How to Clean Like a Monk

I believe that what we want and need most in our homes is to experience a sense of welcome. No matter what the decorating style, homes should possess the solace of comfort. We all want a home and spaces that we can enjoy and use without clearing off the debris first.

Consider how caring for our homes is an expression of our authenticity. Creating a comfortable, well-run home can be among our most satisfying accomplishments.

Clearing away the clutter is a spiritual endeavour made up of choices, not chores, and the process can be as satisfying and empowering as the results. With every mite of clearing, you are creating a calm, clear space for yourself; making room for wonderful new gifts to come into your life, such as order and serenity.

For most of us, cleaning and clearing is all about completing the task, so much so, that it’s often hard to start a task we know we won’t have enough time to complete. (That’s probably why the living room couch is usually covered with laundry).

Zen monks have a practice called soji.

It usually lasts about 20 minutes, where each monk is assigned a specific task each day, and he does it calmly without trying to finish the task. After 20 minutes, the work leader walks around ringing a bell that signals the end of soji. When they hear the bell, they simply stop what they are doing. If the floors are only half swept, if there are still dishes to be dried, if they only polished half of the windows – it doesn’t matter- they just put away their tools and move on to the next thing.

In fact, you can apply this practise to basically anything on your to-do list. Work for 20 minutes without answering your phone or checking your email or concerning yourself with how far you’ve gotten and just work to work. Solely focus on the task at hand. Then, when the 20 minutes are up, stop what you’re doing and move on.

Another thing that soju can teach us is how to get tasks done even when we don’t feel like doing them, to accept your work assignment without comment. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel like drying the dishes or if you hate the smell of window cleaner or if you actually love raking leaves for that matter. You just do what is assigned to you, in silence, and ideally with no preference. Or if you do have a preference, you learn to ignore it.

Cleaning like a monk without caring if the task can be finished, also helps you get started on a task that may be daunting to complete

I once had a client that was not able to use her library den for over a year until placing the “Plea for Help”, as there was not one inch of floor space, being completely covered with a myriad of book-filled boxes. We systematically (with some severe hand-holding) went through each box; first purging, then organizing the books on the shelves, then finishing by styling the shelves. It only took three hours.

(I’m sorry, but in this case, 20 minutes every day would have taken her into her next life.)

This practice, called o-soji, also takes place in most Japanese schools as well, right after the students eat lunch. Everyone from first-graders all the way up to high schoolers are expected to spend a certain amount of time cleaning their classroom or another part of the school. The daily cleaning the students do is an integral part of their day.

Cleaning is just as much for the students as for the school. Having students clean on a regular basis helps teach them discipline and respect for public space.

So consider approaching some of the tasks in your life from the soji perspective.

What would happen if it wasn’t so much about finishing but more about simply doing?

What burdens can be put down when we redirect our energies not toward the goal but into the process itself, into each moment along the way?