“I make no secret of the fact that I would rather lie on a sofa than sweep beneath it. But you have to be efficient if you’re going to be lazy.” —Shirley Conran
I loved this quote. It’s kind of what I’ve been working on lately. I’m not sure I’ll ever love cleaning. I may like having a clean house or I may learn to enjoy the tasks a little more , but it will likely never be a preferred task.
So the question is how can I either make the cleaning take less time or make the time spent more enjoyable.
One idea is to try to be more mindful and pay attention to what I’m doing and make it a meditation. Another idea is almost the reverse; combine the task with a preferred task. Today that was listening to NPR clips online. I think I am giving up on the idea that I can clean and watch tv. I end up watching more than cleaning regardless of the show.
The other angle I think about when I read this quote is to use those wasted bits of time to clean. Like when I’m waiting for the coffee to brew or while my kids are getting ready for the next part of our day. Instead of getting antsy, I might as well get tasks done in the mean time.
In Pursuit of an Organized Life 