Everyone needs to clean and tidy up their space from time to time. But for some reason, it just seems to be easier for some people than for others. While some have already finished everything, others struggle to even find the mental energy to start thinking about cleaning at all.

In this post, I want to share 6 tips (plus one bonus tip) that make cleaning and tidying up a whole lot easier.

1. The Room-by-Room Principle

Dividing your house or apartment by rooms makes it much easier to start cleaning. It helps you focus on one area at a time, and it also gives you a sense of progress. Seeing results faster can boost your motivation and help you keep going.

Another huge advantage: you can stop whenever you feel like it. Without leaving your entire home looking worse than when you started. If you feel overwhelmed, try finishing just one room and take a break afterward. You’ll feel more in control and less pressured.

2. Start with the Trash

This is seriously underrated!

Once you’ve taken out all the trash, it’s much easier to see what actually needs attention. If you leave it for later, you’ll probably have to deal with it multiple times. So get it out of the way first! It’ll save you time, energy, and patience.

3. Collect All the Laundry

Piles of laundry on the floor, chair, or bed can make a space feel instantly more chaotic. Just having laundry lying around makes me feel stressed. Get it out of sight as soon as you can.

You can go room by room or grab everything all at once, whatever works for you. I personally prefer doing it all at once to have it out of the way early.

And if you’re someone who has clean laundry lying around too – that’s okay. Just put it in your closet. You don’t need to fold every single item if that’s stopping you from putting it away. You can always fold it later when you feel better. Just getting the piles out of your space will make a huge difference in how calm and in control you feel.

4. Turn Making Your Bed into a Morning Habit

Making your bed in the morning takes very little effort, but it instantly makes your room feel more tidy and put together. Of course, it’s quicker if you don’t have a ton of pillows. But if you’re like me and love extra pillows, it only adds a few more seconds to your routine.

Plus, when your bed looks neat, you’re less likely to crawl right back into it after getting up. (Although I must admit, I still do that sometimes.)

5. Do the Dishes and Make It Fun

I hate doing the dishes, not gonna lie. But I’ve found a way to make it less painful: I put on a Netflix show, YouTube video, podcast, or music while doing them. That way, I don’t feel like I’m wasting time. I’d be watching something anyway, so I might as well do both at once.

Just a tip: avoid shows with subtitles (like anime or K-dramas, for me), since it’s harder to follow while you’re moving around. Pick something where you can mostly listen and glance at the screen now and then.

6. Vacuuming Without the Overwhelm

Vacuuming usually means moving around a lot, so watching a show might not work. But you can still listen to your favorite music, an audiobook, or a podcast. Pretend you’re closing up your café or pub at the end of the day. Create a little vibe for yourself.

Having something to listen to makes it way easier to get started and helps the time pass faster. It keeps your focus away from the “ugh” of the chore.

Bonus Tip: Keep It Minimal

Having a tidy, uncluttered space helps you feel more at ease and calm. Unfortunately, cleaning today doesn’t mean you won’t have to clean again soon. But there is something that can make your space easier to maintain in the long run: Decluttering.

Keeping only things you actually use or love will make it so much easier to stay organized. If everything you own has a proper place, it becomes faster and less stressful to put things away and find them again.

I’ll write a separate post about how decluttering can help you feel more peaceful and how you can start without putting too much pressure on yourself.

Final Thoughts

All of these tips are things I’ve been doing for years. And honestly, I’ve grown to enjoy cleaning and tidying up. It makes me feel productive and in control. Plus, the results are immediate. You can literally see the difference you’ve made directly!

For me, tidying up no longer feels overwhelming. In fact, I now use it as a way to manage stress. I hope these tips help you feel calmer and more capable too, so that cleaning your space feels a little less like a chore and a little more like self-care.

Eva 🌼