Housework and chores are the last things you want to do sometimes, but if you don’t do them, who will? In this article, we look at some of the ways you can make your household tasks more enjoyable, integrating them into your day and week, so they don’t feel like a burden anymore.
Housework Mindset
We are very sensitive to language. We think in language, and these thoughts affect our moods; if we change the language, we change the mood; this is a technique used in cognitive behavioral therapy. How do you feel about the word “housework”? Does it make you feel stressed out?
Not only are we sensitive to language we are also creatures of association, so we associate the word “housework” with some boring tasks that prevent us from doing something more fun and inspiring. Change the word to “homemaking” or something similar to see if it makes a difference.
Overestimate Time
One of the tricks for housekeeping is to overestimate the time it’s going to take for certain tasks. If you know that cleaning the kitchen takes you half an hour, give yourself one hour to complete it. Overestimating time in this way takes the pressure off you and makes the task much easier.
When you overestimate the time it will take to complete a task, you change the context of the task and remove a lot of the stress. Instead of worrying that you are not completing the task by the mental deadline you have set, you know you have plenty of time available and no stress.
Time Limitations
On the other side of the coin, you have time limitations; instead of giving yourself ample time to complete a task, you set yourself a time limit. If the kitchen usually takes half an hour to complete, give yourself half an hour or less if you’re feeling ambitious, and get the work done.
Time limitations are excellent for completing tasks quickly, but your need to have the energy for this and the right mentality. If you don’t have the right mentality, chances are you will simply stress yourself and perform poorly. With the right mindset, you can get more tasks completed.
Housework Habits
There are two kinds of people in the world, those that set time aside in the week to carry out their housework duties and those that make it part of their general routine. Okay, so there are those in-betweeners too that do a little bit of both. That can be the third set of people types.
Making housework part of your general routine is an excellent way to get things done without it feeling like a chore. Make the bed when you wake up in the morning, and clean the sink before you go to bed at night. These small tasks make a big difference to the home’s cleanliness.
Natural Products
There are plenty of good reasons to use natural cleaning products; they are better for the environment, they are cheaper, and they are better value for money because you normally get more for less. Natural cleaning products include things like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice.
If you want to be greener and save money, then buy these natural products in the supermarket instead of the alternatives that are full of harmful chemicals. Vinegar is an excellent disinfectant ideal for cleaning gummy buildups, and baking soda is an effective granular cleaning product.
Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner
If the thought of getting the vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard and running it over the carpets makes your glum, consider a lightweight vacuum cleaner instead. A lightweight vacuum cleaner is the same as holding a mop; there is no heavy lifting required helping you to vac more quickly.
A lightweight vacuum cleaner might be small and light, but that doesn’t mean it lacks features. These products have amazing suction for their size, so you don’t have to go over the same bit of carpet multiple times. They are also cordless and have plenty of battery life to support cleaning.
Regular Cleaning
Again, some people clean habitually while others clean at set times in the week. How regularly you clean, along with the areas you focus on, determines the quality of your household cleaning. If you are fussy about how clean your home is, set some time aside every day for cleaning.
Alternatively, make time through the week to focus on areas of the home that get particularly grimy, so you maintain a good overall standard. If you don’t like the idea of continuous cleaning or “housework,” try calling something else like your lifestyle or making your home comfortable.
Include Family
It’s easy to slip into the habit of taking all the responsibility for cleaning. Cleaning is something people tend to be averse to, meaning that it falls on one person to take the reins. The trouble is that cleaning can become a personal task that you don’t want to delegate to family members.
Remember, you are all living in the space and need to take some responsibility for cleaning. It’s a sensible idea to assign tasks to particular family members, so they understand their responsibilities. Not only that, a family member can become skilled at the cleaning task.
Get Organized
Cleaning can feel like an overwhelming task sometimes, especially when there is a lot to do and you don’t have the cleaning utensils and resources at your disposal. That’s it pays to stay organized in your home and ensure you always have cleaning things ready to go at any time.
Choose a cupboard in your home and make it the cleaning cupboard. Buy high-quality cleaning utensils, spray bottles, clothes, and a lightweight vacuum cleaner. Make sure you are always topped up, and it takes the stress out of cleaning. Organization help to keep your house clean.
Make Cleaning Fun
Finally, cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore. Again, the word chore lands on your shoulders heavily and makes you want to do something more fun. Instead, make the task more fun. Use the time to catch up on your favorite podcast or to make a dent in an audiobook as you work.
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