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Article
Motivation

Motivational Rituals

By Hannah Keeley

Categories: Motivation
Tagged: Cleaning Strategy, Decor, House Cleaning Tips, Motivation

Every morning, when I go through the house preparing it for the day’s activities, I do little rituals to finish off the rooms. I flip on the decorative lamp in the living room. I turn on a trickling water fountain in the study. I light a candle* in the kitchen to burn throughout the day. The pretty glow serves as a reminder to keep the kitchen neat and clean.

 

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Rituals like these not only provide the incentive you need to clean up a room, but they also provide the incentive to keep it that way. I’m not saying you need to vacuum a room and then light incense and do a salutation to the sun. Just incorporate little symbols to set the stage for wonderful things to happen. It helps to set the tone for everything else that goes on in your home for the remainder of the day.

Here are some ideas you may want to try out in your home:

 

  • Place a beautiful candle somewhere conspicuous. After you get the room shiny, then give yourself permission to light it and enjoy its scent and beauty.

  • Buy strings of tiny white lights and drape them over a silk tree or string them along a shelf. Plug them in after you get the room straight.

  • Throw open the curtains to bathe that newly cleaned room with light and energy.

  • Place a couple of perfect throw pillows on your bed so that you will be motivated to make it up every morning.

  • Prepare a perfect cup of cappuccino after you have finished cleaning house.

  • Get a beautiful tablecloth to place on the table after it is all cleared and wiped off.

*Editor's note: candles can add pollutants to the indoor environment, so use in a well-ventilated space and choose clean-burning varieties.

 

Adapted from Hannah’s Art of Home: How to Manage a Home around your Personality.

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Motivational Rituals:  Created on January 12th, 2005.  Last Modified on January 17th, 2011

 

About Hannah Keeley

Hannah Keeley

Hannah Keeley is an author, television personality, lifestyle expert, and founder of the Web site, TotalMom.com, a complete resource for the mom who is trying to do it all and stay sane in the process. Her newest book, Hannah Keeley’s Total Mom Makeover: A Six-Week Program to Completely Transform Your Home, Health, Family, and Life (Little, Brown & Co, April, 2007), is a life-changing tool to help moms get the most out of life. Hannah also has a monthly Q&A column, "Hannah Help Me!", in which she helps moms handle the typical and not-so-typical misadventures of motherhood. You can also see Hannah as a frequent guest on "The Rachael Ray Show."