Even cleaning can be fun if you look at it from a different perspective.

There are so many small windows of time that go entirely unused, mostly because they are unrecognized for what they are: opportunities. If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then it also holds true that any large task can be broken down into smaller parts. Cleaning is the ultimate large task because it literally never ends⏤it goes on and on into Eternity. The dust is always falling. New fingerprints are always appearing on the fridge. The pristine becomes dirty as a matter of natural law. The organized becomes cluttered without fail. 

Wouldn’t it be so much simpler if there was a little angel sitting on your shoulder who would whisper into your ear a cleaning task that perfectly fit the moment? Well, a chore jar is essentially just that. Write various cleaning tasks on different colored slips of paper (with the color corresponding to the amount of time it generally takes to complete that task), and put them all in a jar. When you have a free slot of time, pull out a slip that corresponds to that amount of time, and do that task. Now, instead of a 10-hour cleaning marathon every two weeks, you can clean regularly, just like you eat regularly and sleep regularly. For those who dislike cleaning, this is a way to do it in short, tolerable chunks of time. For those who love cleaning, this is just another fun way to experience it. Joy. A few ideas are below, but you should have many more:

5 Minute Tasks (Orange)

Replace a lightbulb

Empty the trash

Clear off the kitchen table

Put out fresh towels

Empty the dishwasher

15 Minute Tasks (Blue)

Wipe down the baseboard in one room

Wipe down flat surfaces in one room

Vacuum under the bed

Clean the inside of the microwave

Clean the toilet

Clean the bathroom sink

Clean the kitchen sink

Wipe down the bathroom mirror

Wipe down door handles/light switches

Wash a window

30 Minute Tasks (Green)

Vacuum one room

Change the bedding on your bed

Pick up/put away things in one room

Cull the junk drawer

Polish one wooden item

Wash cupboard doors/handles

Clean/organize inside fridge

Go through mail/paperwork

1-2 Hour Tasks (Yellow)

Wash, dry, fold a load of laundry

Mop one room

Clean the shower and tub

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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