Sometimes we don't want to get sucked into cleaning for long periods of time. Using a timer can give us permission to clean for a little while and then do something else. Set the timer for 10-15 minutes. Clean until the timer goes off, and move on to something else. Knowing that you only have to clean for 10-15 minutes will help you go more quickly and with a better attitude.
Timer To Help Children Clean
If you think adults get bogged down with cleaning, imagine the children. My kids hate to clean their rooms, but the kitchen timer has really helped. We break their cleaning down into 3-5 minute increments tied to specific chores. They love to race the timer to get it done. You can even keep track of how long it normally takes to complete chores and race the timer to beat your record. For kids, completing 5 3-5 minute chores seems to take much less time than completing 1 large 15-25 minute chore.
Using a Timer To Rotate Your Cleaning When you have several rooms to clean, it can be easy to get stuck in one room. I like to vary my cleaning. I'll set the timer for 5 minutes and try to do as much as I can in one room in 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, I move on to another room and do the same thing. After making my way through the house, I'll sometimes go back through the house spending another 5 minutes in each room detailing the clean, but other times my schedule doesn't all that. It's amazing how one 5 minute session in each room can make most rooms completely presentable, and basically clean.
