Both cleaning and journaling have a surprising number of similarities, including how they clear your head and help you track your personal growth. Each can do a lot more for you than you might realize. As such, here are 11 ways cleaning and journaling work together to improve your life, one sweep and scribble at a time.

Encouraging Self-expression

Rearranging your furniture or decorating will help you create a space that’s all you, and journaling is much the same. It’s your private place to express what’s in your heart and mind in your own style. Whether you’re picking out a new throw pillow or writing down your thoughts, you’re telling the world a little more about who you are, and there are plenty of prompts to help you do just that.

Accountability

Staying on top of your cleaning schedule keeps your place looking great, just as regular journaling keeps your mental health in check. Both of these habits require you to take charge and stay consistent. When you miss a few days of picking up around the house, things start to pile up, and the same goes for skipping your journaling. It’s easy to lose touch with how you’re feeling or what you need.

Setting Intentions

Cleaning up sets things up for a nicer home life while journaling your dreams does something similar for your personal goals. It creates a path for what you want to achieve. Clearing out the clutter or organizing your shelves also means that you’re creating space for new experiences and opportunities. Writing them down means plotting your course to reach them.

Renewing Energy

A clean environment can really boost your energy levels, as it means you won’t feel bogged down by messes and disarray. Cracking open your journal and laying out your thoughts can do the same thing, giving you a different perspective and new ideas. Both of these work together as a reset button for your energy and mood.

Saving Money

You may not realize it, but keeping your home clean and organized can help you avoid repurchasing items you already have but can’t find. Similarly, journaling about your spending habits or budgeting goals keeps your finances in mind. This can curb impulse buys, meaning that both habits help keep your wallet a bit fuller.

Promoting Independence

Managing your cleaning and keeping a journal makes you more self-reliant because you don’t need to wait for someone else to sort out your space or your thoughts. Having this sense of independence can improve your ability to handle bigger tasks on your own. Better yet, there’s something pretty satisfying about knowing you’ve got your own back.

Increasing Flexibility

Keeping your living space tidy and keeping up with a journal both require some flexibility. Sometimes, you need to switch up your cleaning routine or change what you write about based on life changes. Doing so can teach you to be adaptable in small ways, which will help you cope better with bigger changes.

Encouraging Proactivity

Cleaning your space and journaling about your goals gets you into the habit of being proactive rather than reactive. Instead of waiting for life to get messy or stressful, you’re taking charge and handling things before they spiral, which can set the tone for your week. Soon enough, you’ll be managing your time better and have fewer last-minute rushes.

Breaking Monotony

Tackling a cleaning project or writing in a journal entry can break up the monotony of everyday life, which is especially useful if you’re feeling stuck in a routine. After all, changing your focus and trying these activities brings a certain freshness to each day. You’re actively participating in your own life, making changes and decisions that keep things interesting.

Inspiring Others

Your habits can inspire those around you, and a clean home can motivate your family or roommates to keep things tidy. Likewise, sharing how journaling helps you might encourage others to start, meaning that both actions spread a sense of positivity. You never know, you might even inspire a communal spirit of well-being. 

Improving Safety

A clean and organized home is a safer one because there are fewer tripping hazards and fewer chances of accidents. Journaling can also improve your emotional stress and safety by providing a way to vent your frustrations. As such, taking a dual approach means you’re protecting both your physical and emotional health, creating a place where you can thrive.