[Story] Cleaning up my life, one habit at a time

I've always been a messy person. My parents didn't make me do chores growing up, instead telling me to focus on studies. I didn't get into a habit of cleanliness because they never were either - It was just a messy household. They came from a poor upbringing, so they got used to hoarding, so I got used to hoarding. When I was a kid, I would get told off for throwing away something 'valuable', which would then be stowed away and never used again. Nobody ever "had time" to clean. To my parents' credit, they were busy working, and when they weren't, they deserved a break. I thought I did too - I worked hard at school, university. I got into a top university, a good course, worked my ass off for some decent marks (not great, but decent enough to land a job). Did I deserve to relax and play video games every once in a while? Yes, of course I did. But does that exempt me from keeping a high personal standard of hygiene? Absolutely not. I let it fall by the wayside and my room was (and to this day, still is) a mess.

That all changed when I moved out. I bought a place and was determined to change my habits. It's hard to change habits you've built over 25 years, but it's working. When you have your own place, you're entirely responsible for it. So when I get home every night from work, I can either come home to a shit-hole, or I can come home to a nice place. Either way, when I get home, I have work to do. I have to clean my room, or do the washing, or laundry, ironing, dishes, vacuuming, mopping, or... the list goes on. There is a never-ending list of things to do. I'm not writing to chastise people who don't have time to clean - that's not what this is about. Everyone has their own personal standard of hygiene, and you adhere to what you feel is acceptable. But if you're like I was - knowingly dirty and not caring, then that's not acceptable. Prioritise your personal hygiene above watching netflix, or playing video games. Make it a habit. One day at a time.

Submitted December 13, 2016 at 06:31AM by ggqq http://ift.tt/2guiBAk