel good. For me, I know I need to let go. When I start to feel in my house that I get to a place where things take longer than it.

it should, or I'm not energized when cleaning because it's so much stuff shuffling and moving stuff around and I'm having a hard time putting everything away because everything's so jammed. I know I need to fill a trash bag. And the magical amazing thing about decluttering in this way, which is just grabbing a bag and filling it, is that it's never going to go back. because things are leaving forever. I will never be done the dishes. We're going to eat. I'm going to use a coffee mug.

I'm going to use a plate. And I'm right back into having dishes that need to be cleaned. I'm never going to be done all the laundry. My space is never going to be 100% clean because we live here. So it sometimes can feel defeating to work hard on getting something done when it's, it's immediately undone. Decluttering is different because once those things leave your house, they're never coming back. Things will creep back into your house, but those things are gone forever. You have pushed the needle forward. You have made a difference and it's not, it's not something

that is undone tomorrow. And I need a win like that today. So I'm not going to worry about unpacking the suitcases right now or doing the pile of dishes or catching up on all the laundry or dusting and vacuuming after a week's worth of things like accumulating. Things are leaving my house today so that when I do do those things, the dishes, the laundry, the unpacking, it's going to be a bit easier. I'm giving myself a big win. I'm going into the pantry and I'm throwing out the stale crackers and the bags of chips that weren't sealed up properly and are definitely stale. I'm getting rid of all that excess candy we got at Christmas time that nobody is even eaten. We got chocolates on Valentine's that nobody really liked. They're not going to be

eaten. They're gone. They're going. Not even giving it a second thought. I am decluttering like a mad woman today. I'm filling a trash bag because I deserve it because my house deserves it, because I'm grateful for my home and it's beautiful and I love it and I want to treat it with respect and filling it with things that I don't use and love and junk even if it's little bibbidi bobscrap pieces of paper or wrappers or whatever it is is disrespectful to my home and it's disrespectful to me and my family it is making life harder it is making my home messier. It is making cleaning it more difficult and enough is enough. And we're going to hold on to that feeling of gratitude and love while we do this because we are doing this because our home is our

respite. Because we are so freaking lucky to have it. And it is an important. And it is an getting it to a state of perfection. It is about respecting it and ourselves with the act of caring for it. Because when we care for our house, we care for ourselves. We do. It is an act of self-love. It is a form of self-love. So that's what we're doing today. And if you're feeling the little mojo, I hope you're up. whether you've grabbed a garbage bag and you're opening up cabinets and you're looking for a mug that can go or you're looking for old makeup in your bathroom that can go. And you're just trusting yourself and you're just letting go of the anxiety and the what if and maybe I'll make a mistake. And you're trusting your gut. Because you know that this is an act of love and you need to let stuff go.

in order to get to a place where your house doesn't feel like work, in order for you to not have to sit and escape the work by watching TV or surfing the web or whatever it is that you're doing because it's so freaking overwhelming. You can't even think about dealing with it because it's so freaking much, but it isn't. And it doesn't have to be. It's one foot in front of the other. Every time you get something out, your life is easier. Your house will be easier to manage. And again, if the thought of decluttering is overwhelming you right now, then that's okay too. What are you doing in this

moment to care for this beautiful space that's your home? Polish something, wipe something, scrub something, tidy something. But please, while you're doing this, while you're running around your house, doing this, have a trash bag nearby, have a garbage can nearby. So when you spot something, you're just like, well, that's leaving. That's going. Open up those bathroom drawers. Oh, that old toothpaste is nasty. What I have a random toothpaste cap that doesn't even go with the toothpaste. Or look at that old toothbrush that I've then replaced the toothbrush. For some reason, I kept the old one, goodbye, friends, because we can do light decluttering and getting things out while we're doing the cleaning process too. And we're not taking things out and doing deep down scrubs today,

unless that's what you're called to do. But that isn't what cleaning is about. That isn't what loving and caring your house. It's not about perfection. We're never, ever, ever going to get to a point where everything's perfectly spotlessly clean and it stays that way because you just walking in your house is getting it dirty. You just drinking out of a glass is getting that glass dirty. So this this drive for perfection for getting it done is unrealistic. We're never done laundry because you're wearing clothes right now. It's not about catching up or getting done. It's about consistently caring and doing a little bit, loving on your home a little bit, because when you hug your house, it hugs you right back. Let's talk about some really quick things that you can do

to feel that mojo, to feel that motivation, to shortcut cleaning your house. But first, I have to thank today's podcast sponsor, Factor. Factor has delicious, ready to eat meals. They're fresh, never frozen, chef-crafted, dietitian-approved, and ready to go in literally two minutes. You guys know that I love having a meal kit, but when I'm super overwhelmed, even cooking a meal kit can feel overwhelming and my gut is to go to fast food. But instead, what I've been trying is factor. So every week, I can choose from more than like 35 different incredibly like protein boosted, incredible meals that are already cooked for me. They're kind of like a microwave dinner, but they're healthy.

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Head to factor meals.com slash clutterbug 50 and use the code clutterbug 50 to get 50% off. That's code clutterbug 50 at factoredug. Meals.com slash Clutterbug 50 to get 50% off. One of my favorite things to do is find shortcuts. Find shortcuts for getting a tidy clean house with way less effort. Because if something takes me forever, I find that that motivation, that inspiration, that like get up and go that I feel wanes.

We need to be able to do this quickly, which is why I love power hours, or even the dirty 30, I call it, which is 30 minutes of really intense cleaning or decluttering or organization that when we're done, we're like, look what I did, but it doesn't drag on for hours. It's that drag on. It's those tasks that really feel like they're never going to end that can zap our energy. So shortcuts are really incredible because we're in, embracing the, I'm going to do it crappy. I'm going to give myself permission to not do this perfectly, but to get something done. Because that feeling of satisfaction and pride and finality in I completed a task

helps us keep that mojo and that energy going. So here's something that I love, a quick thing that I love doing is grabbing one product. I talk about this often, but that one product wonder, grabbing a multi-purpose cleaner, it can be vinegar and water with like a splash of dish soap. You can make your own. Who cares? It can be any multi-purpose cleaner and one cloth and just running around and wiping stuff. We don't have to take everything off. We're just wiping. We're wiping the coffee table. We're wiping windowsills. We're wiping maybe picture frames. We're just wiping stuff. The basic. of lamps, any flat surface, spray and wipe, spray and wipe and keep on moving. If there's stuff on those surfaces and you're like, I can't wipe it, stack it in a neat pile and wipe around.

If you're really feeling ambitious, go ahead and grab that pile and put it away in the place where you would look for it first, or better yet, put a lot of it in a trash bag because a lot that you don't need in that pile. You don't need the empty boxes. You don't need that random paper and the junk mail and the flyers and the coupons. You don't need it. You don't need those random kids bibbidi-bop-ty-pity things. Barbie shoes and bouncy balls and excess. Like, what even is this? Throw it in the trash. I'm getting distracted. I'm getting excited. That's why I'm getting distracted because let's go back. The one product wonder has transformed my house because I allow myself to just flit and flutter around wiping random things and I'm finding dirt I would never find

otherwise. My house is so much cleaner because of this little practice, but it doesn't feel like work and effort. It just feels like, yeah, just just really. random wiping with no pressure, no expectations, no rigid cleaning routine. And I discover dirt. And I find myself tidying as I do this because I've taken the pressure off myself, my house is so much cleaner. And I really want you to give this a try. This is an incredible technique. Another shortcut is literally grabbing a trash bag. And I've talked about this in the beginning. I'll talk about this till the day I die, and just walking around and putting stuff in the trash. You have garbage in your house everywhere.

You have empty shampoo bottles in your shower, probably. You open up a bathroom drawer. I guarantee you're going to find garbage, especially if you have teens. For some reason, my teens are so gross. They'll take their makeup off with a makeup removing wipe, and they'll put it back in the drawer dirty. Why? They'll open a package of toothpaste and they'll put the box. back in the drawer. Why? I don't know. But it's so satisfying to be able to fill a bag,

to be able to go around and open your bedside table and your drawers and cabinets and just, things are leaving. You're standing up for your house. You're respecting it, but you're also not letting the bullies make you. second guess yourself. You're just like, no, you are not worth it. You were not more important than my beautiful home. You're not more important than me. You are trash. And you are going where you belong, which is in a garbage bag. No regrets. No second guessing yourself. Just putting it in the trash and moving on. And as you do this, as you go around your house and you take back control, it feels so good. It is so empowering and it is a shortcut because with less stuff, it's less work

and stop. Every tiny thing you let go of, I don't care if your house is filled to the brim. Anything you let go of today that leaves your house forever is making a huge difference. You are not going to get everything done today. That is unrealistic, but that does not mean that you don't start today. That I have to wait until I can do it all approach is why we are stuck in this sedentary, overwhelmed, I can't get moving feeling. We only have to do something and you only have to do something while you listen to this podcast. As soon as this podcast is done, if you feel like you've done enough and you want to stop, stop. But right now, together, get up and get moving. we are in this together and we are taking action.

And that feeling, that attitude, that gratitude for your home is so contagious. If you're feeling this way about your space, you're going to want to keep going, but other people in your home are going to feel it too. Be the leader that I know you are and get up and let's do something really amazing today. together. I'm feeling like I want to go right now, clean my house. I'm sitting here. I'm talking myself into feeling excited. I'm also going to do little things to love on my home. I'm going to light a candle. I still have my Christmas wreath up on my front door. I'm embarrassed to say that. Yep, I'm just taking that down today and I'm going to put up one at my spring wreaths. Because then when I look at

my door, I'm going to think I'm going to love on it. I'm going to love on my house today. Maybe I'm going to go outside and just like wash one window on the outside so the light comes in even better. Oh, God, I don't have to do all the windows. You don't have to do all the windows. You don't have to clean out your entire appliances. You don't have to wash your entire fridge. You can wash one shelf that has a spill. You don't have to vacuum your entire house. You can just vacuum the kitchen, the living room where you see dirt. This isn't all or nothing, friends. This is getting up, getting moving, and finding that mojo, finding that love.

And when it starts to feel like you're waning and you're looking around, you're like, this place is a dumpster fire. What is the point? We come back to the gratitude and the attitude of love. What do you love about your home? What are you so grateful for? It's really easy for us to be stuck in a negative cycle about our house because housework can suck and it can feel never ending. And we can clean a space and then our family comes in and trashes it right away. And we can feel like we are a slave to our home and our family sometimes. And we have this never-ending, ugh, drudgery of housework. And that feeling can make us resentful.

It can make us resentful of our home. It can make us just really feeling negative and down and stuck in a state of overwhelm and unmotivation. But it's also easy to break free of that by focusing on the positive things. And I know, oh, my. It's so annoying when people talk about that. Change your mindset. Change your life. But it's true. You can hate your house or you can love it and the choice is yours. And it doesn't have to be perfectly clean for you to love it. That is a lie we've been telling ourselves for way too long. You can love your house when it's messy. You can love your house when it's filthy. You can love your house when it's so cluttered. You can't see your surfaces, you can still love your home and you're lucky to have it. And that feeling is going to give

you what you need to get up and make it your dream space. It comes from a place of love, not hate. Rage cleaning is also fun. We all do it. But it's way better to love clean your house than it is to hate clean your house. So if nothing else while listening to this podcast, I hope you're going to remember this. This is your takeaway that I want. When you're feeling like you don't want to, we only have to think about the things you love about your house. We don't worry about what we're going to get done today and all the things on your to do list. Those can go away. The only thing you have to think about is why you love this space. and what you love about your home and why you're so lucky to have it and how good it feels

to love it and respect it and clean it and take care of it. Take care of it. Care for it and it will care for you back. Okay. I love spending time with you guys. I got to go because I'm going to go upstairs. I'm going to start a load of laundry. I'm going to put away a load of laundry. I'm going to declutter a bag today. I'm going to clean that kitchen. And I am going to listen to like a Bridgerton book while I do it because I'm obsessed with watching Bridgerton right now. I've watched it like six times. And I'm like, I can't wait until the new season comes out. I watched all the other seasons. But why can't I listen to it to it as an audiobook? Yes, please. I'm just going to pick one of those. I'm going to put it on. I'm going to get my Bridgetton on because I can't watch it.

So I might as well get up and get moving and listen to it. I'm going to love my house. I'm going to love the ever-loving crap out of my house today. And it's not going to be perfect and it's not going to be totally done. But it's going to be better. And more than that, I'm going to be proud of myself. I'm going to be feeling contentment and joy. And that's what our house is supposed to do.

it's supposed to make us proud even when it's a little messy, even when it's a little dirty. We still can love the house that we have. So thank you guys so much for spending time with me today. And I'll see you guys next time.