How I’m Going to Clean The House Today
Does this sound like you some days?
“Yesterday I didn’t touch the housework at all. In fact, the most work I did was get up and get myself food. I was so fatigued.”
Well, that was me yesterday. Don’t worry though, I found a way to fix that.
So, it’s around 9am at the time of writing this. I am feeling a bit better than yesterday, but still not ready to tackle all the chores. While I won’t do everything, here is how I’m going to tackle some of the chores:
I set a timer (in this case, my phone) to beep in 10 minutes. I have 10 minutes to write this entry. Then, when the timer goes off, I’ll go and put away the dishes (only a 5 minute job). After that, I’ll come back to the computer and rest while I write more or browse the web.
Throughout the day I might change the routine to be in 20 minute blocks or something, but this works well for now.
How do you tackle the house work when it overwhelms you? Let us know in the comments below!
Filed under: tips
Hi Coops! Sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I break my housework up daily. Back before I became really ill like I am now, I could clean my entire house in one day in a few hours. Now it takes me close to a week because I can only do one room a day.
I have also found that making a chore list with no more than 5 or 6 items on the list helps. I feel like I am accomplishing something as I cross each thing off the list but there isn’t too many things on the list for it to be overwhelming.
Howdy, great idea - I often do the same thing - I have a kitchen timer in almost every room of the house, and I set them all the time to small increments. It’s great for housework (although I admit that we broke down a couple years ago and hired a housecleaner who comes every two weeks, which was cheaper than I expected and is a huge relief), writing work, phone calls, meditation… Cutting tasks into tiny amounts makes everything seem less overwhelming. And if I can do more in the alotted time, I go for it, and then I feel extra-cool to have accomplished something additional.
I’ve also learned to accept that sometimes certain cleaning tasks _won’t_ get done, and that’s OK. I’d rather have an unmade bed and energy to hang with friends, than a well-made bed that I have to lie down in because I’m exhausted.
I try to do a little bit everyday, what most people don’t realize is that it can be a full time job when you have fatigue