Have you ever been in the situation where your parent/guardian asks you to clean your room, do the dishes, take out the trash, mop the floor, walk the dog, or just do any sort of cleaning? It can get annoying, especially if you don’t want to do it in the first place. Even if your parent/guardian doesn’t tell you to tidy up, you know you probably should but you have zero motivation. Wouldn't you rather just live a well kept life in general? Here are some tips to save you from this agony. 

How to become more motivated to clean, make organizing more interesting and fun, and how to be more organized in general is everything you’ll need to know to get the job done. Having a clean and organized environment will leave you feeling relaxed and productive. Some eighth grade teachers share their input on the matter well. 

At some point in your lifetime you’ve had to do some sort of tidying up. Most people experience the same issue; lack of motivation. What are some ways you can become motivated to clean? 

“Honestly, cleaning is the worst. I hate cleaning. However, the feeling you have when everything is clean or walking into a clean room is amazing. When things are clean, you feel peaceful and calm. That is what motivates me to clean,” said Mrs. Peterson, 7th grade ELA Teacher. 

Think of the final result and how nice and fresh you’ll feel after all of your hard work. You know you need to clean especially if you’re embarrassed if people come over or if you are struggling to find your homework that’s due tomorrow.

“When things are clean and organized, you know where everything is. You don’t mind having people over because there isn’t anything to be embarrassed about, and you just feel like you have a better handle on life,” said Mrs. Peterson. 

Being organized has helpful benefits mentally and physically. “Decluttering and cleaning promotes a positive mental attitude and can have an energizing effect, allowing you to focus on other challenges in your life.” (The Collective Cleaning) So remember that the next time you think you should clean or are told to clean, it has a beneficial result and that should be enough motivation. 

Step one is complete; become motivated to start the task. Next is to make sure the motivation lasts by making the job easier and interesting. Themtwashingtongroup.com says that some ways you can make cleaning easier is to make a checklist of the tasks you need to get done. If you know what needs to be done then you can get it accomplished faster and in a more effective order. Once you have that done you can make the cleaning a team effort and grab a family member or a friend to help. 

“I love listening to podcasts or audio books while I clean. It makes it much more enjoyable. You get so caught up in what you’re listening to, it makes the time go by faster. I also like working my way from one end of the room to the other,” said Mrs. Erickson, 8th grade Health Teacher. 

Pop in those earbuds and blast some music or really anything that interests you. (Nothing too exciting though, you have a job to do.) It can help distract you from the little voice in your head telling you this is not something you want to do. 

Photo by: Zoe Rodriguez 

The photo provides an image of a disorganized locker and then after using organizational tips the new tidy environment.

“Delay breeds dangers; nothing so perilous as procrastination.” said English author John Lyly. As a student, or even as an adult, we have all fallen victim to procrastination in some way.

      Procrastinating by definition is to “delay or postpone action; put off doing something.” Even if you get your work in on time, procrastination can cause unnecessary stress on a students’, or and adults’, mind. This stress can cause you to not sleep well, get distracted in class, and make you feel overwhelmed, according to McLean Hospital.

"I have other things I’d rather do that I prioritize first,” said Zane Garland, 8th grader, and avid procrastinator, after being asked why he procrastinates. Why do we procrastinate? Lots of people procrastinate and when they look back they wonder why they even did it in the first place. 

One obvious reason people procrastinate is that the task that they have to do is boring or uninteresting. “Usually because the task at hand seems too boring and something that I really do not want to do,” said Jason Thompson, 8th grade History and Geography teacher, after being asked what he thinks the biggest reason for procrastinating is.

 Sometimes people procrastinate because people think they're not good enough to do the task and maybe it would be better to do it later. Things like dentist/doctor appointments are things people might fear and so they put it off until later. Perfectionism is also a factor in procrastination. Perfectionalists sometimes will plan too much and not have enough time to actually execute the plan. 

How does procrastination affect us? Research from McLean Hospital shows that procrastination can cause us to be snappy and irritated at small things as a result of hyper-focusing on the assignment that needs to be done. “I feel pretty darn good. But really I feel a little guilty and stressed,” said Zane. “I feel anxious about the task that needs to be completed,” said Mr. Thompson.

As you can see, procrastination can cause lots of unnecessary stress and anxiety that affects our mental, physical, and social health. “It can give you a sense of getting away with something, but you always are worried and thinking about doing whatever it was that you procrastinated,” said Mr, Thompson.

After reading all this information on the effects of procrastination, you most likely have related in some way and you want to know how to avoid those consequences. “Do what you have to do,” said Zane after being asked what he thinks the best way to not procrastinate is. He’s not far off either. 

Zane Garland, 8th grader, expressing how he feels when he finishes an assignment without procrastinating.