Why am I always tidying, baking, and laundering? What is the purpose of all this cooking, cleaning, and mending? There will always be more dishes, more dirty clothes, and more empty stomachs; sometimes it seems like a never-ending cycle of fruitless labor. Nothing is ever truly finished. I can't complete one task without another coming undone. Time unravels all my efforts and that can leave me feeling like I've accomplished nothing.
There are a few things I do to regulate the time I spend on housekeeping and to keep my spirits high. The most important for me is The Chore Game. It's a game I invented to play three times a day that keeps my house at an acceptable level of cleanliness. A few of my friends have asked me to formally share my housekeeping game and so I will include it (in it's current form) below. The specific tasks and rules are inconsequential; what matters is that once they are decided, they are followed.
The Object of the Game
There is both a short-term object and a long-term object to this game. In the short term, you are trying to complete as many chores as possible in the allotted time. In the long term, you are trying to beat Time Itself by completing all the assigned chores for a given interval (day, week, month, etc).
The Rules
1. Set the timer for thirty minutes.
2. Roll a d4 and consult the AS NEEDED chart to determine the chore to do. Do it. Then continue rolling on the d4 (and completing the corresponding chores) until you roll a chore than has already been completed.
3. When you roll a chore than has already been completed, do the chore from that list that most needs to be done.
4. Roll a d6 and consult the DAILY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the DAILY chart.
5. Roll a d10 and consult the WEEKLY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the WEEKLY chart.
6. Roll a d12 and consult the BI-WEEKLY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the BI-WEEKLY chart.
7. Roll a d20 and consult the MONTHLY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the MONTHLY chart.
8. If at any point in these steps the timer rings, complete the chore you are doing and then STOP. Record the number of chores completed in that 1/2 hour period (if you would like to keep track of your records).
9. Repeat this game 2 more times during the day. (I do it after all three meals.)
10. DO NOT do any housework outside of the chore game (besides cooking and baking). DO keep track of missed 30-minute work periods and try to make up for them in the coming days.
The Charts
AS NEEDED
1 - do dishes
2 - pick up toys
3 - tidy up
4 - move along laundry
DAILY
1 - take out trashes
2 - clean dining table
3 - sweep dining area
4 - sweep kitchen
5 - make bed
6 - take a picture
WEEKLY
1 - pick up trash in the apartment's common area
2 - mop kitchen
3 - mop bathroom
4 - sanitize kitchen counters and walls
5 - scrub toilet
6 - clean bathroom vanity and mirror
7 - empty dryer lint
8 - vacuum rug
9 - sweep master bedroom
10 - sweep nursery
BI-WEEKLY
1 - scrub tub
2 - clean out fridge
3 - dust living room
4 - dust master bedroom
5 - dust nursery
6 - dust desk
7 - change towels
8 - change master sheets
9 - change nursery sheets
10 - mop dining area
11 - tune the big harp
12 - tune the little harps
MONTHLY
1 - clean out car
2 - bleach sink
3 - clean freezer
4 - scrub stove
5 - clean microwave
6 - organize desk
7 - organize pantry
8 - organize nursery closet
9 - organize master closet
10 - organize vanity
11 - organize kitchen drawers
12 - organize cupboards
13 - organize dresser
14 - organize linen closet
15 - organize bookshelf
16 - organize media cabinet
17 - organize storage unit
18 - organize coat closet
19 - spot clean couches
20 - write a letter
So what is the purpose of all this housekeeping? These very ordinary acts sustain and improve the lives of my family. In so doing, they become the evidence of my love. There are many other wonderful ways to show love but this one is very important to me. When I remember that (and when I have a fun method for getting everything done) this work can become much more than drudgery.
Yes, there is divinity in the domestic arts! Perhaps there is no glory, but there is certainly purpose and I claim it for my own.
There are a few things I do to regulate the time I spend on housekeeping and to keep my spirits high. The most important for me is The Chore Game. It's a game I invented to play three times a day that keeps my house at an acceptable level of cleanliness. A few of my friends have asked me to formally share my housekeeping game and so I will include it (in it's current form) below. The specific tasks and rules are inconsequential; what matters is that once they are decided, they are followed.
The Object of the Game
There is both a short-term object and a long-term object to this game. In the short term, you are trying to complete as many chores as possible in the allotted time. In the long term, you are trying to beat Time Itself by completing all the assigned chores for a given interval (day, week, month, etc).
The Rules
1. Set the timer for thirty minutes.
2. Roll a d4 and consult the AS NEEDED chart to determine the chore to do. Do it. Then continue rolling on the d4 (and completing the corresponding chores) until you roll a chore than has already been completed.
3. When you roll a chore than has already been completed, do the chore from that list that most needs to be done.
4. Roll a d6 and consult the DAILY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the DAILY chart.
5. Roll a d10 and consult the WEEKLY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the WEEKLY chart.
6. Roll a d12 and consult the BI-WEEKLY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the BI-WEEKLY chart.
7. Roll a d20 and consult the MONTHLY chart. Repeat steps 2-3 as they apply to the MONTHLY chart.
8. If at any point in these steps the timer rings, complete the chore you are doing and then STOP. Record the number of chores completed in that 1/2 hour period (if you would like to keep track of your records).
9. Repeat this game 2 more times during the day. (I do it after all three meals.)
10. DO NOT do any housework outside of the chore game (besides cooking and baking). DO keep track of missed 30-minute work periods and try to make up for them in the coming days.
The Charts
AS NEEDED
1 - do dishes
2 - pick up toys
3 - tidy up
4 - move along laundry
DAILY
1 - take out trashes
2 - clean dining table
3 - sweep dining area
4 - sweep kitchen
5 - make bed
6 - take a picture
WEEKLY
1 - pick up trash in the apartment's common area
2 - mop kitchen
3 - mop bathroom
4 - sanitize kitchen counters and walls
5 - scrub toilet
6 - clean bathroom vanity and mirror
7 - empty dryer lint
8 - vacuum rug
9 - sweep master bedroom
10 - sweep nursery
BI-WEEKLY
1 - scrub tub
2 - clean out fridge
3 - dust living room
4 - dust master bedroom
5 - dust nursery
6 - dust desk
7 - change towels
8 - change master sheets
9 - change nursery sheets
10 - mop dining area
11 - tune the big harp
12 - tune the little harps
MONTHLY
1 - clean out car
2 - bleach sink
3 - clean freezer
4 - scrub stove
5 - clean microwave
6 - organize desk
7 - organize pantry
8 - organize nursery closet
9 - organize master closet
10 - organize vanity
11 - organize kitchen drawers
12 - organize cupboards
13 - organize dresser
14 - organize linen closet
15 - organize bookshelf
16 - organize media cabinet
17 - organize storage unit
18 - organize coat closet
19 - spot clean couches
20 - write a letter
So what is the purpose of all this housekeeping? These very ordinary acts sustain and improve the lives of my family. In so doing, they become the evidence of my love. There are many other wonderful ways to show love but this one is very important to me. When I remember that (and when I have a fun method for getting everything done) this work can become much more than drudgery.
Yes, there is divinity in the domestic arts! Perhaps there is no glory, but there is certainly purpose and I claim it for my own.
Comments
Found your blog through the link to me on your sidebar. Thanks for linking!
(Blogger ate my last comment. I hope this one sticks.)