I don’t know about you but I find February to be an exhausting month every year. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays being over, Christmas décor taken down and put away and life being back to normal you would think it would be the opposite right? WRONG!

I find myself burned out, stressed and tired when February comes along. In turn my house seems to suffer for it. I make excuses not to tidy up as often as I normally do. I find myself procrastinating cleaning day and just generally lack motivation to stay on top of my responsibilities.

If you have times of the year you feel like this then this post is for you!

Check out these 15 top cleaning motivation tips:

• Shower, change your clothes and wash your face. Taking care of yourself first can give you the jump start you need to get going on your cleaning responsibilities.
• Set a timer. Challenge yourself to beat your old time when tidying an area of the house. Housework does not need to be an all-day task and this reinforces that.
• Start with the easiest tasks first and gain momentum from there.
• Crank the tunes! The more fun cleaning is the more motivated I am to do it…just don’t mistake the toilet brush for a mic! ;)
• Clean room by room so you don’t overwhelm yourself.
• Talk on the phone. Catching up with a family member or friend is a great way to pass the time while cleaning. It will keep you from continually checking the clock.
• Reward yourself! Read a book for a half an hour, take a long hot bath, eat a cookie…whatever you want!
• Exercise first, clean after. Exercise is a great way to boost your energy and give you the motivation you were looking for.
• Make a list of rooms you’d like to clean or tasks you’d like to accomplish. Checking them off the list can be motivating for some.
• Set a deadline for yourself. Whether that is by the time your spouse gets home, your child wakes from a nap or you have company coming for dinner.
• Read an article, book, or blog about housekeeping.  
• Try a new cleaning product.
• Involve your family in the process of cleaning. Reward yourselves with a family game night, movie night or otherwise.
• Plan a garage sale and donate leftovers. This will make less clutter in your house and cleaning will not seem to be as overwhelming of a task.
• Rearrange a room. Moving furniture around is a great way for a room to get totally clean and give you the finished product to look forward to.

Regardless of when your lack cleaning motivation occurs, give these tips a try.