Keeping my house clean is a little like painting the forth bridge...as in you get to one end and you have to start at the beginning again straight away. It's a never ending cycle of doing the same things. Ahh the joys of sharing my home with teenage kids and fur kritters.

What's that got to do with motivation, I mean who the dickens likes to clean all the time? One thing I have noticed is that if you only clean the surface you end up cleaning more and not less. You can skim clean anything, but unless you look at the underlying problems - you will never solve the problem of untidy houses, or businesses for that matter.

Why?

Well:

• If the drawers are crammed with "stuff" there's not going to be any room to put anything else in it is there. Nor are you going to be able to find what you are looking for.
• If your wardrobe is filled with clothes you might get back into one day, you are less likely to have space to put the clothes you can get into now, and under no incentive to hang them up. One of my pet peeves is clothes. If you are in front of the public, you need to dress to impress. And the first person you need to impress is you. If you look scrumpled and tired, what will your clients say about your business.
• Similarly if you have a few extra pounds on your frame. If you choose clothes that flatter the fuller figure all well and good, but if you are still trying to get into the clothes that used to fit....either get bigger clothes or hit the pavement or gym. Preferably the latter as it's better for your health to have the correct BMI.
• What about your bookshelves? When was the last time you read any of the items on them? Are they crammed with everything other than books?
• Filing trays - these are a good place to dump pieces of paper and things you need to deal with "one day".

Clean out the clutter. Get rid of the things you don't need, will never use, will never get into again and make room for the things that really matter.

As you do clean each room / area, you will find that as you find time to clean and sort, other problems and issues will start to resolve themselves, especially if you decide to clean properly. And that means - tackling the "problems" as they arise. You may find that cleaning one room / area, will appear to cause more problems than it fixes in the beginning but that is because you've probably never worked in that way before. As with all good time management techniques - do what you can now, and then organise those things that will take a little longer into other areas....write them down, and then cross them off one by one. For instance, I have a sewing pile, a letter writing pile, a bills to pay pile. It makes life an awful lot easier if you are not having to go over the same ground every day.

Remember the three D's of unprocrastination:

• Do it
• Delegate it
• Dump it

Believe me it works

One final thought before you dismiss this as a waste of time....

What would your friends, family and relatives say if they were responsible for cleaning out your house when you pass on? And would you be happy about those comments?

As always food for thought.