The Only Way Is Productive: How to Get More of Your Chores Done
With dust gathering on the shelves, dirty dishes left soaking in the sink and a stack of ironing piling up on the back of the chair, just how do you get more of your chores done when you lead a busy life?
24/02/2020
When was the last time you made your bed?
Most likely this morning.
... Unless you’re The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) star Gemma Collins. In a recent interview with The Guardian, The GC confessed she might not have made her own bed for about 10 years. In answer to the question of the best way to change a duvet cover, she replied that she had people who do it for her.
That’s right. She has her own team of cleaners. ‘Alright for some!’, you might say and maybe shake your head, but would you do the same to take care of your chores if you had the money? Maybe.
For some that’s just wishful thinking, though. Many people work but have neither the time to do all their chores, nor the money to pay someone else to do them. With dust gathering on the shelves, dirty dishes left soaking in the sink and a stack of ironing piling up on the back of the chair, just how do you get more of your chores done when you lead a busy life?
Here are a few ideas:
Multitask
Make every second count. You don’t have to just sit on the sofa and catch up with the latest box set on Netflix: you can turn it on and fold some clothes (or iron some) while you do it. If you’re in the kitchen, you could be washing the dishes or wiping the benches down while you’re waiting for the food to cook. Some chores only take a few minutes, so quit scrolling and tapping away on your phone and seize upon this idle time to squeeze in a chore or two and get them out of the way.
Make less laundry for yourself
If you’re a little more frugal with how you wear your clothes, you’ll create less laundry for yourself. This doesn’t mean allowing all sense of good hygiene to go out of the window, but more to avoid throwing clothes into the washing machine systematically.
If you’ve only worn a shirt for a couple of hours, for instance, it will still be relatively fresh, unless you’ve been sweating heavily in it, and you could wear it again the next day. Workout clothes will do you again if you decide to go out for a solo run ― but don’t abuse the nostrils of other gym goers by wearing an ultra sweaty shirt again during your next workout.
Do chores in batches
Discipline is key when you want to get through your chores, so rather than doing them sporadically throughout the week, dedicate a specific day to them. Focusing on one task will help you to get it done quicker.
Let’s say Monday is your ironing day and you’ll bash through all those crumpled clothes in the basket, whereas on Wednesday you could blitz the supermarkets and buy all your groceries. Cleaning is more of an ongoing task and there will always be some to do, so you might decide to clean certain rooms on certain days.
Master the 10 minute clean
Ten minutes ― that’s not a lot to ask and it’s enough time to tackle the essentials of areas such as the kitchen or the bathroom, which require more regular attention. Clearing clutter, taking rubbish out, wiping down surfaces or polishing them and mopping the floor are all achievable in 10 minutes. None of these tasks demand excessive amounts of elbow grease and you’ll feel better for having accomplished them. At least, that’s the plan!
Set a time limit
Who says chores have to be boring? Okay, so they are a little bit. There’s no denying that, but they don’t have to be. Transform them into a game by setting yourself a time limit for each task. Decide how long they’ll take you, set your timer and push yourself to finish them within this timeframe. Watch how you power through them!
Get up a little earlier
No one’s asking you to get up drastically early. It could be just 10 minutes earlier to get through a small chore before you leave the house for work. If you dash off to work without making your bed, that slightly earlier wake up time will give you those precious extra few minutes you need to pull the bedspread across the bed and tuck in those corners! Remember, the bed is one of the largest pieces of furniture in the room, if not the largest, and you’ll come back to a room that looks much tidier if you make it before you leave.
Clean as you go along
This is more of a pre-emptive strike on chores before they build up. Some chores we can address immediately, such as cleaning the sink after we brush our teeth, washing our dishes straight after we’ve used them or taking out the rubbish when the bin is full. Being mindful of the chores we’re creating for ourselves while we go about our daily business can help us to minimise the time we spend doing them later in the week.
Ask a friend
Remember how we were saying earlier how chores can be a bit boring? Well, you can sort that out by asking a friend to give you a hand. They’ll have to be a good friend to help you out or for you to even feel you can ask them in the first place ― they’ll already have chores of their own! ― but it’s worth a shot. Having your friend work alongside you can relieve the monotony of chores and you’ll get through chores in half the time, too (providing your friend is putting their back into them!).
Gemma Collins may have a pretty fab life and has come a long way, but you don’t have to follow her lead to get through your chores. There are plenty of ways to make life just as easy for yourself and power through them, whether it’s making the most of idle time or calling on the good nature of one of your besties to lend a hand. Now, where did that mop go?...