Being an adult is rough. You gotta work, make money, prepare food at least THREE times a day – I’m exhausted just thinking about it. And then! On top of everything else is a teetering pile of laundry and dishes and other various chores to complete. There’s seriously not enough hours in the day for it all, and it doesn’t help that chores are generally, y’know, quite boring.
Well my friends, luckily for you, I have managed to collate some of the best tips I know for tricking your brain into getting those pesky chores done. Now you can actually look forward to doing your laundry. I’m serious.
Make a specific laundry playlist
OK hear me out, I know this seems kinda basic but I promise it works. Listen closely.
Make a chore-specific playlist of songs you absolutely ADORE…and then only listen to that playlist when you’re doing that chore. Now I know this sounds a bit crazed, but it will absolutely make you want to do your chores if that’s the only time you can listen to the new Harry Styles album.
Now you can work smarter not harder
This one is for those of us who don’t live alone. Do you live with a partner, or share a house with housemates? Whatever your set up, keep this in mind – work smarter, not harder.
What do I mean by that? OK, say you REALLY cannot stand cleaning the bathroom. Let’s say it fills you with dread and none of my previous tips have worked in terms of lifting that dread. First of all, I am sorry about that.
Here’s what you do: go up to your partner or housemate, and say “I HATE cleaning the bathroom. I will do the vacuuming/take out the bins/fold all your laundry for the next two weeks if you’ll do the bathroom.” Trade out your most-hated chores for some of your lesser-hated chores and bang, you’ve got yourself a bathroom-free deal. Just make sure there’s something in it for the other person otherwise ya deal will be a no-go.
It should also go without saying that you can rely heavily on the Wonderful World Of Electricity™ to do most of the chores for you, so instead of scrubbing each individual sock by hand, now you can buy a Westinghouse Washing Machine to do the dirty work. What a time to be alive.
Queue up your favourite podcast or audiobook
Now this is one of my personal faves. I’ve found nothing makes chore-day fly by quicker than a riveting or hilarious or spellbinding story.
Got a full day of housework to catch up on? Queue up a bunch of eps of the Hamish & Andy podcast. Revisit the Hunger Games series in audiobook form.
This trick has actually got me looking forward to when I have to clean the bathroom, like an absolute sicko. It’s the only uninterrupted time I get to catch up on me stories!
Give yourself a little treat after all that washing
Ah, the little treat. A method that has worked for eons, a method that works for all people of all ages, including you. The little treat method is perfectly simple and works like an absolute charm. It goes like this: complete a chore? Get a little treat. Perhaps it’s a cookie, or 15 minutes of your favourite show, or a new lip balm at the chemist.
If you’re strapped for cash, little treats don’t have to cost a thing. Sometimes my little treat is getting to sit down with a cup of tea for ten minutes before moving on to the next chore. And does it work? You bet it does. I’m like a lil dog in puppy school – gimmie them treats.
Put everything on a to-do list, then tick away
Little in life is more satisfying than ticking something off a to-do list. I make a to-do list every single day, so multiple times in my day I get to experience the sweet, sweet success of crossing something off that list. I break my day into teeny tiny pieces, each marked by a wee circle that’s just begging to be ticked off.
Put ya washing on the line? Tick. Vacuumed the living room? Tick. Unpacked your bag from your weekend away two weeks ago? Tick-a-roo. It’s the little sprinkling of dopamine that will make getting through your day just that little bit more enjoyable.
And there you have it my young friends, a buncha tips that will have you flying through your chores faster than the speed of light. Godspeed!
