How to Motivate Yourself to Tidy When You are Too Tired

I’ve had a busy day!

Started with two appointments, then the router had to be changed out, a friend visited at the hospital, plant the tulips, clean the gutters before the leaves stuck in them break them off the roof, Christmas returns, pick  up a birthday gift for my sister… and a whole lot more before I could get to the basics.

It’s 7:30 pm. There is dinner to make, dishes to clean, laundry to fold and put away, the next day to prepare for & a house that is in shambles not to mention work that still needs to be done.  Will I ever catch up!

Frankly, I’m beat! I wish I had a maid who would come through and take care of these basic tasks so I can have a minute to sit down and relax. But I can’t relax when the mess is staring at me.  Haunting me in my dreams.

What is the best way to tackle the mess when you are too tired to lift a finger?

Turn on the music.

“Huh?” you say. “No top ten ways to get motivated?”

Nein. Turn it on and make it loud.

When you are truly beyond tired and still have miles to go before you sleep, the worst thing you can do is leave it for tomorrow. Why?  Because the last thing you need to add to your frazzled & tired state is to start off the next day behind.

A messy home with unfinished tasks is a stresspool waiting to explode.  (no, stresspool isn’t a real word, but it’s like cesspool which is what your home will feel like if you get behind)  So even if you do rationalize to yourself it will be okay to wait until tomorrow to tackle these last items, you will awake the next day to those tasks piled on top of the tasks for the current day.  Also known as stress.

On another note: don’t confuse the feeling of being too tired to accomplish daily tasks with the feeling of just not wanting to do them. The first is a legitimate reason; the second isn’t.

It’s 11 o’clock.  I’m off to bed with a home where the dishes are done, the laundry put away, my things I need for tomorrow ready to go, my calendar reviewed so I don’t miss anything and a general tidiness throughout, because I know I’ll sleep better having put everything else to rest first.  No tossing and turning because of unfinished business running through my dreams.  I’ll wake happy, and ready to tackle a new day.

Do you ever feel guilty about being tired when you still have a pile of tasks to complete? What creative ways do you motivate yourself to get the job done?