I actually cleaned my room.

I know it may be shocking to hear this from a teenager, but I am not necessarily the most organized human. Sometimes, when I’m getting ready for something, I don’t want to put my clothes in the laundry room. Sometimes, I would just not put clean clothes away, but rather found a clear place to pile them. I hope I’m not alone in my habitual sloppiness, and my clumsy attempts to ignore the mess. Recently though, I took the time to clean and found out where many lost things were and how having a nice room can be refreshing.

While cleaning, I was determined. I’m not going to lie, my room really needed it and I was getting tired of the mess. I turned on some This American Life podcasts and plunged in, reorganizing drawers and making Goodwill piles. I found many things that I had long forgotten were lost, and realized how nice it was to find these knickknacks and remember. They varied from jewelry to old schoolwork, and they all brought me back. I was able to see how much I’d grown recently. How I somehow got past all the huge projects and classes that brought on so much stress. I realized I barely thought of the bad stuff and more on all the good things from these memories. It all brought me to a good mood, where I thought of the friends that helped me through all the craziness.

Once I was finished my room felt like a new place. I was so proud, dragging my Dad in to see my clean floors and desk. I had finished an accomplishment and something I had wanted to do for a long time. In this clean space it seemed easier to concentrate. With this new room I felt I could take new challenges on. I could be more productive, and I just felt more hopeful, overall, for the year to come.

A few days afterwards I had some friends come over, and it was nice that my house was clean. I could show them my whole house with its artwork and quirky style without being consumed with worry that they would think it was too cluttered.

Overall it was worth the work. Cleaning made me feel better about my room. I felt more at home and comfortable with my own space. Even though I know it won’t be perfectly clean forever, I won’t have to beat myself up for not taking responsibility. Now, it is easier to manage, and helps me stay focused.

So, even though we young people tend to be messy and unorganized, the benefits outweigh the work to clean. It allows you to take a look back and enjoy being able to use all our furniture and space for other things than clothes and papers.