The Ten Minute Apartment Clense

By Lev Novak

1. Get Aware

For 90% of us, our apartments can be cleaner. If you’re one of those people with a really clean apartment- like, you made your bed and your drawers have folded clothes- move on. This article isn’t for you.

Are they gone yet?

Okay, back to the normal people; our apartments aren’t that great. Either they’re kind of dirty, or really dirty, or geez, dude, do your dishes, and why are there seven empty plastic bags just kind of around? The problem is people get used to their surroundings. No matter what, we, as people, are made to adapt. If you won the lottery today, three years later you’d be complaining about the outrageous price of private planes, and you’d mean it. Similarly, if your apartment has been dirty for months, you just kind of get used to it. So, understand: it doesn’t have to be this way.

Ten minutes, and you’ll make a difference. You ready? You excited? Get super aware of all the stuff that’s possible to clean. Take it all in. And know we’re going to change it.

2. Know the 80-20 rule.

The 80-20 rule is that 80% of your productivity comes from 20% of your time. That means we’re focusing on that maximum efficiency area, and things don’t get much more efficient than a ten-minute clean. So, to make those ten minutes count, don’t do the tiny things- don’t dust under your bed, don’t gently scrub dew-drops into your sheets, or whatever. ‘

Instead, do the easy things. Clothes off the floor; either they go into drawers or the laundry bag. Anything that is obviously trash goes into the trash bag. Anything strewn around- backpacks, books, whatever- are instead put, sort-of neatly, into their proper place. This isn’t everything you need to do to clean, but it is by far the easiest part of cleaning.

Do it. There’s no excuse, and it’s way easier than scrubbing your bathtub.

3. Get Motivation

It can be nearly impossible to do something just because you should. Ask people with gym memberships. Excuses are easy to find, and a lack of motivation can keep you in your general rut. It happens to everyone, and it happens all the time. Sure, I could wake up early to write, but what about sleep? So, if you really want to do something, give yourself a reason.

Invite someone over that you’d like to impress. Remind yourself that your parents are coming over, or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, that the weekend is almost here. If you take an attractive stranger back, are they going to be like “this bathroom is gross?” Consider that, and remember; it’s just ten minutes to clean.

4. Get away from your computer.

Step away from the computer. It’s holding you back.

Don’t spend an hour on the perfect cleaning playlist- which, for the record, would include Drake’s “Worst Behavior”- and don’t spend twelve minutes researching the efficient ways to clean.

After you finish this sentence, set a ten minute alarm, shut your laptop and clean.

You weren’t supposed to read this sentence.

You’re supposed to be cleaning.

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