As I moved home from college for the summer, I learned a lot about myself.

1. I have way too much stuff.
2. I hate unpacking
3. I really can't function in a messy space.

I had boxes and suitcases and bags galore filled with my "necessities" and couldn't stand to just keep them piled up in the floor, so I had to unpack. After one day's work, my room was clean and I remembered what the floor looked like, but since then I have learned that cleaning is really not my strong suit. I have been in and out of the house, worn lots of different outfits in one day, and lived out of my bedroom -- cleaning comes in stages for me.

I called my "friends" for a little help in describing to you the stages of cleaning.

First comes the overzealous goal setting.
You decide on a whim to clean and become extremely overzealous. You set an unreasonable goal in mind and have no concept of how big the mess is and how long it will actually take you. Usually for me, I tell myself it'll be done in an hour or two ... who am I kidding.

You start ... but then you get caught up on social media, or the TV catches your eye, and next thing you know, you've been sitting doing nothing for 45 minutes.

You decide to finally start, but then get caught up in the laundry ... because dress-up isn't just for kids.

You have a quick reality check and after you realize your two-hour goal is halfway down the drain, you finally find your groove.

Because you've been working so hard for an hour, it must be time for a snack break.

It's time to go back to work and this time you're sure to finish in an hour or two. But there's way more dust than you realized.

Either way, you have to press on.

Too bad life isn't like a fairy tale. I'm still waiting for my mice and extremely cute woodland creatures to come find me while I'm cleaning.

Finally. you're done. It's time to go out and enjoy your evening ... but really, you're too tired and sweaty to go anywhere and your bed is calling your name.