adult life is truly just thinking “I NEED TO CLEAN” while dealing with the 17 other things that have a hard deadline
If fully cleaning is a spectre haunting, you can try tidying up as needed and identifying what NEEDS to be cleaned (like dishes and laundry) versus what would be nice to have clean. The medium to larger cleaning jobs can even be done in pieces that are spaced out.
Recently I really wanted to clean the yuck off of the stove, which had been getting worse and worse, and that was a separate project I took on when I was on a roll and the necessary cleaning was done.
My desk attracts clutter like there's a natural law commanding it to. I tidy it from time to time, throw away old mail, put the pens away, and make space to work, but give it a full dusting, wipe down, organising clean every so often.
Try to find the pacing and wording that works for you so you feel at least a little less like there's a bear breathing down your neck. And don't forget: mess occurs because life is happening and keeping yourself alive and, as close to thriving as you can get, is more important than having a showroom home.
