Often in the mid-afternoon I am tempted to plop down on the bed and watch Netflix, YouTube or Instagram stories instead of working through my to-do list. Everyone struggles with motivation at some point or another, and with household chores it can be especially hard to find the motivation for jobs that aren’t your favorite!
Here are three simple things you can do to push past the desire to be lazy and to instead, get things done!
#1 Set A Realistic Time Limit
Here’s an example of how this works for me: If it’s 1:20 and I have to sweep & mop the whole house, I’ll decide that I will work (without picking up my phone) until 2:00. At 2:00 I can stop whatever I’m doing and relax!
When I do this, I find that one of two things happen:
- I finish my tasks and gain the motivation to keep working! I lose the desire to chill and end up accomplishing more than just that one task.
- I finish my task in the time allotted – and then get to enjoy watching a show!
Either way, it’s a win! It’s always better to do something than to do nothing.
Read More —> 3 Ways to Avoid Social Media Distraction and Get Stuff Done
#2 Take A Few Minutes For Yourself
I always have more motivation when I am presentable. I find that if I get ready for the day shortly after getting up, I’m much more productive. However, sometimes I end up hot and sweaty or just disheveled by mid-afternoon (this happens a lot in the summer!) and I don’t feel like doing anything.
If I take a couple minutes to change my clothes, freshen up my makeup and pull my hair back, I always feel more motivated to keep working.
#3 Turn On Something Interesting or Fun
This might not be effective for everyone, but sometimes it helps to turn on music, a funny show or a podcast to keep you going. When I clean the bathrooms, I like to put on my wireless headphones and listen to a podcast. It helps me stay on task!
I hope one of these tips will be helpful for you!
Come Home For Comfort 
I continue to find more and more ways we are alike, friend! Time limits and music, podcasts, & YouTube vids are all so helpful for me while caring for our home too! 🙂
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Love that!
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Such great advice! I love setting a time limit… see how many things I can cross off my to do list in 30 minutes. I also like to do the least favorite chores first to get them out of the way.
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That’s a great way to approach a time limit – seeing how much you can get done instead of limiting the time to one task!
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I agree! Setting a time limit works for me, too. Sometimes if I finish a chore before the allotted time is up, and I still have ten more minutes or five more minutes (or whatever), I will continue to work until the “end time” (or beyond!), and wind up getting even more done!
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It’s funny how working makes us eager to do more work! 😉
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For me, listening to audio books helps me get home chores done. In fact, if the book is really interesting I drag the work out!
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That’s a great idea!
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When all the kids were home sometimes we’d write a list of all the chores and then we’d take turns writing our names next to each one. Then we’d turn on very loud music and we’d all work as fast as humanly possible! We could clean our house in about 45 minutes. I tried to keep it up by myself but this was fun once in a while because the whole house was clean at once. Now I’m older and I have to do it piece meal. I still LOVE that all-clean-at-once feeling.
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That’s a fun idea! There’s nothing like the way a house looks when it’s been dusted, mopped and vacuumed all at once, totally agree. 🙂
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Whitney, it is is not done by noon here at Nanaland it is a struggle to get it done. I am a definite morning person. I use the afternoon to do something for myself before I have to pick up the grands at school and start supper. I thought housekeeping would be easier when it was just he two of us but not so!! I like to turn on Pandora, listen to JV McGee or watch one of my favorite you tubers when I am cleaning. It makes the time go faster.
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You’re so smart to figure out what works best for you! I have learned that I actually function best in the morning, even though I’d always rather sleep till 9.
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This is something I think we all struggle with. Setting a time limit is super helpful for me too! Sometimes it is just getting started with the task that is the hardest, so having an end time in mind makes it easier to just get it done.
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That’s a great tip, to start with the hardest one first. I agree that it’s always easier to start if you know there’s going to be an end! 🙂
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