One of the problems with daily blogging is that there isn't always time for household chores. There would be if I managed my time better, obviously, but when the choice is writing 1000 words about Woolwich or scrubbing my splashbacks, writing usually wins.
So yesterday I decided to incorporate chores into my blogging by undertaking 100 different chores and then publishing a list of them in today's post. If the modus operandi of the post is that I have to do some chores then I will do the chores, I reasoned, QED.
In order to reach my total of 100 I've had to break some chores down into subtasks, because just writing "clean bathroom" gets you nowhere. However I've not included chores I carry out every day without fail, indeed I did none of these on Monday, because my underlying incentive was to get undone stuff done.
100 chores I did yesterday
• write birthday cards, post birthday cards
• water plants, prune rose bush, add compost to plant pots, remove fallen detritus from balcony
• wash dishes, pick label off baked bean tin, dry dishes, return crockery to cupboard
• throw junk mail in recycling, add newspapers to recycling, flatten recyclable boxes, rationalise recycling into three binbags, dispose of food waste
• do the washing, change the pillowcases
• clean bathroom sink, wash down splashback, remove limescale from taps, clean gunk under plug, poke down sinkhole to keep it clear
• clean bath, clean surfaces beside bath, clean bottles beside bath, wash down bathroom tiles, clean bath taps, clean behind bath taps
• clean toilet, clean toilet brush, clean toilet brush holder, add toilet block to cistern
• clean bathroom scales, clean shelf where I store cleaning bottles, clean cleaning bottles
• clean bathroom floor, clean skirting board
• empty electric razor of whiskery bits
• clean kitchen surfaces, clean kitchen sink, clean kitchen taps
• clean cooker top, use cream cleaner on hob, clean oven, clean front of oven, wash splashback
• clean kitchen cupboard doors, sweep kitchen floor, clean kitchen floor
• clean on top of washing machine, clean on top of fridge
• clean bread bin, clean kettle, clean microwave, reset microwave clock, wash gunk off condiment tray
• clean crumbs behind toaster, empty toaster tray, empty crumbs not in tray, sweep floor again
• dust radiators, dust windowsills, dust skirting board, dust shelves, dust round lava
• dust carpet sweeper, empty carpet sweeper, sweep carpets
• hoover hallway, hoover living room, hoover bedroom, hoover spare room
• clear hallway table, chuck empty boxes of tablets, chuck receipts, file receipts, file rail tickets, file tickets
• put trainers back in rack, rearrange shoes tidily, dust boots
• put Christmas lights in box, tally Christmas cards, recycle Christmas cards
• check old batteries, separate out dead batteries, bin clock with dead battery fused inside it
• file bills, file jab admin, stack tube maps, sort general stuff on table, make pile of used envelopes
• shift furniture to new positions, plump cushions, return cassette to rack, bin empty tealight, stack library books neatly, hide honey, rearrange daffodils
• wave dusters on balcony
I like to attack chores by imagining that my Mum is coming round and I know she'll be disappointed but my task is to make her less disappointed. I imagine she'd have been a bit less disappointed today.
