Have your dirty dishes or cluttered counter been staring at you for days? Are mountains of laundry taking over the living room? Has your mop been unused for months? If so, you are not alone, and there are ways to get past the hurdles and dive into housework.
We often do everything we can to avoid household chores, but they don’t have to be so daunting. In this article, we’ll give you tips on how to make household chores more appealing. Take a look at these fun ideas.
1. Simplify your chores.
You don’t have to do everything the hard way. Find shortcuts and simplify tasks as much as possible. For instance, instead of ironing, you may be able to straighten your clothing by taking it out of the dryer and hanging it up while it’s still slightly damp. Rather than wringing out mops and dealing with buckets, you might want to invest in an electric mop. There are all kinds of hacks that can save you time with time-consuming household chores.
2. Invest in fun cleaning products.
To make cleaning less mundane, you need fun cleaning products. Invest in fun-colored cleaning towels or soap dispensers with seasonal themes. Buy cleaning products that smell appealing that are fun to use. Try new things like laundry pods with new and exciting scents to make laundry more interesting.
3. Get adventurous.
Mundane tasks can be more fun if you try new things. Search a few cleaning how-to’s and products so that they show up on your social feeds, and then, get adventurous and explore new ideas. A new bathroom cleaner might not sound like the most exciting thing in the world. But cleaning will be more fun if you have something new to try.
4. Dress for the occasion.
Changing your outfit can change your outlook on life, and that also applies to doing chores. Treat yourself to a fun apron for when you’re cleaning the kitchen. Buy colorful scrubbing gloves. Or put on a fun bandana. When you feel like you’re playing a role, routine tasks often become much easier, and research shows that dressing up can make you happier.
5. Use music to motivate.
Pump up the jams while you’re cleaning. Put together a cleaning playlist of your favorite upbeat songs, or just search for a list. Most of the music streaming apps have cleaning and workout music lists available.
6. Turn cleaning into a workout challenge.
If you’re trying to “close your circles” or hit other fitness goals, cleaning can help. Put on your fitness watch or heart rate monitor, and see how many calories you can burn while vacuuming, mowing, or doing other household chores. Not active enough? Throw some jumping jacks in the mix.
7. Treat yourself.
Bribes aren’t just for kids. You can also bribe yourself. Buy your favorite chocolates and indulge every time you check something off your to-do list. Or schedule something fun to do as a reward once you finish cleaning.
8. Focus on the outcome.
Research about procrastination says the best way to move forward is to visualize the outcome. You may feel paralyzed over the dirty dishes or dread starting the laundry. Instead of thinking about the drudgery of the chore itself, think about the outcome.
To motivate yourself to clean the kitchen at the end of the day, think about how great you’ll feel walking out to a clean kitchen in the morning. If you’re dreading laundry, think about how much easier it will be to get ready if everything is clean and put away.
9. Invite people over.
Some people don’t feel motivated to clean unless someone is coming over. If this describes you, lean into it. Set up a standing dinner with your friends, host the local playgroup at your house, or find other reasons to regularly invite people into your home. Then, use that motivation to fuel yourself as you clean your home.
10. Change how you think about household chores.
Your perception is household chores can have a significant impact on how you feel while doing chores. A lot of people think of chores as an awful waste of time. They dread doing chores. They see them as a waste of time.
For most people, this comes from doing chores in their childhood. But you’re not a 10-year-old dusting knick-knacks that you don’t care about. You’re an adult, and when you do chores, you’re creating a comfortable, inviting space for you to live in.
Don’t see chores as meaningless. Instead, see them as an essential way to take care of your home and your family. Chores are a way to nurture yourself, not punish yourself.
11. Practice gratitude.
In that same vein, you can facilitate this paradigm switch by practicing gratitude. Don’t think, “I hate doing laundry.” Instead, try thinking “I’m so grateful that I have clothes.” Rather than thinking, “Ugh, I have to cook dinner again,” focus on the fact that you’re grateful that you get to eat.
12. Stay on top of it.
Chores are the worst when they get overwhelming. Don’t let your house get out of control. Instead, stay on top of the chores by doing a little bit every day or committing to a big cleaning session once a week.
If you want to stay on top of chores on the daily, make a list of things that you can do every day. For instance, you might want to vacuum and dust one room per day and do a load of laundry every day.
Let these tips change up your household routine. Remember, chores can feel boring or unattractive, but some great music, a fresh attitude, and fun cleaning products can make all the difference. Now, what are you waiting for? Put on your best cleaning outfit, grab that new feather duster, pump up the volume on the playlist, and get to work!
