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Post by monklady123 on Oct 23, 2021 15:40:54 GMT
Have you ever actually timed some of these little tasks/chores, or even ones that are a big bigger? One of mine is emptying the ice out of the ice trays and refilling them. (no ice maker on our fridge). We keep a container in the freezer for the ice, and we have four ice trays. Dd and I both like our water really cold so we need ice every day. I *hate* emptying and refilling those trays. So just now I poured some more coffee from this morning's pot, which is of course totally cold by now. For me it needs 1 minute 30 seconds in the microwave. I put it in then pulled out the ice trays. I was just sliding the refilled trays back in the freezer when the microwave beeped. 1 minute and 30 seconds to do the chore that I keep putting off. So I tested a few more. Making the bed -- 45 seconds. Swishing the brush in the toilet, wiping the back of the toilet, wiping the sink, 1 minute 15 seconds.  (not talking about a deep clean of anything, just the maintenance stuff.). 1 minute and 15 seconds!! hahaha Why do I moan and groan to myself when I head in to do it? Surely I can spare 1 minute and 15 seconds out of my day. lol Starting a load of laundry. This involved hauling it downstairs, dumping it in the machine, adding soap, starting the machine, walking back upstairs. 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Lol. I think I may do this with all these chores...time them to see how much longer I spend complaining about them or dreading doing them than I actually end up doing them.  <-----at me |
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,724 
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Oct 23, 2021 16:30:04 GMT
I love that you timed the tasks. Yes, if I spent a few minutes actually doing the stuff rather than hours staring at it, I wouldn't have to stare at it. I know, I know.
Does it make it easier to get things done, knowing how how little time they actually take?
It's the bigger tasks that stop me, the ones that I don't know how long they'll take. I have a 1/4 painted garden gate in our conservatory, getting in the way. I spent an afternoon battling with that first 1/4 at the beginning of my treatment, and have never got back to it. I must.
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Post by gramasue on Oct 23, 2021 16:42:43 GMT
I put off filling the ice cube container, too. I have three trays. I'll just empty the top tray as I need ice cubes, about every two or three days, time and time again. By the time I finally decide to fill the container and I get to the bottom trays, they've shrunk and are pretty well useless.
There are so many repetitive little tasks that get put off, and then they seem like big ones - at least in my mind. AAARGH!
I'm sure there are others that bug me, but I really related to your ice cube story!
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rgibson
Full Member
Posts: 467
Apr 26, 2021 22:49:21 GMT
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Post by rgibson on Oct 23, 2021 16:49:03 GMT
That's awesome - I definitely spend more time scanning the message board here than what it would take to do those tasks.  |
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,418
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Oct 23, 2021 19:19:42 GMT
Once I had put something in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes, the dishwasher needed to be emptied and I had debated not doing it. I just started and was done before the microwave beeped. Versus how long I get sucked into the rabbit hole of the internet...
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 4:02:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2021 19:26:56 GMT
Have you ever actually timed some of these little tasks/chores, or even ones that are a big bigger? One of mine is emptying the ice out of the ice trays and refilling them. (no ice maker on our fridge). We keep a container in the freezer for the ice, and we have four ice trays. Dd and I both like our water really cold so we need ice every day. I *hate* emptying and refilling those trays. So just now I poured some more coffee from this morning's pot, which is of course totally cold by now. For me it needs 1 minute 30 seconds in the microwave. I put it in then pulled out the ice trays. I was just sliding the refilled trays back in the freezer when the microwave beeped. 1 minute and 30 seconds to do the chore that I keep putting off. So I tested a few more. Making the bed -- 45 seconds. Swishing the brush in the toilet, wiping the back of the toilet, wiping the sink, 1 minute 15 seconds. (not talking about a deep clean of anything, just the maintenance stuff.). 1 minute and 15 seconds!! hahaha Why do I moan and groan to myself when I head in to do it? Surely I can spare 1 minute and 15 seconds out of my day. lol Starting a load of laundry. This involved hauling it downstairs, dumping it in the machine, adding soap, starting the machine, walking back upstairs. 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Lol. I think I may do this with all these chores...time them to see how much longer I spend complaining about them or dreading doing them than I actually end up doing them. <-----at me I've always been one of those "You can't do the fun thing until you do the dreaded thing first." Now it's just second nature. But yeah, it always amazes me how much worse the thing is in my thoughts than when I actually do it. |
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Post by alsomsknit on Oct 23, 2021 19:30:25 GMT
Yes, accidentally. Like milocat, it involved microwaving something and emptying the dishwasher. Frankly, it was life altering. I timed chores. The involved chores were usually under 5 minutes.
I also learned to give a chore as much time as I was willing. For example, I may fold a basket of towels in 3 separate phases. All taking place before work. 1. Hanging fresh towels. 2. Wash clothes over back of chair. Fold and put away remaining towels. 3. Fold the washcloths and put away. Snatching that odd minute or two makes a huge difference.
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Post by bc2ca on Oct 23, 2021 19:41:44 GMT
I emptied the dishwasher one day while having the after school chat with my kids. When I was done, I asked them how long it had taken. Less than 5 minutes? And told them to never, ever whine and complain again about emptying the dishwasher like it was a hard labor sentence that robbed them of their childhood. Even to this day my darlings (24 & 22) magically appear to help if they hear me emptying the dishwasher.  I still dread vacuuming. Maybe I should time it. I know I think about doing it for far longer than it actually takes to do it.  |
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peaname
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,389
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Post by peaname on Oct 23, 2021 19:44:55 GMT
I did do this once! It was emptying the clean dishwasher. It worked because I quit hating that task.
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Post by peasapie on Oct 23, 2021 20:01:58 GMT
I put things off when I am not sure what to do about them. I realize that I'm waiting until either I can't avoid it anymore or until I come up with a good solution.
The easy tasks like laundry and making the bed I do easily because they don't involve any inner turmoil.
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Post by questioning on Oct 23, 2021 20:02:48 GMT
My timed task was the dishwasher, it's easy for me to keep it closed and ignore. Less than five minutes is all I need to unload the heaviest load...why, why, why do I procrastinate?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 4:02:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2021 20:09:34 GMT
One day in the last few weeks I sat listening to the dishwasher and the clothes washer and the dryer all going at the same time.
I said a little silent "thank you" to the universe for inventing machines to do things my grandmother would have taken hours to do - especially the clothes washing part.
I try to remember how lucky I am when it comes time to unload the various machines from the work that they did for me.
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,253
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Oct 23, 2021 20:23:41 GMT
I still dread vacuuming. Maybe I should time it. I know I think about doing it for far longer than it actually takes to do it. My abhorrence of vacuuming has nothing to do with the time, and everything to do with how much of a sheer pain in the ass it is. Cord all over the place and constantly in the way, having to maneuver the vacuum itself around all the weird shaped spots and furniture, etc |
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,253
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Oct 23, 2021 20:28:09 GMT
If you have read James Clear's book Atomic Habits, you know about habit stacking, where you make a concerted effort to add one small habit to another set of habits you already have in place. Like emptying the ice trays or dishwasher while your coffee or tea is heating up in the microwave.
Also, for those of you who don't start because it seems overwhelming, check out Jon Acuff's book [i]Finish[/i] where he talks about doing badly is better than not doing at all.
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Post by jenjie on Oct 23, 2021 20:40:36 GMT
I still dread vacuuming. Maybe I should time it. I know I think about doing it for far longer than it actually takes to do it. My abhorrence of vacuuming has nothing to do with the time, and everything to do with how much of a sheer pain in the ass it is. Cord all over the place and constantly in the way, having to maneuver the vacuum itself around all the weird shaped spots and furniture, etc I got a cordless rechargeable vacuum. It is lighter and no cord to get in the way. However the battery doesn’t last long and you have to constantly empty the cup bc it’s a lot smaller than a vacuum bag. |
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,253
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Oct 23, 2021 20:43:19 GMT
I got a cordless rechargeable vacuum. It is lighter and no cord to get in the way. However the battery doesn’t last long and you have to constantly empty the cup bc it’s a lot smaller than a vacuum bag. Been eyeballing those but I vacuum so rarely  |
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Post by dewryce on Oct 23, 2021 20:56:38 GMT
“Little minutes” are everything! I can’t stand to just be doing one thing at a time so I am constantly doing small tasks. Even just using the trip to the kitchen to take trash/glasses/whatever with you. That then becomes a task that takes zero seconds. So almost every single time I walk somewhere i look around to see what I can take with me. My take that I put off forever aren’t repetitive, but still don’t take much time. Maybe not under 2 minutes but 5 or 10 minutes for the most part. Like peasapie I put things off that I have to think about or maybe buy something to complete the task. When we completely decluttered our house we took every single thing out that was broken or needed something done to it. It felt soooo good to have them out of our living space! Then when we were finishing I put them all on a table in our project room and made a concerted effort to work on at least one task a day. That table has been emptied and there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. All that’s left are the larger projects now. But still they’re out of the way and all gathered together so it doesn’t bother me as much. Just found out DH is home on Monday so we’ll probably tackle one then. |
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Post by Zee on Oct 23, 2021 21:11:32 GMT
Ha! I use so much ice in a day that I feel like a freezer with an ice dispenser is mandatory.
I hate mailing things, don't ask me why other than I hate putting stuff in a box and packing it and taping it and labeling it and going to the post office or even worse printing a label at home 🙄😁
So I'll put it off until last minute but then fell bad that so and so got their gift or card so late. It's not even hard but it's loathsome, just like wrapping presents.
I try my best to order everything online and pay for gift wrap but obviously that's not an option with handmade things!
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Post by Zee on Oct 23, 2021 21:13:10 GMT
“Little minutes” are everything! I can’t stand to just be doing one thing at a time so I am constantly doing small tasks. Even just using the trip to the kitchen to take trash/glasses/whatever with you. That then becomes a task that takes zero seconds. So almost every single time I walk somewhere i look around to see what I can take with me. My take that I put off forever aren’t repetitive, but still don’t take much time. Maybe not under 2 minutes but 5 or 10 minutes for the most part. Like peasapie I put things off that I have to think about or maybe buy something to complete the task. When we completely decluttered our house we took every single thing out that was broken or needed something done to it. It felt soooo good to have them out of our living space! Then when we were finishing I put them all on a table in our project room and made a concerted effort to work on at least one task a day. That table has been emptied and there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. All that’s left are the larger projects now. But still they’re out of the way and all gathered together so it doesn’t bother me as much. Just found out DH is home on Monday so we’ll probably tackle one then. I love the idea of a project table! I should do this with my craft room. Pull out every half-completed thing and either toss, donate, or complete. |
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Post by dewryce on Oct 23, 2021 21:24:28 GMT
When we completely decluttered our house we took every single thing out that was broken or needed something done to it. It felt soooo good to have them out of our living space! Then when we were finishing I put them all on a table in our project room and made a concerted effort to work on at least one task a day. That table has been emptied and there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. All that’s left are the larger projects now. But still they’re out of the way and all gathered together so it doesn’t bother me as much. Just found out DH is home on Monday so we’ll probably tackle one then. I love the idea of a project table! I should do this with my craft room. Pull out every half-completed thing and either toss, donate, or complete. Just gathering everything together takes a lot of weight off your shoulda, I say you go for it! We actually have a whole room set up for this right now. All of my long term projects (save for craft projects) are in boxes on one table. I have several other tables set up around the room, and each holds a long term project in progress. That way I can flit around and spend 5 minutes on something whenever I feel like it, and not have to pick anything up in between. When I finish with a project I just grab another box from the table and set it up on its own table. Then I keep a table in front of the TV empty so that I can put whatever small or craft project I feel like working on at the time there. (This is where I do the dreaded mail preparation too!) My craft projects live on shelves in my craft room, and now that I’ve emptied my small projects table and put it away I just put the new tasks on my main projects table so I don’t put off doing them anymore. Hopefully that will help me form the habit of taking care of things quickly and not letting tasks build up. |
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Post by Zee on Oct 23, 2021 21:28:12 GMT
I love the idea of a project table! I should do this with my craft room. Pull out every half-completed thing and either toss, donate, or complete. Just gathering everything together takes a lot of weight off your shoulda, I say you go for it! We actually have a whole room set up for this right now. All of my long term projects (save for craft projects) are in boxes on one table. I have several other tables set up around the room, and each holds a long term project in progress. That way I can flit around and spend 5 minutes on something whenever I feel like it, and not have to pick anything up in between. When I finish with a project I just grab another box from the table and set it up on its own table. Then I keep a table in front of the TV empty so that I can put whatever small or craft project I feel like working on at the time there. (This is where I do the dreaded mail preparation too!) My craft projects live on shelves in my craft room, and now that I’ve emptied my small projects table and put it away I just put the new tasks on my main projects table so I don’t put off doing them anymore. Hopefully that will help me form the habit of taking care of things quickly and not letting tasks build up. I really need to get moving, we're planning on finishing the basement and that's where all my stuff is so I have to get everything packed up. I'll keep out just a few things but I really need to just be honest with myself about what I'm going to actually finish. 😆 |
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 5,620
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Post by valincal on Oct 23, 2021 21:39:52 GMT
Once I had put something in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes, the dishwasher needed to be emptied and I had debated not doing it. I just started and was done before the microwave beeped. Versus how long I get sucked into the rabbit hole of the internet... I can usually empty the dishwasher by the time I’ve got the Keutig started and coffee made. Yet it seems like such a painful chore. 🤣 |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 4:02:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2021 21:54:17 GMT
I used to do the ice trays also. I always asked my kids & (then) hubby if they assumed a fairy did these chores. No one else would think of checking it or doing it.
It's cool that you timed the chores!! I agree with you & I put things off too! I've been putting off washing my hair because it takes 2 hours to blow it out! But, last week Dd33 and I tackled so many chores and turned our cluttered home into a Fall paradise. I had to clean up DH's bedroom so DS could sleep in there. I changed the bedding and added a stuffed animal DS bought me when he was 9. He loved that touch.
DD and I cleaned and put the Fall table settings out. It looked pretty. It's amazing that we put it off for 2 months (and did the minimum), and it looked so nice when we were done. It did take 2 days though and we were worn out after but it was worth it.
I'm trying to push myself to do more daily so it doesn't get out of hand. Glad you tackled your chores. Everyone should appreciate the mysterious fairy work that we do!!
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Post by Scrapper100 on Oct 23, 2021 22:07:24 GMT
So many times I will put something off and then I will have a day where I try and do as many things I have been putting off as possible and most of the time I think afterwards why did I wait it wasn't that bad. Not always but a lot of times. I love days where you can finish a bunch of things.
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Post by katlady on Oct 23, 2021 22:15:38 GMT
For me, it is things that I think will take hours to do. And then, it turns out to be easy and I finish in 10 minutes. I sit there afterwards and think to myself, why did I put that off?
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Post by quinlove on Oct 23, 2021 22:18:16 GMT
I time a lot of the little things I do around here. Bergdorfblonde, my hair is around shoulder length. I listen to sports radio a lot in the mornings and I can completely blow dry my hair during one of their commercial breaks, about 7 minutes. Then I put it in a pony and roll the pony into a hair roller. In about 15 - 30 minutes, I take out the roller and it curls into a nice pony. Just what works for me.
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Post by dewryce on Oct 23, 2021 22:42:52 GMT
@zee Exactly! I thought id have a lot more energy when I was younger and buying all of this!!!I get rid of a few projects, or yarns I bought because “oh, pretty!” every time we go through our stuff. This last time it was tons of jewelry projects and supplies because they’re just not to my taste anymore. SIL hit the mother load. At this point I’m down to projects I really, really feel motivated to finish. I’m excited for you and hope it gives you tons of crafting mojo!
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 23, 2021 23:21:18 GMT
My abhorrence of vacuuming has nothing to do with the time, and everything to do with how much of a sheer pain in the ass it is. Cord all over the place and constantly in the way, having to maneuver the vacuum itself around all the weird shaped spots and furniture, etc If you can spend the money, buy whatever the latest version of the Dyson Stick is. Man, I love that thing. It hangs in my pantry charging, the battery lasts forever, the attachments are super easy to change out, the canister is easy to empty, and it maneuvers nimbly. It's actually changed my whole mindset about vacuuming. |
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Post by peasapie on Oct 24, 2021 1:22:24 GMT
My abhorrence of vacuuming has nothing to do with the time, and everything to do with how much of a sheer pain in the ass it is. Cord all over the place and constantly in the way, having to maneuver the vacuum itself around all the weird shaped spots and furniture, etc If you can spend the money, buy whatever the latest version of the Dyson Stick is. Man, I love that thing. It hangs in my pantry charging, the battery lasts forever, the attachments are super easy to change out, the canister is easy to empty, and it maneuvers nimbly. It's actually changed my whole mindset about vacuuming. I totally agree. My Dyson and I do a light vacuum every other day (we have a golden retriever) and it’s done quickly. No cords. No heavy canister. Damn it’s good. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 24, 2021 1:41:31 GMT
I still dread vacuuming. Maybe I should time it. I know I think about doing it for far longer than it actually takes to do it. My abhorrence of vacuuming has nothing to do with the time, and everything to do with how much of a sheer pain in the ass it is. Cord all over the place and constantly in the way, having to maneuver the vacuum itself around all the weird shaped spots and furniture, etc I bought a cordless rechargeable vacuum for our cabin. Best.Thing.EVER! Unfortunately it’s not heavy duty enough to do the job at our house. It takes me 45 minutes to vacuum the upper level of my house and probably another 30 minutes to do the main floor and stairs. The stairs are a major PITA. |
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(not talking about a deep clean of anything, just the maintenance stuff.). 1 minute and 15 seconds!! hahaha Why do I moan and groan to myself when I head in to do it? Surely I can spare 1 minute and 15 seconds out of my day. lol
<-----at me
