I've never loved cleaning my home and I know I'm not alone when I say that. It doesn't matter how many shiny cleaning products I buy or hacks like the '15-minute Friday reset' or 'drip drop' cleaning method that I try out, it still feels like an arduous task that, even when complete, just keeps coming back. There's always a new mess or a new pile of clothes to put away and lately, I've noticed I've been letting myself get stuck in this negative mindset that I'll never complete these endless chores.
But, with the sun beginning to shine and the world looking a lot more vibrant (as well as the rays really showing up the dust around my home), I decided it was time to start channelling a new positivity about the whole thing.
So, I decided to reframe that way I think about it. I thought: "If cleaning has started to feel like work, why don't I treat it more like work?" And now, I've 'employed myself' to do the spring cleaning, which essentially means I'm going to pay myself with my own money for doing it. It sounds twisted, but it turns out it might just be the best motivation yet.
How it works
If I was seriously going to 'employ myself' to spring clean I realized, first and foremost, that I needed to set out some ground rules. How much was I going to pay myself and for how long was I going to clean?
Now, while I'm not launching my own self-employed business, I decided I'd give myself two hours on a Saturday morning from 6-8am. This works for me because I've got two small kids who are up early regardless. The time for you is totally flexible. You're becoming your own boss, after all.
I then decided I'd pay myself an average hourly rate, about $30, and told myself that when I'd done two solid hours of cleaning, I could use that cash on something nice for the weekend. It's easy with two small kids to not prioritize yourself and that also applies to buying anything for yourself. So, the cash incentive works nicely. If you'd rather incentivize yourself with a physical reward like a massage appointment or a tray of freshly-baked cookies (bought, of course) then that's entirely up to you.
What happened when I tried it
With any cleaning hack I try out, I think it's important to give it a few goes before I pass my official verdict. So, I 'employed myself' for three weeks in a row and here's how I feel about my new 'job.'
To be honest, cleaning has always been what feels like another full-time job to me anyway, just without the reward. And I was immediately surprised at how much nicer it felt to know that I'd be giving myself something in exchange for all my hard work. Otherwise, it's a pretty thankless job.
What I did also notice though is that trying to clean in a two-hour block may have been a little ambitious. While I'm keen to keep up with 'employing myself' I'm also my own boss, so in future I'll stretch out my cleaning into smaller segments, combining it with the '30-3' rule that I've been having a lot of success with. This means I can focus on three, 30-minute chunks of cleaning at a time. If I do that twice, I can pay myself a lovely three-hour reward.
When I started treating my cleaning more like a job with a cash reward, it began to feel like a non-negotiable.
When I started treating my cleaning more like a job with a cash reward, it began to feel like a non-negotiable. I had a specific job to do and if I didn't do it, I wouldn't get 'paid'. Yes, it would be my money regardless, but it's far too easy to hold onto that money and spend it on other things that aren't for you. By telling myself that this money was to be spent in a specific way because I'd earned it felt really good.
I was also pleasantly surprised that it actually alleviated some of the mom guilt I feel when trying to clean around my kids. During the week, I'm working and cleaning feels like a task that I'll somehow do when I get alone time, which is virtually never.
'Employing myself' and getting paid for it was a fun way to make me a whole lot more productive. Cleaning your home may go a little unappreciated most of the time, but by being both the employer and the employee, I found I've started to appreciate myself – and I'll definitely keep doing it.
