I read somewhere that interpreting things like a clean sink or a clean room as a sign of success is actually counterproductive. You might think by thinking this way, that you're motivating yourself to clean, but you're actually just shaming yourself for not cleaning. It's easy to think "cleaning is so simple, it should always be done" when in reality it should be "cleaning is such an optional task it's okay if things build up a bit."

By shaming ourselves for not cleaning, we're really shaming ourselves for having a hard day at work, or going through a hard time, or being depressed. And let me tell you, more shame is not going to make any of those scenarios any better.