How Long Does It Really Take To Clean The Home?

Do you know the feeling of being so overwhelmed with a long to-do list that you end up not doing anything at all? If you're trying to juggle a 9-to-5 job and keeping a home running, you probably do—and more often than not, what leaves you in a panic is thinking about how much time it will take to clean your humble abode.

In your head, the most common tasks—doing the dishes, folding the laundry or vacuuming carpets—can take hours so you'd much rather delay doing it. The next thing you know, your home is a mess. Don't worry, there's something you can do to change your perspective: Start a stopwatch. 

You might be thinking, "How does using a stopwatch help me accomplish more?" Well, according to cleaning guru Jolie Kerr of The New York Times, if you know the task will take seconds to finish then you'd be more motivated to finish it immediately. 

"If you're a person who tends to let dishes pile up in the sink to avoid washing them, try this simple trick to put the effort involved into perspective: For a few days, as you think of it, set a timer before you begin washing the dishes, and make note of how long it took to clean up. If you know the task will take just minutes to complete, it will be less difficult to convince yourself to take care of those dishes now," she explains. 

As it turns out, cleaning (or any type of home-related chores for that matter) doesn't really take that much time at all. With constant practice, you'll be surprised at how fast you can tidy up your space and soon enough, you won't be needing a stopwatch to tell you that.

SOURCE: The New York Times | Smarter Living (A Smarter Way To Clean Your Home)