Flour, syrup, and melted chocolate become harder to clean when they are left while the cake bakes. A few small pauses can make the end of the session much less tiring.
Put unused ingredients away once they are no longer needed. Scrape bowls with a suitable spatula before washing, and deal promptly with raw flour on surfaces. Keep clean utensils separate from those that touched uncooked mixtures.
While the oven is working, prepare a safe cooling space and wash the tools you have finished using. Do not balance a hot tray on a crowded counter when it comes out.
Leave enough attention for the bake itself: cleanup should not make you miss the timer or forget a pan. The aim is a kitchen where you can enjoy the finished food, rather than one where the dessert arrives alongside an exhausting second task.