11 Ways To Make Chores A Little Less Miserable

Finding a handful of easy and realistic ways to make cleaning fun can sometimes feel incredibly difficult. It's a universal truth that cleaning can be boring, especially for those of us who can’t imagine having a smile on our face while doing it. While cleaning is a task we know we need to do, it doesn’t make it any easier for us to get off our butts and down to it. Bless those who find cleaning to be inherently exciting (do you even exist?). Because for the rest of us, it often feels like torture.

Similarly to how we motivate ourselves to do other seemingly annoying things — for me, the gym and boring work tasks, just to name a couple — we can similarly motivate ourselves to do all of the items on our cleaning checklist. It's all about trying to make things as fun as possible. How could cleaning possibly be fun, you might be wondering. By thinking outside the box and incorporating dancing, games and rewards, we can at least put our best effort into enjoying it.

Here are 11 easy ways to make cleaning feel fun. If you don’t believe me, just try ‘em!

1. Make It A Cleaning Dance Party

Nothing is boring about dancing. With that in mind, why not incorporate some awesome dance moves into your cleaning session? Make a kicka$$ playlist, set up your speakers, and get to sweeping. While it won’t make you miraculously love scrubbing the toilet, it’s bound to make it just a tiny bit less painful, as the music will make you happier. According to a study reported on by HealthLine.com, listening to music can effectively improve our mood. That said, we won't be nearly as cranky.

2. Cleaning Slippers, All The Way

Have you seen these things? They’re amazing. You can purchase them here on Amazon, and you’ll be glad you did. They look so funny on, but they make the process of getting your floors clean a whole lot more interesting. Combo these with your dance party, and you’ll be busting out moves you never even knew you had as you slide across the floor.

3. Take Some Free Shots

No, not free shots of alcohol — free shots as in turning your cleanup into a basketball game. OK, this might seem like something that would look way cooler in a movie than in reality, but this is a personal favorite of mine. Set up a garbage can across the room and instead of throwing things in the normal way, shoot them into the garbage can like the Michael Jordan of cleaning.

4. Listen To An Audio Book

Haven’t found time to read that book everyone has been talking about? Try getting the audio version and playing it while you clean. Listen to it while making dinner each night as well, and before you know it you’ll have consumed the whole book without even having to etch out time for it.

5. Catch Up On Phone Calls

I love my friends and family who live far away just as much as the ones who live close, but it’s so difficult to find time in our busy lives to have lengthy catch-up phone calls. If you can relate, try coordinating with them on a time each of your can both clean and talk. Just remember to spare the other person, and save the vacuuming for after the call is done.

6. Time Yourself

You don’t want to clean for longer than you have to, anyway, so why not challenge yourself to beat your times each cleaning session. Even if the mini competition is just against yourself, you’ll still find it exciting.

7. During The Warmer Months, Clean Outside In Your Bathing Suit

Two birds, one stone, my friends. I mean, what girl doesn’t love getting her bronze on in the spring and summer. If you have outdoor cleaning to do during the warmer months, throw on your bathing suit and get to it. Not only will you prevent your clothes from getting wet and dirty, you’ll also be walking away with some good color on your skin (as long as you use the right SPF).

8. If You Have Kids, Get Them Involved

Not, like, in a “torture the child with chores” way, but more to get your whole clan doing something together. You can even give them incentives to clean alongside you, such as allowance for emptying the dishwasher, or an extra dessert per week for helping you make the beds. It count down the time you have to spend completing these tasks, and it will give the kids something to work for.

9. Tally Up Your Calories Burned

It’s easy to forget cleaning is actually a great form of physical activity. If you’re someone who’s passionate about healthy living, this is a perfect tactic for you. Mark down each cleaning task you completed and how long you were doing it. Then, when you’re finished, look up how many calories you burned doing each by visiting this page on CalorieLab.com. It will feel extra rewarding when you realize just how much of a workout you've had.

10. Reward Yourself For A Job Well-Done

I love eating, so I often decide on a reward that I’ll give myself at the end of cleaning, which is almost always — as you can imagine — a snack. If food doesn’t motivate you, find another sort of small reward to give yourself once the cleaning is complete. Love Starbucks lattes? Let yourself get one that day only when all of the cleaning is done.

11. If All Else Fails, Watch Your Pet Chase The Roomba For Some Laughs

Pets are seemingly mystified by Roombas, so it provides an endless form of entertainment to see them chase it around. The floor gets clean, the pet gets exercise, and you get in a few laughs.

By using some of these tactics, you can help make the dreaded task of cleaning a little more enjoyable. Perhaps then you won’t feel the urge to put it off, and rather, will be excited to clean. Before you know it, you can quickly become the girl with the cleanest house on the block!

Images: Pexels (4); saxbaldphotography, miggslives, cote, b0jangles, elchupacabra, three_if_by_bike, stephendann, dolske/Flickr