I do not enjoy doing household chores.
More than that, I do not enjoy completing menial tasks in general, or doing one
thing for more than 30 minutes, or pushing myself past the point of minor
inconvenience. That said, like most people, I do enjoy a clean and comfortable
home — or at least the type of home I can invite friends over without wincing
as they step over clutter and shoe mud in the hallway. When you live in a small
London apartment, as I do, one forgotten plate or hastily flung coat can make
the whole place feel chaotic.
اضافة اعلان
These facts might appear irreconcilable.
You cannot sink into a bubble bath without running the water first. But when it
comes to household chores specifically, there may be one solution that combines
productivity with an anti-productivity spirit. Some describe it breaking a task
into manageable chunks. I like to call it slow cleaning — the act of cleaning a
little bit, every day, or even just sometimes, whenever you feel able.
Baby stepsSlow cleaning can best be defined as an
anti-spring clean. Instead of doing an intense and time-consuming seasonal
clean, which you might avoid until the mess feels unmanageable, you divide the
labor into miniature, almost unnoticeable tasks that can be done often. For
example, you might vacuum the stairs before meeting friends, fold the laundry
before watching a movie, or clean the bathroom floor while dinner’s in the
oven.
Slow cleaning can best be defined as an anti-spring clean. Instead of doing an intense and time-consuming seasonal clean… you divide the labor into miniature, almost unnoticeable tasks that can be done often.
As time passes, the tasks add up, until you
have a clean house without feeling as though you have done, well, anything at
all. (And yes, even the knottier, deep clean tasks can be tackled with this
approach. Need to do a full degrease of the oven? Try it one morning while
listening to a podcast — just that, absolutely nothing else. Do not even load
the dishwasher.)
I am by no means the first to float this particular
concept. Housework and productivity experts alike have long endorsed the idea
that, in order to get anything done, it needs to feel both manageable and
actionable.
Finding pleasure in cleaningBut most productivity techniques (the
Pomodoro technique, the 52/17 rule, the two-minute rule) tend to focus on
exactly how prolific of a taskmaster you can be, with the energy and time that
you have. I like to think of slow cleaning as more of an anti-productivity,
pro-pleasure practice. Instead of stressing over what needs to be done, it is
more about focusing on what you can or want to do — within reason. The world is
not going to implode if you do not disinfect every single surface in your home,
or if you would rather read a good book than organize your drawers today. You
can vacuum later, if there is time.
Indeed, at a time in which phrases like
“quiet-quitting”, “burnout”, and “anti-ambition” have entered our everyday
lexicon in reaction to the hustle culture of previous decades, it makes sense
that we are taking less of a perfectionist approach to our homes. Scroll
through TikTok and you will be met with endless clips of people briefly tidying
their “depressed rooms” or spending their Sunday cleaning what they can,
despite having busy schedules. The onus is not on productivity or precision,
per se, but on looking after your home to the best of your ability, at any
given time.
“The focus is now shifting to ‘I just want our home to work for us. It doesn’t have to feel luxurious for anyone else’… Everyone is just trying to manage day-to-day and be at peace. I think that’s super powerful.”
This is something that Kenika Williams, a
professional organizer and founder of Tidied by K, has also noticed,
particularly during the pandemic, as her customers began working from home. “I
think the power of having a functional home is something that’s being more
understood now,” she said. “The focus is now shifting to ‘I just want our home
to work for us. It doesn’t have to feel luxurious for anyone else.’ It omits
this feeling of ‘keeping up with the Joneses.’ Everyone is just trying to
manage day-to-day and be at peace. I think that’s super powerful.”
Less is moreDoing less often means more, too. Chris
Bailey, a productivity consultant and author of “The Productivity Project,”
found that when he decided on three important things to do that day, instead of
an endless list, he was better able to make traction. “I call it the ‘rule of
three’,” he said. “You ask yourself, ‘What are the three main things I want to
have accomplished by the time the day is done?’ The idea is because you only
get to pick three, you have to really choose what is essential on a given day.
You choose way more things that you do not dedicate your time, attention and
energy to.”
Housework and productivity experts alike have long endorsed the idea that, in order to get anything done, it needs to feel both manageable and actionable.
So next time you feel the pressure to do a
huge spring clean, why not just tidy the kitchen cupboards and save the rest
for another day? The number of goals you can tick off a to-do list bears no
relation to the moral fabric of your character. And remember: There is always
tomorrow.
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