You know what’s worse than deep cleaning? Losing motivation mid-deep cleaning.
Deep cleaning is one of those chores you must start the minute you feel inspired. Inspiration will probably kick in the moment you least expect it to. You might be about to study for your final presentation, or about to send that very important email you’ve been procrastinating. Yes, it will most likely kick in at the most inconvenient moment, but you still have to do it. Some call it procrastination; I call it productivity. It is also uncontrollable; you can’t blame yourself; think of it as if you were a cat having a zoomies attack. What is it left to do? You must act upon that instinct; my sincerest apologies to all the tasks left behind for it.
Deep cleaning always starts with such a clear vision. ‘Okay, I’ll start with the dishes, then the floor, later the cabinets, and will continue with my bedroom tomorrow.’ Of course, theoretically, that is an achievable plan; but realistically, you will end up reorganizing your whole silverware cabinet, rearranging it until it feels right. By then, four hours will have gone by, and you will still have to clean the rest of the house. You get to your bedroom, and you say to yourself, ‘Clean sheets, declutter closet and take all the empty water glasses to the kitchen.’ Sure, that also sounded amazing. But we all know you ended up going through your childhood memory box, unlocking a decade’s worth of emotions. Somehow, you end up wearing your 7th grade talent show wig on, reading the letter you wrote to your first love. The drawer you were supposed to declutter is lying on the floor, and no work has been done.
After crying your eyes out and going down a nostalgia rabbit hole, you decide it’s time to continue cleaning. The problem is, there is no energy left, and the room looks like the FBI just did a search warrant. Sometimes you wisely choose your battles; other times wisdom leaves your body, and you do the best you can. Chances are, you will end up curled up on the only corner of your bed that is not covered in random objects, and your room will be a problem for tomorrow’s self.
