Get More Cleaning Done: How to Reorder Your Chores So You Finish Feeling Energized

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
updated May 4, 2019
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(Image credit: Pablo Enriquez)

Do you dread the job of cleaning home? Rather pass on tackling chores? Do you view such tasks as scrubbing and mopping as the most boring and unappealing things ever? Do you either fail to get started (putting cleaning off until things are really bad) or do you run out of energy before finishing everything on your to-do list? You might need to rearrange the order of what cleaning tasks you tackle first.

Have you ever heard of something called job crafting? It’s the idea of making over the work day so that you “boost your engagement by doing the things that give you a lot of energy and vitality during the day.” (Quote taken from this Fast Company article.) What if we told you you could apply that same idea to the job of cleaning your house — and figure out a way to get all your chores done in an order that leaves you feeling energized at the end (or at the very least satisfied that you’re finished)?

We’ve given you the lots of different cleaning routines to consider on Apartment Therapy. From how to just clean 20 minutes a day to even how to only clean on the weekends. But when looking for a cleaning schedule that works for you, think about the order in which you tackle your cleaning tasks. And you can look to your past cleaning history to consider what kind of order to place your chores in.

(Image credit: Chris Stout-Hazard )

If you’re the kind of person who puts off cleaning…

Start with your most energizing tasks first. The kind of chores that maybe get you moving a little bit. The kind of chores that you almost enjoy doing because you really love the look of a clean countertop, etc. Consider NOT starting with a chore you dread. Though the old “eat the frog first” method can definitely be a way to get tasks checked off your to-do list, if not wanting to start on a task you hate is what’s keeping you from starting in the first place, you might need a reorder.

If you dread all tasks, you might instead start with the chore that will lead to the biggest visible results — it could be the motivation you need to continue on with your cleaning jobs. And successfully tackling a dreaded task (and getting to step back and admire your handiwork) could be enough to leave you excited and energized that you finally finished cleaning!

If you’re the kind of person who always ends up burning out before you finish cleaning…

Leave your favorite tasks lasts. Again, “favorite” might be a bit of a stretch when it comes to cleaning tasks, but more than likely there’s at least a result you love or a task that for you signifies “a clean” house. For me it’s vacuuming my rugs. I love the clean look and fresh feel of my bedroom rugs freshly vacuumed, so I leave vacuuming as my last task to tackle (even leaving my bedroom rugs as the last ones to clean).

When I start with my rugs, I run the risk of giving up on the rest of my chores because I end up feeling like I got the most important part done anyway. When I leave them for last and finish up the other tasks first, I always have enough energy to finish everything (or at the very least, enough motivation). And since I leave my favorite fresh-feeling task until the end, I always finish a cleaning session feeling energized to enjoy a clean home.