Back in ’96, I was a new bride and my apartment had a problem. It was full of shiny objects.
These weren’t literal shiny objects, they were actually things that distracted me from my domestic work. Like a good book. Like a good magazine. Like a cooking show on Food Network. Like some intricate daydream that might become a novel or short story. Like calling my mother, or checking the mail, or my e-mail, or giving myself a manicure. My life was full of little things that kept me from my job of maintaining an orderly house.
My highly distractable (and possibly attention deficit) personality was a bad fit for domestic life. The dishes weren’t getting washed. The laundry wasn’t getting done. The vacuum cleaner was covered in dust.
To make matters worse, I married Mr. Clean. He came from a long line of clean “freaks”, who scoured every surface, had a place for every scrap of paper and never owned a “junk” drawer. He couldn’t understand that I had the concentration of a goldfish.
I had to do something to make my living space more sanitary and enjoyable and to make my Mr. Clean happy. The solution was my microwave timer. At first, I decided to set a small goal---five minutes on a task, like washing the dishes. I could work for five minutes and then spend a little time on my favorite things and go back. The timer on my microwave became the alarm, and I figured if anything else, it would go off and bring me back to the real world. Hey, what’s that alarm mean? Oh yeah, I’m supposed to be dusting! But the timer did more than that. It made me feel less overwhelmed and less intimidated by mindless tasks. And because I rewarded myself every five minutes, I felt like my stuff, (the writing, the reading and the general goofing off) was addressed, too.
After weeks of this, I graduated to ten minutes, but I’ve found I can’t go for much longer than that---I start to mentally drift. That’s OK. Every ten minutes, I’m getting things done. In fact, I’m working faster and more efficiently. If the timer went off with only a small bit left to do, say three or four dishes to wash, I just wash them and get the job done. I had never wanted to accomplish great domestic feats, but this system changed me. I was becoming more organized and more disciplined with my time.
I also discovered that most domestic chores can be done in less than ten minutes. Like the following:
•Sort the laundry and start one load.
•Fold one basket of clothing.
•Clean the bathroom.
•Vacuum one room in my house.
•Dust one room in my house.
•Clean out the refrigerator.
•Unload the dishwasher and fill it again.
•Wipe all the kitchen counters and sweep the floor.
•Compile a shopping list.
•Start (but not complete) dinner.
This isn’t an exhaustive list. There are many more tasks around the house that, if broken down in small chunks, can be done every other ten minutes. If I stay focused on these little tasks, for ten minutes at a time, then I’ve only worked an hour and a half. I have the rest of the day to do what I need to do for myself for my family.
If I have a lengthy list, things like call for dental appointments, or write an article or go to the library, I break it down into the smallest tasks possible, enlist the help of my children and keep setting my timer.
To this day, fifteen years after setting my timer for the first time, I still work this way. I wrote this article in ten-minute increments between cleaning my kitchen, dusting my living room, making meatballs, organizing my desk and folding three loads of laundry. This system works for me, and my much-busier household. By setting my timer, I find that I’m faster, happier and a better housekeeper.
Not everyone can do this. Many people have the natural inclination to stay focused, or like Mr. Clean, are so driven they don’t need a timer or reminder to get back to work. And some people would say that for all the energy I put into setting timers, I could have cleaned out the house five times, but that’s not the point. The point is that I found a weakness in how I work and I also found a solution. Wait, is that the ice cream truck???
This works for me. It could work for you.
Do you have attention problems around the house? What do you do to keep yourself focused?
My condolences for marrying Mr. Clean. I didn't realize I had done so until we had kids & all his cleaning ways came to the fore. Just when I had dramatically less time to actually do the cleaning. It's been a difficult balance and made more difficult since I started writing. When in the middle of a writing project (at the beginning) I would let things slip. I forget where I originally saw the kitchen timer idea but you're absolutely right - the 10 minute increment is perfect for many tasks. I don't generally alternate between fun & work the way you do - I use the kitchen timer to break tasks down into manageable chunks and *get started*. Once I start, I can do housework for an hour and clear my plate.
ReplyDeletei also use the timer method, mostly for tasks i don't enjoy that i need to do over several days...like clean the basement, organize the kids clothes & rooms, etc. works like a dream! it works for the kids too. (you don't have the clean the entire playroom, just clean it for twenty minutes...ok...go!)
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