How I Made Cleaning Less Overwhelming as a Perfectionist

Take the pressure out of cleaning with simple changes that will have you instantly breathing a sigh of relief.

If cleaning is overwhelming to you... it doesn't mean you're lazy. It probably does mean you're a perfectionistic (like me).

As a perfectionist, you likely put a lot of pressure on, well, everything you do. Of course, that includes cleaning.

This could range from forcing yourself to stick to a rigid schedule that uses way too much time and energy OR skipping cleaning altogether because cleaning to your standards is a completely overwhelming feat you pull off maybe once a year.

Either way? You end up feeling like you're not good enough.

You're worn out and have nothing left to give to other areas of your life, or your home isn't clean like you wish it was and you feel like a failure.

Perfectionism is extreme like that – it's either all-in or nothing at all.

What if there was a middle ground? A way to keep your home clean without laying the pressure on so thick?

I'm here to break the news: there is.

Keep reading to learn what I did to lighten the load of cleaning without throwing it out altogether.

I Worked a Catch-Up Day Into My Schedule

Right now, I lean more rigid with my cleaning habits. This often makes getting my list for the day done feel like a race against the clock.

But sometimes? Life happens. I get invited to a last-minute lunch. Someone in my family needs help. I get caught up in a work project I've been putting off.

This throws off my schedule, and makes it so I won't be able to get everything done.

Before, I would either start running calculations for when I might be able to fit the missed tasks into my schedule later on or I'd decide to just not do them.

Both options caused stress. I couldn't win.

Then, I added a catch-up day to my schedule. This was a way to intentionally leave space for life. It gave me room to breathe.

The pressure of getting tasks done by a certain time fell away.

I Put All My Cleaning Supplies in One Spot

I used to have an extra step to complete before I even started cleaning: round up all my supplies.

They were spread out between the coat closet, the closet under the stairs, the bathrooms, and the kitchen.

The supplies were organized in their respective places, but I still had to use mental energy to think about what I needed and where it was. Then, I had to gather it all up.

This created resistance to even getting started.

So, I put all of my most-used supplies in one spot: a three-tier rolling cart.

Extra supplies are kept in a single cabinet.

Now, I simply go to the cart first thing. When it runs out, I restock from the cabinet.

Easy peasy.

I Categorized My Cleaning Tasks By How Important They Are

Before, I viewed every single cleaning task as urgent.

This is what perfectionism does: It replaces tangible, concrete goals with vague ones you can't actually reach. It tricks you into thinking you don't need to take the time to sit down and decide what's actually important to you.

Figuring out your priorities sounds time-consuming, but it will actually save you time in the long-run.

When you're short on time and energy, you'll know what you should spend it on first. You'll be able to focus on tasks that will create the biggest impact in your life, while not worrying about the rest.

My priorities were ultimately revealed by how often I feel like I need to do something.

For example, I do the most important tasks daily.

Daily tasks include things like loading the dishwasher and doing the laundry.

I have to eat and wear clothes every single day, so it makes sense that these tasks would be among the most important.

On top of this, they're ongoing, so it's easy to get behind. Keeping up each day is important to keep tasks like these from becoming unmanageable.

I've created a weekly routine for the next most important tasks. For example, I do a few tasks to clean my bathrooms every Tuesday (like taking out the trashes and cleaning the toilets). I clean the floors in one zone of my house every Friday.

It wouldn't be the end of the world if I skipped tasks in this category for a week, but I would eventually notice if I missed them for too long. Things could get a little smelly and gross.

The rest of the tasks are nice to get done as often as I reasonably can, but it's not a big deal if I skip them. When I go on vacation or enter a particularly busy season, I don't have to worry about them. I know I can pick back up where I left off as soon as I am able.

I've placed tasks like these on a monthly calendar. I try to account for busy days and trips and plan around them as much as possible.

How does this all play out in my daily routine? I make sure I get my daily list done first. The next priority is my weekly tasks. Finally, monthly tasks are last. If a day goes differently than I expected, I may need to shift them around.

And that's okay. There's always catch-up day to fall back on.

I Keep My Eye on the Prize

When I get bogged down by annoying little cleaning tasks, it's helpful to remember the big picture. Why am I even doing these tasks in the first place?

The answer could be different for you, so I encourage you to answer that question for yourself.

Personally, my goal is to create a nice atmosphere for my family to come home to and spend time in. I want it to be a comfortable place that doesn't feel overwhelming.

This goal doesn't require perfection, but it does require some effort.

Additionally, I want to be able to be fully present in my life – instead of getting lost in the weeds of my to-do list.

For a perfectionist like myself, this requires creating routines. Once I put a task in a routine, I know it will get done when it needs to – but I won't have to use mental energy to worry about it anymore.

It no longer has to take up space in my brain because it's been "caught" in a routine.

I Rearrange My Cleaning Schedule When It's Not Working

If I'm consistently unable to complete everything, I don't keep trying to make a broken system work.

I sit down and figure out how often I can realistically complete tasks, and change my schedule as needed.

This makes it so that I don't feel like a constant failure when I'm unable to keep up with a system that isn't working for me anymore.

Give yourself permission to let go of what's not working.

Figuring out something that will work, even if it's not as thorough as your perfectionistic self would like, is still better than getting overwhelmed and doing nothing at all.

Which Change Resonated With You the Most?

Tell me what was helpful in the comments!