Organized Living

CAN YOU EVER LOVE HOUSEWORK?

Is it possible to turn a necessary evil into a bearable, even pleasant experience? Well, maybe. Try these ideas next time the household chores are calling your name. It may change your whole way of thinking about the tasks at hand.

1. Move to a beat. Playing your favorite music-either on headphones or loudly throughout the house—can lift your mood while doing chores. Sing and dance your way through the vacuuming, or meditate with classical music if you’re doing something quiet and painstaking. Alternatively, listen to books on tape as you work your way through the house. You’ll be so absorbed in the story, time will move quickly.
   
   
2. Plan small rewards. Promise yourself small indulgences if you accomplish a nagging household task, larger ones if the job is particularly onerous. Rewards don’t have to be expensive or fattening. You might give yourself a whole afternoon to read a great novel, or soak in a fragrant tub, or call an old friend for a long chat.
   
   
3. Add special touches. Once you’ve cleaned a room, give it an extra lift with some small, intimate detail: a small bouquet of fresh flowers in the bathroom, linen spray on the sheets, a fragrant candle burning on the kitchen counter. The idea is to savor your personal space, not just be a slave to it.
   
   
4. If your spiritual tradition includes prayer or meditation, manual labor like housework can create opportunities for both. Ground yourself in the actions you undertake, giving thanks for the healthy body and physical strength to care for your home, and for having a home at all. The work of the hands frees up the mind to meditate or pray for all those who struggle with everyday living.
   
   
5. Reframe your attitude. Instead of thinking of housework as a burden, consider it a loving caretaking of your most important environment and an investment in all you have worked hard to create. Orderly and comfortable surroundings tend to contribute to a greater sense of wellbeing. Furniture, carpeting, clothing and décor all look better and last longer when they are well cared for. Just don’t lean toward the opposite extreme and get anxious if a magazine is out of place or a dust bunny finds a home under your bed. Becoming fixated on maintaining a spotless house can take all the joy out of homekeeping.