Comments on: Need motivation? Send an invitation

By: Use Regular Invitations To Keep A Messy Space Clean | Lifehacker Australia

Use Regular Invitations To Keep A Messy Space Clean | Lifehacker Australia — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:25:06 +0000

[...] Need motivation? Send an invitation [Unclutterer] Tagged:cleaningclutterhousehold [...]

By: chacha1

chacha1 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:21:18 +0000

This works SO WELL for me, but like Anita I try to keep up with it.

My husband and I both sometimes have clients at home (he does physical therapy/personal training and I do dance lessons/personal training).

Neither of us necessarily knows which evening the house might need to be clean enough for someone to get down on the floor, so surface clutter is always under control, cat-fur tumbleweeds are adequately corralled, and the “guest” bath is always decent. But motivation to dust the tops of the bookcases, etc., comes from setting up a dinner party.

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:55:12 +0000

We are in the process of doing a major cleaning for parents coming to visit in a few weeks. We have not had visitors in a LONG time because we do not keep our place particularly neat, plus I am very self concious about anybody seeing ANY mess. We have decided that after the parents’ visit, we are going to make much more of an effort to keep up the neat and organized home so that we don’t have to do a complete overhaul everytime someone wants to come over (or us make excuses why they can’t come over) plus I am going to have to get a little less crazy about people seeing our lived-in home… I want things to be neat and straightened up, but things don’t have to be PERFECT!

By: Anita

Anita — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:04:38 +0000

This was my strategy through my teen years. I had no problem being in my messy room, but I’ve been brought up with the stigma that people shouldn’t *see* your mess, so my room became spotless whenever company was coming.

The problem with that, of course, was that when company showed up either unannounced or with very short notice everything got shoved in the closet. Nowadays I try to always keep my place company-ready. Which basically means everything looks clean and neat on the outside, but some of my drawers are still a disaster. And since most guests won’t go snooping around in there, I need a different kind of motivation to deal with that… which I’m hoping to find, some time soon!

By: Use Regular Invitations to Keep a Messy Space Clean [Supercharged Workspace] | Key To Eden

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:57:30 +0000

[...] opinions, especially the picky ones, to overcome our own worst let-it-ride instincts. Need motivation? Send an invitation [...]

By: Use Regular Invitations to Keep a Messy Space Clean [Supercharged Workspace] · TechBlogger

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:08:24 +0000

[...] opinions, especially the picky ones, to overcome our own worst let-it-ride instincts. Need motivation? Send an invitation [...]

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:56 +0000

This is how my boyfriend gets me to clean. I’m super messy (and lazy, I admit it), and our small apartment is cluttered and messy 90% of the time. So when it starts getting really bad, my boyfriend invites a friend or two over for dinner. That sure gets me moving! I hate when people SEE my mess, so I clean and organize like a madman until they arrive.

By: Dee

Dee — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:01:37 +0000

This is such a great idea and so true!

By: Minimalism Blog

Minimalism Blog — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:05:33 +0000

Great idea!

By: brittany

brittany — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:15:28 +0000

Oh, Erin – you can come to my house for a “jumbo shocktail party” anytime!

By: Sarah G

Sarah G — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:28:06 +0000

Having guests for lunch today inspired us to pack away summer jackets and shoes that had been cluttering up the entrance area, so that was good. However, we have ended up with lots of bottles of beer that we don’t like, as we find our guests always bring way more than they intend to drink. We’ll have to save them for our next visit somewhere, but as we have small children we don’t get out much so will need to find storage somewhere.

By: OXM

OXM — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:56:44 +0000

I guess that’s not for everyone, but I like asking people to help me organize. It’s just a fun way of spending time with friends (as long as the work is not too hard).

By: Another Deb

Another Deb — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:33:34 +0000

I guess this is similar to any deadline. I have to get things graded becuse progress reports are due, or parents night is coming up so I have to get the room in order. External “peer pressure” works well for some things, but it adds to my stress.

I love cleaning before going on a trip. That way I can come home to a clean house. Also, my desk is always empty before I leave school for the day so I can start fresh the next. At home, not so much!

By: The Everyday Minimalist

The Everyday Minimalist — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:21:04 +0000

Definitely an excellent idea to kick your butt into gear.

I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and organized the little areas of the apartment just because we had friends coming over.

By: knitwych

knitwych — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:27:02 +0000

This rarely if ever works out in a positive way for me. More often than not, it leads to the grab, stack ‘n stash reaction(as J.P. pointed out), which is why my garage is a scary-@ss place filled with stashed stuff. It also doubles the stress. First, there’s the stress of getting everything tidied up and out of sight, and then there’s the post-visit “Where did I put X???” stress.

Of course, I could just be if a foul mood about guests right now. We’re having guests tomorrow (NOT *MY* IDEA!!), I’ve had no time to do anything all week, and I’m sick as a dog today – spiking fevers around 102. Bleh.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:58:32 +0000

I love it, funny because it’s true.

I recently cleaned the basement up because I was having some work done on the house and they would need to be down there. I forgot that the dump was closed because of Labor Day, so ended up with a pile of trash in the garage, where they set up their table saw…I can’t win!

By: Michele

Michele — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:45:10 +0000

I think this is a great strategy for motivation!

By: Jessiejack

Jessiejack — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:20:49 +0000

PS It took me three weeks of prep time

By: Jessiejack

Jessiejack — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:19:40 +0000

The absolute best my home ever looked for cleanliness and organization was when my mom and dad flew in to Florida to “see the house for the first time” though we had lived there for 2 years. I cleaned and decluttered the entire house–every drawer, every cabinet even the garage. It was ready for major mom inspection! They came, they saw, they complimented but my mom never did want to check out the cabinet beneath the master bath sink or my underwear drawer. She actually acted like any other normal visitor! the house is not as perfect as it was that day but I feel pretty comfortable about company looking any where except–don’t go near the office closet!!

By: Diann @ The thrifty Groove

Diann @ The thrifty Groove — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:43:49 +0000

I try to keep in mind the whole idea of “company can stop by at anytime” mentality. Sometimes it works, sometimes no so much. LOL But, I do agree, this seems to be the best motivator to get things cleaned up.

On that note, I guess I should go do some cleaning! LOL