Whistle while You Work

We all have that friend who's super organized and has a box with a description on it for everything. They meal prep for a whole week, they clean their home every night before they go to sleep. There are never dishes in their sink and it seems like everything in their house has its place.

Well, it's not me, that's for sure. I live in a tiny studio apartment along with my husband, 2 medium sized dogs and a cat. There's dog hair everywhere, Chewy.com boxes just keep on coming, taking up lots of space and before we get rid of them there are new ones on the way. Our house is a mess! It's not super dirty or anything, it's just as far from being organized as it gets.

We do have a friend who loves us very much and brings us food in plastics containers making sure we don't spend all of our money on takeout. She also bakes me cookies that I eat for breakfast (as any responsible adult would). Her house is so organized that I don't even know how to describe it. They have a storage closet on each floor with supplies that could last them a few months in case of an apocalypse. She's only 4 years older and she's the definition of an adult while we are a poster couple for 'young, married and broke'. They also have all those kitchen appliances you get from people once you get married but we eloped and got married on the side of the road in Shenandoah Valley so...

By now you probably think that I'm a complete slob. Well, I'm happy to say that I'm not! And today I'll let you in on my secret how to make even the laziest cleaner eager to do all the chores. Well, most of you will probably think that I'm absolutely crazy but... MUSIC! (with a healthy dose of singing and dancing for the brave ones!)

I don't know if you had the pleasure of watching the Disney Holiday Singalong from last December (I was "lucky" enough to watch it multiple times with the kids I used to babysit) but there was one song that would get stuck in my head and didn't want to leave! While I don't think it's a great song and the clip is not much better I can't help it but start moving my body to it. Please tell me, I'm not the only one who wants to dance and clean after hearing it!

I have to admit, even if the whole thing seems to be extremely forced, fake or however you call it... it does its job! In a ridiculous way it makes me want to grab a broom and start sweeping my floors while dancing. The song originally was performed by 'Snow White' who as we all know was kind of abused by dwarfs to do their chores.

While I don't have seven dwarfs hanging over my head to clean up their tiny cottage, I do have a husband and 3 furry children that are quite messy (and demanding!). I keep on reinforcing splitting house duties in our marriage but I mean... let's just say usually I'm the one taking care of our household. You might think since it's a studio it's not that hard to clean up but remember, while others have storage closets to hide their mess in, ours is always in plain sight. Do I have tricks for organizing that disaster we call our home? Not really! Just whistle while you work...!

It might seem crazy to you but music really helps me with cleaning. Whatever your jam is, it doesn't matter. For me it's 'Shake it off' by Taylor Swift and for you it might be 'Monster' by Skillet (I listen to both by the way). It just needs to keep you going while performing all those mundane tasks and add some character to it!

While I do not look as glamorous as Julianne Hough while dancing... I do love being alone, putting my Spotify on and being productive while having some fun. I do the same with cooking and baking. Music and dancing are the things that motivate me to make dinner after all day of working from home! There's nothing better than pouring some wine into one of my cute tumblers, putting my favorite song on and doing a bit of house work before my food is ready and I get to sit down on a couch with a refill and put a movie on!

But what about spring cleaning?! - you ask- It takes forever to switch from my winter clothes to the new season! - you might think.

That's true. If you're any like me switching your closet between seasons might be an all day job! Again, have fun with it!

Don't just put away the sweaters and the coats. Make sure that anything that you're putting away was actually used during last season. If it wasn't maybe it's time to get rid of it? Create a donation bag with clothes that you don't wear anymore or (what I do way too often) bought once and never ended up wearing! If you are in a desperate need of money, check out if there are any second hand stores near you that would buy your clothes. One time I got over $50 for the clothes I wasn't going to use anyway! If not, just find a donation or clothing recycling bin. There are always people in need or ways not to create more waste!

What about the clothing for the new season? Do the exact same thing! Think whether whatever you're putting on a hanger or a shelf is something you're going to wear. If you're not sure, maybe it's time to give it to someone else or recycle it? Don't let it take up space in your closet unless you know it's worth it! And don't forget! Have fun with it. Play some music, do a mini fashion show. Take pictures! Maybe you’ll come up with new ideas to mix and match! Very often the same clothes fit us differently after another season and it's always fun to find out how many pounds we gained during the winter! (only half joking...)

Getting into a new season, especially spring, is so refreshing! You get rid of the layers and start enjoying the weather. Sun warms up your home and you put that music on and that's the perfect way to do the Spring Cleaning! Whatever makes the job easier, just embrace it. Whether it's a glass of wine or lemonade or iced tea... maybe you even want to pop by your favorite coffee shop and get your ‘go to’ drink. Whatever makes you feel like that cleaning process could be more fun and rewarding, do it! I guarantee you, you'll come into the new season with a fresh mind and ready to tackle new challenges!

And don't forget... whistle while you work!