Everyday housework. It may look easy at first glance, but it’s a lot harder than you think. Most people think that housework is a hassle, but if you’re going to do it every day, you want to enjoy it. However, is there a way to make housework fun?
In this article, I’ll explain how to think about housework and what makes it fun.
Why do you feel that housework is troublesome?
It is understandable that daily housework is a hassle, but why do we feel that housework is a “hassle”? Let’s take a look at the main reasons here.
Lack of knowledge
Have you ever had a problem with cooking, washing or cleaning? If you are a regular housekeeper, you may feel that your cooking, laundry, or cleaning doesn’t taste as good as you thought it would.
When these chores don’t go well, they become stressful and you start to feel “bothered”. Housework may seem simple at first glance, but sometimes it requires a little technique and knowledge.
Many people who are not good at housework lack the knowledge of housework, which is why they feel it is a hassle. Like in any other field, it is almost impossible to feel “happy” when things are not going well. The same is true for housework, which many people find “troublesome” due to lack of knowledge.
Unlike a job, you don’t get paid for your work.
In a normal job, you are paid for your work in the form of a salary (money). However, with housework, even if you use your energy and time, you will not be paid. If there is a tangible reward, you can feel good about what you are doing, but since there is no such reward for housework, it is easy to get stressed out.
I often hear housewives complain, “Why do we have to work for free? That’s why housework is so difficult to appreciate. It’s natural to feel uncomfortable doing housework when you feel this way. This can lead to a negative spiral, where the feeling of tediousness becomes stronger and stronger as you do your chores every day without any motivation.
Thinking it’s an obligation
he reason why we feel that housework is troublesome is because we have too much of a “have to do it” mentality. This has something in common with work, but I think people who work also have a strong feeling of “I have to go” and “I have to do it.
When it comes to things that we actively want to do, we can feel that it is fun, but when it comes to other things, we have a strong feeling that we have to do them even though they are troublesome. It’s the same with housework. If you love housework, you will be able to tackle it with a positive attitude, but if you feel it is an obligation, you will inevitably feel “troublesome” in your mind.
What is the idea behind making housework fun?
Now that you know why housework is troublesome, how can you make it fun? Now that we know why housework is troublesome, what ideas can we have to make it fun? Here are some ideas on how to make housework fun.
Change “I have to do it” to “I want to do it! into “I want to!
As mentioned above, humans are heavy creatures when they have the idea that they have to do something. Therefore, we need to change this to “I want to do it! to “I want to! The way to change from “I have to” to “I want to! I recommend shifting your perspective a little.
For example, if you are a mother who makes breakfast for your children and father every day, you are probably thinking, “I have to feed them breakfast and get them ready for school and work. If you are a mother who makes breakfast for your children and father every day, you are probably thinking, “I have to feed them breakfast so they can go to school and work.
If you are a health conscious person, you will pay more attention to your cooking and enjoy thinking about your daily meal menu. At first, you will need to accumulate knowledge about nutritionally balanced meals, but once you learn, it can be fun to cook meals.
Once you learn how to cook, it becomes a hobby and a reason for living for many people, so it is recommended to look at it from a different perspective when thinking about meal menus.
Think of it as exercise, not housework.
Housework is more physically demanding than you might think. Cleaning is one of the most physically demanding chores. In recent years, cleaning has been attracting attention for its high calorie consumption, and there is even a diet called the “cleaning diet” that aims to make you slim while cleaning.
The calorie consumption of cleaning is also attracting attention from experts. According to one study, cleaning your entire house can burn more calories than a full marathon.
For your information, the calories consumed in a full marathon are about 2500 to 3500 kcal, but when you clean your house, it is said that you will consume about 3600 kcal. Even normal cleaning consumes about 30 kcal when vacuuming for 15 minutes, which is equivalent to the calorie consumption of about 10 minutes of stretching or walking in the pool.
In other words, cleaning is the same as doing light exercise for a short time. Dieting may sound like it requires serious jogging or running, but as these data show, cleaning can also help you lose weight.
Therefore, you can alleviate the feeling of “hassle” by not thinking of cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc. as “housework” but as “exercise”. Of course, this method does not work for everyone, but it is a recommended way of thinking for those who want to achieve a slimmer body.
Stop being a perfectionist
Doing household chores while worrying about details such as “the furniture is in perfect position” or “I can’t tolerate even a speck of dust” will consume a lot of your time and energy. Above all, the pursuit of perfection is mentally exhausting. Also, especially for families with small children, it is basically impossible to do the daily cleaning perfectly.
This is because there is a high possibility of small children playing with toys or dropping food scraps from snacks on the floor. The more children there are, the more likely this is to happen. Therefore, don’t expect perfection in your daily chores.
The more children you have, the more likely you are to end up doing the same thing. If you are a perfectionist, it is not a problem.
If you are a perfectionist, you need to be able to control this feeling because it is too strong. If you really want to be close to perfection, it is best to do it at the end of the year or during the change of seasons.
A thorough guide to making housework fun!
As mentioned above, in order to make housework fun, you first need to change the way you think about housework. Then, once you have developed a way of thinking that makes it fun, you can then review the points that make housework troublesome. Here are some tips on how to make housework fun.
Refer to information that can help you build up your knowledge of housework.
f you are a new housewife in your first year of housework, or if you are not good at housework, the stress caused by lack of knowledge was the reason why it became “troublesome. So, to relieve that stress, let’s try to make up for the lack of knowledge.
As mentioned above, there are now special features on “tips on housework” on TV and other media, and books and magazines on housework are available at bookstores. If you lack knowledge about housework, make effective use of these books and magazines to learn how to do housework.
I also recommend a way for families to make up for the lack of knowledge. Specifically, if your children are in school and like to clean, they may know how to clean. Also, your husband may also have some knowledge about household chores.
Collect cleaning products that interest you.
If you visit the cleaning products section of a home improvement store, you will see that there is a huge variety of cleaning products available. The cleaning tools you need for your home are evolving every day, and using the ones you are interested in is likely to make cleaning more fun.
Of course, it is a prerequisite to have the right tools to clean well, but people are more active when they are interested in something. Therefore, if you find daily cleaning to be a hassle, why not try looking for interesting cleaning products at stores or through mail order?
Decide on a weekly meal menu in advance.
There are many people who decide their daily menu on the day of the week. Of course, this method is not wrong, but when you are busy, you don’t have time to think about the menu. However, when you are busy, you may not have time to think about the menu, and as a result, you may end up with a menu that is not balanced in terms of nutrition. This can have a negative impact on the health of your family, so it is recommended that you decide on your weekly menu in advance.
If you live alone, you can decide on the meal menu when you have free time after coming home, or if you have a family, you can decide on the meal menu when everyone has free time, taking into consideration each person’s preference and nutritional balance. It will be especially fun to decide the meal menu with the whole family.
Decide which areas to clean on weekdays and holidays.
People who find daily cleaning troublesome often “try to finish all the parts in one day. This makes you feel pressed for time, and you will not enjoy cleaning. If you are one of these people, it is recommended that you separate the areas to be cleaned on weekdays and holidays.
For example, on weekdays, you can sweep the entrance and flooring, and on weekends, you can sweep dust and dirt from behind the TV set and wipe the windows. If you have to work on weekdays, you cannot clean the areas that require a lot of work.
Therefore, it is more efficient to prioritize areas that can be easily cleaned on weekdays and clean the areas that require a lot of work on weekends when you have more time. Of course, there is no problem if you divide the cleaning into different days of the week, instead of weekdays and holidays.
Monday is the day for the front door, Tuesday is the day for the living room, Wednesday is the day for the bedroom, etc. This will make the day’s chores easier. It’s like doing your homework during summer or winter vacation, rather than doing it all in one day, it’s better to focus on doing it every day to reduce stress.
Full-time working families need to be “team players” to get through this!
Compared to a long time ago, there are many more working families where both husband and wife work during the day. To make housework fun in a dual-earner household where both people work during the day, it’s important to be a team player.
For example, if your wife is at work, you can make a “chore memo. For example, when your wife is going to be home late for work, you can leave a note saying, “I’m going to be home late for work today, so please clean the bathroom,” and your husband or children will clean the bathroom when you get home.
It is very convenient to have a notebook for writing down such household matters. Also, by deciding in advance where you will be in charge of cleaning and which days of the week you will all be responsible for cleaning, you will be able to do your chores more efficiently.
Incidentally, one of the most important things for a two-worker household is to share information about the chores in the house. Specifically, the tools needed for cleaning and the location of the dishes that are often used for meals. This can be known by the person who actually stored them, but none of the family members will know.
For this reason, it is important to make sure that all family members know where you keep your daily necessities and dishes, especially the ones you use frequently. It is also a good idea to put sticky notes on them so that everyone can easily see them. It is also important to “report, report, report” when the whole family is doing chores together.
Always try to show your appreciation to those who work hard at housework.
As mentioned above, unlike other jobs, housework is not paid for in any tangible way. This is one of the reasons why people find housework troublesome. Therefore, if you have a family at home, be sure to show your appreciation by saying “thank you” to those who work hard to do the daily cooking, laundry, and cleaning.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of stay-at-home husbands where the woman works and the man does the housework, but it doesn’t matter if it is a woman or a man who should be thanked. If you have ever done housework, you know that cooking, washing, and cleaning every day is surprisingly difficult. Therefore, always treat those who work hard at housework with gratitude. The person who does the housework will be more motivated when they are appreciated.
It is important for everyone to be willing to cover household chores, not just one person.
Housework may seem easy, but it is surprisingly hard work. Also, unlike most jobs, there are no holidays, so those who do housework are working full-time 365 days a year. As a result, many people find housework “troublesome” and “stressful.
In addition, they lack knowledge about housework, which can sometimes be distressing. The important thing in such situations is to never worry alone. Fortunately, these days, we can find solutions to our household problems in books and magazines.
It is also a good idea to consult your family. Since there are no days off for housework, it is important for the whole family to cover for each other instead of having to deal with it alone. Doing household chores with the whole family will reduce stress. If you are currently struggling with household chores, please take a look at this article.
