2. Prepare. Like a child who asks for a snack, then water, then a bedtime kiss before finally going to sleep, people tend to allow themselves to get distracted or justify walking away from their tasks in order to avoid it. Nip as many of those as possible, starting with cleaning supplies.
If you have to keep leaving the task to find this sponge or that scrub brush or your favorite cleaner, you’re giving yourself time to be distracted. Take the option away by laying out everything in advance.
3. Focus. Once you have your priority list, start on the first task and focus only on that task until it’s complete. If you try to think ahead to all of the other things you could be doing, you’ll only find yourself overwhelmed. Plus, you’ll have much better results on the task at hand if you’re focused.
4. Distract. If cleaning bores you, try to make it interesting for yourself, or at least distract yourself from the fact that it’s boring. If you can watch TV and work at the same time, go for it! You can also crank up your favorite music to listen to while you clean to keep you moving.
If you have a hard time watching TV or listening to music and actually getting the cleaning done, then set timers and reward yourself. Work for 30-60 minutes, then give yourself a 10-20 minute break. Make sure you time both so that your break doesn’t grow longer than it should!