We Need Helpers!
This idea isn’t new, but it’s undeniably true. It’s something I’ve known since childhood. Let’s think like first-graders for a moment: “One mom takes five hours to handle household chores. But what if the whole family pitches in?” “Weekly cleaning… I timed it—3 hours! Where did the time go?! Of course, I got sidetracked by little things. Last week, my husband and I cleaned together. Wow! Just two hours! He definitely saw the benefits of teamwork.
Attention to Detail
“I believe the most important thing is that every family member cleans up after themselves and puts things back in their place. Even my four-year-old daughter makes sure to tidy up all the toys she plays with. Not to mention us adults! In the evenings, I do a quick wet cleaning in the room and air it out. It only takes 15-20 minutes, but I do it every day.”
Dividing Responsibilities
In our one-bedroom apartment, weekly cleaning takes 25 minutes—it’s been tried and tested over time. My husband’s responsibilities include cleaning the bathroom, sink, toilet, stove, and shaking out the rugs. He has the strength for it, but not my wife! I dust and mop the floors. You wouldn’t believe how much free time we have!
And What If There Are Kids
Our oldest child is 7, and the youngest isn’t even a year old. Our living situation isn’t fully equipped: we don’t have hot water, and we rely on a wood stove for heating. But that doesn’t stop my family from keeping our home clean and orderly. We divide the tasks! Our son helps out too. He makes sure to clean the rugs (not a speck of dust left behind), and then his job is to keep an eye on his little brother so he doesn’t distract us adults from our work. I can’t imagine how I would manage without this help.
Don’t Put Things Off
My husband and I wash all the little things at once; we don’t let them pile up for a “big wash.” It takes us at most half an hour. Why wait to wash 11-15 pounds of laundry over two weeks?—Kids’ clothes and my husband’s shirts can be washed while dinner is cooking: it takes hardly any time, and the process isn’t tiring at all… Of course, washing bed linens is a hassle, so it’s better to send those to the laundromat. That help is invaluable! I used to hesitate to send things out, thinking it would take half a day to wash and half a day to iron. But now I have free time!
Combine Tasks
“When did you manage to do that?”—”Oh, just in between tasks!”—I reply nonchalantly. But that humble “in between tasks” gradually saves minutes and hours…
Don’t Drag Your Feet!
Who are you trying to teach? There are some homemakers who are always on the go, while others just dawdle: unsure whether to start or not. You can’t teach those “procrastinators” anything!
Don’t you feel for my friend from the capital who wrote: “I spend an awful lot of time on family chores, even though it’s just the two of us for now. I guess it’s my fault: my slow, methodical approach to cooking or laundry… For those who feel they’re lagging behind in speed, there are some tips. First, what does speed depend on? It can be influenced by character, health, skills, and… desire. Secondly, if the first “factors” don’t quite cooperate (though they can be “retrained”), desire is simple: you just have to want it! A slow homemaker can reflect, reorganize her work, and try to do the same tasks a bit faster. You can make the bed, prepare breakfast, or tidy up without worrying about the time, right? Or you can give yourself a little nudge, almost like a game: I need to do this faster because I have… an urgent meeting! I’m late for the theater! Guests are coming!
There’s another way for those who want to reorganize their work: pick up a clock again. Just two or three times, time how long it takes to do a task, compare the results, and you can set yourself a “planned goal”: find ways to cut down on time, do some things faster, or combine tasks. Another friend sets herself a challenge: her cleaning should take an hour and forty minutes—and she tries to stick to that timeframe. She’s measured her capabilities several times and found her optimal approach.
Seek Rational Methods of Work!
In general, it’s widely believed that we lack these the most… Although, perhaps, all the answers we’ve discussed today can be considered part of that search. After all, the very concept of “rationalization” means improving methods or organizing some kind of work or activity, and it comes from the Latin word “rationalis”—meaning “reasonable.” We’ve talked about finding time reserves through improving work organization.
Not a word has been said about new technologies, which also help us.