Clean on cue and get an instant reward

By Julie Short

Mansfield Record

Cueing yourself to clean and then giving yourself an immediate reward upon completion is a recipe for success in cleaning. Maybe the cue is a commercial break in your favorite show or the end of the chapter.

This is your cue to spend five minutes loading the dishwasher or folding that load of laundry. The immediate reward could be just getting to sit back down to finish watching without guilt or grabbing your favorite drink when you head back to the couch.

Next commercial break or between episodes, jump back up and do another five-minute task. Don't try to do too much in these five-minute breaks or you will end up not doing them at all.

Your cue can be every time you step out of the shower, turn around and wipe down the glass. Reward yourself by lathering up with great smelling moisturizer, or whatever works for you. The key is to find things that help you act, then rewarding the action so that you are more likely to complete the act again.

The battle truly is in the mind.

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Julie Short has been married to her husband, Stoney, since 1997. She is currently working on a series of books known as Julie’s Simple Solutions. She is a Mansfield resident, business owner and member of the Mansfield City Council.

Find her book “Cleaning Your House in Minutes a Day” here.

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