Manic Monday: What Can I Do Less Well?

Is that a typo? Did I mean to write: What Can I Do Better? Nope. Read on, my friend.

Laundry, dishes, dusting, folding, cleaning out the car…the list of chores on the daily task list gets overwhelming fast.  Add a child with special needs to the mix and you can practically come unglued.  

Here’s the thing: you can’t come unglued.  People are depending on you.  So, you need to find a sustainable way to make it work.

First, look at what you can take off your plate entirely…I know some of these options mean paying someone else to do it, but at least take the time to weigh the choices. What can the kids do?

A lesson from my mom:

When I was growing up, my parents were divorced and I lived with my mom, who worked more than a full schedule.  There was no possible way she could do everything.  She loved cooking so we always had home cooked meals.  She hated laundry, so we took it to a local wash and fold service.  At the time, she asked me not to advertise this fact because women were supposed to just be able to do everything, everywhere all at once (not the movie, but you should see it…it’s fantastic!). Why do I share this with the whole world, then? Because she had nothing to be ashamed of!  What a great solution! It was a very inexpensive service through our local laundromat and it took one task off of her plate.

Is there something in your life that you can let your kids do, to preserve your sanity? Can your typical kid wash his own soccer uniform (yup, that idea comes straight from my mom and I survived being responsible for this task). There will be grass stains…let it go.

Now, some things will remain on your list of chores, no matter how much help you have. Unless, you are living in the Brady Bunch and have your very own Alice, you’re probably responsible for at least some of your household chores.  So, just do the bare minimum. Do them in the quickest, most efficient way possible.  Check them off the list.

Here’s an example. Before I had kids, I used to wash the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. 

Okay, not THAT long before I had kids…Anyway, no longer, my friends! I put things in the dishwasher that are not even rinsed.  And, dishwashers are better now so I never need to run anything through a second time.  Is it ideal? Perfect? Pinterest-worthy? Nope. So what? We always have clean dishes when we need them. A fine solution.

What will it be for you?

• Maybe a Roomba does your vacuuming. 
• Maybe you use color catcher sheets in your wash and you skip sorting lights from colors.
• Maybe your kids fold the towels poorly but they are contributing and it is taking something off your plate. 
• Maybe you use Instacart instead of doing your own grocery shopping. 
• Maybe you use a subscription service to order meals prepped and ready to cook. 
• Maybe your kids do a cleaning morning with you once a month.
• Maybe you can go paperless so there is less filing and less clutter.
• And maybe, every once and a while, things get dusty. Cue the gasps!

I’m not asking you to give up the things you really care about.  My mom cooked for us every week because that was important to her.  She used to cook meals in double batches on the weekend so that we could use leftovers during the week when she was at work. 

But, by letting go of some of the things that are less important to your core values, you will be able to fit more into your day, with less stress.  So I ask you…what can you do less well? I promise, there is some room for compromise to make your life easier while still meeting your daily obligations.