Kicking the Clutter: Five tips to help embrace household chores

When we dislike certain jobs in our home, we tend to exaggerate the feeling of the job’s difficulty or decrease its importance.

Not many of us like to mow the lawn on a hot day while the rest of the population is having fun on the beach. So, the words of exaggeration start flowing like a wild river: “It’s too hot to do it now,” or “it will take forever to finish the whole yard,” and the famous one, “I’m too exhausted.” 

Any of these comments will stop you in your tracks for a day, a week or longer. That’s where the feeling of overwhelm, guilt and frustration starts.

After the feeling of being defeated, it’s hard to go back and embrace the chores we find difficult.

Picture it done
Instead of analyzing the difficulty of the job, do a little bit of dreaming. Picture your front yard looking like Butchart Gardens and the envious look of your neighbour.

Imagine the flowers blooming, not hidden by weeds and tall grass. Imagine yourself feeling proud of your accomplishment. These simple acts will diminish the power of procrastination.

Too many chores, too little time
When we avoid daily chores, they tend to grow like garden weeds. All of a sudden, we notice everything that is bothering us. Loads of laundry, crusty dishes, a backlog of unfinished projects and bills scattered through the house.

Feeling angry with ourselves, we want to do everything at once. Just stop and start breathing; going for a walk might do the trick. Nature is a natural healer that helps me and many others. After that, choose and prioritize the chores.

Recognize importance of scheduling
You will not likely get everything done during this period, and that is okay. When the time is up, schedule another day and time to work again. Or, if you have time and feel like you are on a roll with the task, allow yourself to keep going.

Remember, it does not have to be a perfect job. Most of the time, good enough is good enough.

Minimize distractions
It never fails. We are ready to do the job we don’t particularly care for and that’s when we desire to call our best friend. Checking the message on our mobile phone is next, and then you must see who is on Facebook sharing the latest gossip. After seeing what others accomplished, we tend to shrink and feel bad about our shortcomings.

Praise yourself
As adults, we don’t expect praise from anybody, thinking that kind of stuff is for children. Nonsense. We crave praise just like children do. So, we must praise and reward ourselves for a job well done.

The majority of jobs are not nearly as bad as we imagine. If we avoid them, they will not go away, but only multiply.

I will leave you with this powerful quote: “A better tomorrow is ensured by doing your best today.”

Life coach Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company based in the qathet region and has written several books on reducing clutter and becoming more organized. For information, go to solutionsorganizing.com.