Because of quarantine, many of us spend our time at home. It could be fun, relaxing and all. But home chores such as washing the dishes, doing the laundry, cleaning the house, etc. are piling up. More dishes are used especially with a large family.
We love procrastinating and say “Nah, I have much time, I’ll do the laundry later”, and then the ‘later’ turns tomorrow which turns to ‘the day after tomorrow’ until it reaches weeks- and the result, mountains of used clothes in the basket. Seeing it makes you procrastinate even more.
When this happens, doing the chores will surely be draining and tiring. It’s like an unending catastrophe.
Good thing though, we can spice things up. Do these 8 ways to add more joy to your dreaded chores:
1. Energize Your Body by Playing Music When Doing Chores
Sometimes your to-do list is so long that you want to just take a nap, but if you listen to your favorite song or podcast then it might be possible that you could get the job done faster. It sounds counterintuitive, but listening to music can activate the same parts of your brain as actually doing the work. You’ll also have more motivation and energy because the music will keep you in a good mood.
Yup, it’s the number one and very effective way to add more joy to your dreaded chores.
Ever wonder why every time we play music, we feel energized? As if the beat of the music boosts our blood flow.
There’s a scientific explanation for that. Endorphin is a hormone that increases the feel of excitement. When we listen to music, it releases endorphin from our bodies. It also helps ease the feeling of sorrow and anxiety and it sustains the immune system. The higher the level of endorphin, the more we feel energized while the risk of stress decreases.
Visit the gym and observe the people who are working out. You will realize that most of them wear earphones or play upbeat songs on the stereos. This puts them in good mood and boosts their energy.
Music can help motivate and get you through tasks faster. It can also prevent the need for louder noises that come from other appliances in your home. By listening to music when doing chores, you’ll have more joy and less exhaustion than if you were simply doing the chores without any music.
There is a lot of research to support the notion that music is an effective stress reliever. For example, a study conducted on college students found that listening to music enhanced mood and made people more productive. Listening to calming music when doing chores can make the experience less stressful. There are also studies that show people do better tasks when they have some type of visual stimulus like listening to music or watching TV.
So next time, when doing chores- volume up, play upbeat songs, and act as if you’re having a concert while holding your broom as a microphone.
2. Make It a Great Activity
It’s a little bit ironic but let your kids play while doing house chores. Involve them in your cleaning. By doing so, follow these;
- Whoever finishes dusting first will receive a reward.
- Attach a basketball ring to the wall and under it is a basket and play shoot the ball but this time, use the laundry clothes as a substitute.
- Wash 5 clothes or dishes for a dollar (But you have to guide them to make sure it’s clean).
- Do not bore them- have fun cleaning!
Some parents choose to enlist the help of their kids when it comes to getting chores done. You could use this idea as a strategy to make them feel like they’re part of the process. You could also discuss how challenging certain tasks are with your kids and see if you can come up with strategies for completing them together.
You can take the simple approach and let your kids help out with these tasks. When they are with you, they’ll be more likely to learn that there is joy in responsibility and that cleaning up after themselves doesn’t have to be so bad.
3. Set a Timer
Each day you have to do certain tasks, otherwise, it’ll take you forever. These tasks might be boring for some people, but you can make them more enjoyable by setting a timer for each one of them and taking pleasure in the progress you’re making.
If you feel like your to-do list is never-ending, try setting a timer for a certain amount of time. This way, you can spend more time enjoying what you’re doing rather than worrying about when the next task will happen. You don’t need to spend all day working though, so set a timer for some quick tasks and enjoy some downtime.
This allows you to stay focused on the task at hand and not be distracted by thinking about other things, like the time and how long it’s taking. For example, if you have 10 minutes to wash the dishes, set your timer for 8 minutes, then start washing them. When it goes off, rinse each one individually in cold water and put them up on the rack. You can also use this technique while cooking dinner or doing laundry.
You have to do this in 10 minutes and this in 7 minutes. Treat it as if it’s a race. It’s fulfilling and fun when you succeed to beat that clock and it speeds up the task too.
4. Ask For Help
If it’s an easy task, you can do it by yourself. But if you needed somebody to finish the chores, ask for help. Admit it; cleaning your house alone is lonely and slow in progress. If you have a partner in doing chores, have conversations. This way, you will enjoy cleaning your house, doing the laundry, or washing the dishes and it speeds up the tasks.
It’s not easy to ask for help. More often than not, people put on a brave face and deal with things themselves. However, that can make life much more difficult and stressful. The best way to get through challenging tasks is to ask for help. It can be as simple as asking a friend who does the same type of work for advice or looking up how-to videos online.
Do you dread your daily chores? You don’t have to dread them anymore. The first step is asking for help from family and friends who might be able to give you a hand. A second option is using apps like TaskRabbit, which can connect you with people who could do the chore for you.
5. If a Task Can Be Done in 2 minutes, Do it
Washing the dishes you used, laundering your undies, or fixing the bed are the things that can be done in 2 minutes or even less. Normalize doing things that can be done in an instant and don’t wait until tomorrow. This behavior is something that you need to possess. You don’t want your chores to keep piling up.
One way to brighten your day is to complete tasks that do not take much time, such as folding clothes or doing dishes. Unfortunately, these tasks can be tiresome and seem like a waste of time. To make sure that you are fully enjoying the task, think of all the joy that it brings you. Maybe you can think about how good it will make your home look when it’s done for example or what your family will say after seeing how fresh and tidy everything is.
Sometimes tasks that seem so daunting and time-consuming turn out to be smaller, quicker tasks that can make a big difference in your day. For example, instead of sorting through a pile of clothes or cooking dinner, you might decide to wash your laundry and put it away. This takes only minutes but saves you a lot of time in the long run.
6. Fix Your Mind-set
Know how you can approach your task. Two people doing the same thing will have a different way of approaching it. See things in a different way and ask yourself “What’s the best way to finish this task?” Assess the thing that needs more attention. You will know that “I’m doing this because I am WILLING to do it” is better than “I’m doing this because I HAVE to”.
There are some things in life that are just plain annoying, like chores. It’s hard to be motivated when your tasks seem unpleasant, but there is a way around it. By having a positive mindset and seeing the benefits of your work, you can enjoy doing your chores more. Instead of dreading them, these chores will be tasks that you look forward to.
If you have to do something every day that you really don’t want to do, change your mindset about it. Try to see the positive part of it and focus on the things that make you happy- instead of always looking at the negative. It might take a little longer, but in the end, it will elevate your mood and make the task easier.
7. Start Now!
A lot of people feel relieved when they complete their chores. They just want to get them out of the way and move on with their day, but that can be the worst thing you can do. If you give yourself a break from your mundane tasks and decide to take a break for more joy, this will likely affect your progress later. Trying to finish a task right before taking a break can cause frustration, so don’t wait until the last minute.
Procrastination is a trap that may seem harmless at first, but it can lead to lost opportunities, missed deadlines, and low productivity. Procrastination is best dealt with by staying focused. If you find yourself struggling to get motivated, start small and work your way up.
It’s easy to procrastinate when you’re trying to get something done. The more you put off, the more tense and anxious you’ll feel as time ticks away. But if you stop thinking about what you need to do, life can become overwhelming. Learn how to deal with the most common sources of “procrastination” and start your day right! No one enjoys a task that they dread, but if you take a little time upfront to think about what’s going on in your head, it can help make the process easier overall.
8. Reward Yourself
Treat yourself with ice cream or with foods that you love or even have a good dinner by taking yourself to a fancy restaurant. It’s up to you, really. Finishing your task is actually an accomplishment. Rewarding yourself is a small act but it motivates you to finish things and will give you excitement the next time you do it.
Most of us hate the chores that come with cleaning and organizing our homes. There is always one person in the household who never enjoys their job and they make the others feel like they are doing something wrong. Instead of making everyone happy, try rewarding yourself for your hard work by letting go of the guilt and focusing on how much you appreciate what you do.
When most people think of rewards, they often think of material things, such as money or a new gadget. But an important part of any reward strategy is the act of giving yourself something you love. The key is to avoid the trap of adding more tasks to your life only because you’ve decided it’s time for a reward. Instead, choose specific moments throughout the day when you can give yourself something that will make you feel good and free up some time.
Final Thoughts…
It starts with the mindset. You can’t expect to have time and energy for anything more than one thing if you’re constantly overwhelmed by your duties. That’s why it’s important to look at your tasks in smaller chunks of time, like 10-minute intervals.
In the end, I hope that this article gives you some ideas on how to spice up your current routine and make the daily tasks more enjoyable.