It’s finally the month of May, and spring flowers are blooming. It’s a season of renewal, hope and beauty. However, things will not be beautiful lest we remember to go “out with the old and in with the new.” In other words, it’s time to get cleaning!

Spring cleaning is something that some label as a bane to their existence, others become elated at the thought of a fresh beginning, and the majority of people don’t bother to do it because “things will become messy anyway.” Whether we find spring cleaning to be of use, the task is tedious and can sometimes be overwhelming.

Here are a few tips to reduce stress and make for an efficient clean that’ll last all throughout the year.

1. Work in small increments.

Avoid overwhelming yourself and take things at a time. Divide areas that need cleaning into different sections and decide whether starting with the bigger task or the smaller one is what will make cleaning easier. This way, you won’t tire yourself out too fast and can designate more focus on certain areas that need more work than others.

2. When throwing things out, don’t think too hard.

Just like how we overwhelm ourselves, we need to avoid thinking too hard as it will result in taking up too much time. When throwing things out, do not ponder. Do the first thing that comes to mind. This will prevent you from thinking of irrational reasons as to why you should keep something you don’t need and won’t be needing any time soon

3. Take breaks in between.

If it wasn’t emphasized enough, cleaning is an overwhelming task don’t forget to take measurable breaks. Arrange these breaks to your work ethic. The breaks should not exceed thirty minutes but also should not occur less than every thirty minutes. You can even arrange these breaks to occur before you start cleaning a different section you’d assigned

4. Put on music to make things fun.

Create a playlist that’ll keep you awake and entertained but also focused. Start off with songs that excite you and keep you dancing for about 30 minutes to an hour then switch over to songs that will keep you calm and mellow. After an hour of quieter music, switch back to the dancing music. Cycle and keep this pattern

5. Categorize your items in order of what is most convenient.

After hours and sometimes even days of cleaning, you would want your hard work to be preserve for as long as you can. In some cases, you may even want to make changes to your lifestyle so that cleaning will no longer be an arduous task. The answer to this is to make sure you categorize your belongings for easy access. Do you use this item often? Place it where it will be accessible. Is this a seasonal item? Or an item that is only used occasionally? Place it somewhere behind the ones you use more often.

Truly, cleaning is one of those chores that isn’t as easy to start in comparison to other chores. However, with these tips, hopefully you’ll be able to make cleaning a routine instead of a seasonal occasion. Happy cleaning for a happy life!