In the beginning of November, I decided it was time to stop being lazy and get myself in the routine of daily chores. I used to have one when I lived with a roommate back in Milwaukee, and it worked really well for me then. So here is the chore chart that I came up with:
I have to tweak this a bit, since some things need to be done more often (laundry). I also want to make something like this instead of a piece of notebook paper. I think that putting chores up in the clothespins will help me stay motivated. I’m a very visual person, so completing a chore and physically removing that chore from a board would help me, I think. Plus it’s something I would consider “fun”. 🙂
I realize that some of you might think I’m a nut for creating a chore chart for myself (since I am 26, not 6), but someone like me needs this! I have had people complain about being bored (people who, like me, don’t currently have a job), and I really don’t know how to sympathize with this. I am never bored. Seriously, if I feel that twinge of the beginning of boredom, I can probably come up with a list of 5-7 things I could do. And during the day, I am probably in the middle of doing 3 different things about 50% of the time. There are just so many things I want to do and not enough hours in the day! I think this is why I used to be tired all the time: I had a full-time job AND wanted to do everything else!
Apparently, I am not the only one like this. I read an article that described me to a T. Well, pretty much. The reason I don’t delegate chores is because I’m not working and my husband is. I don’t get chores done simply because I don’t want to do them. I have other things I would much rather do (blog, crochet, knit, watch a movie, organize recipes, make crafts, etc). I am more of the overwhelmed-by-standards-they-just-can’t-meet person. I get caught up in wanting every aspect of my home to be a certain way.
And that is why I need a chore chart. And a daily schedule. Did I mention I’m a visual person? If I see a list in front of me that has what I need/want to accomplish, I am much more likely to actually do all of those things. I am a person who needs to put activities in time chunks, otherwise I get distracted. Hmm… I’m starting to think maybe I just drink too much coffee!
Even my husband gets a little irked with my can’t-sit-still issue. I have a very difficult time sitting and watching a movie without doing something else. I very rarely am sitting on the couch not doing something. If we’re watching a movie, I’m also knitting/crocheting. Or I’m sorting coupons. Or putting recipes in my binder. Or browsing Pinterest on my phone. Thankfully, Andrew has accepted that I am just one of those people who can’t relax (it’s funny, but it’s not). And once in awhile, just to make him happy, I do snuggle under a blanket with him and watch a movie. Without a single thing in my hands. 🙂
On An Even Kiel 