One shitty job a day - mission to get all the crappy tasks done this year

[Shittyyear2025]

I'm an eternal untidy person. I don't see my own clutter. I've tried HARD to find a routine that I can get engaged in, signed up for COUNTLESS get yourself organised apps.

I saw a video yesterday about getting one shitty job a day done. I think I can manage one shitty job a day. So far I cleaned the lounge carpet (over yesterday and today, bad back and heavy furniture) and I've painted a door that's been off it's hinges and propped up against my hall wall for maybe a year.

I reckon one shitty job a day (or for an hour towards it say, after work, longer crap jobs can be done at the weekend) I can do. I can finally finish decorating the kitchen. I can finally finish painting the landing/stairs/hall after the ceiling collapsed in Autumn 2024, I can sort out the front garden one job at a time (hell, I can even get rid of the ironing mountain and charity shop everything I no longer wear for an hour a day).

Anyone want to join me? Or any tips for starting AND STICKING WITH domestic routines?

@randos a slighty less SJ is writing a list? And agree about breaking it down. What’s the big thing?

My SJ for today, which is entirely for my benefit and therefore I have been cheerily self-sabotaging since JULY!!! is that I have uploaded to a Google Drive all the things (I hope) that my lovely accountant will need to do both my tax return and my company accounts. I might even get round to putting the decorations back in the loft later, who knows?

@randos I bet we're all absolute experts at coaching other people through their SJs, so is there a way we can help you? What is the big important thing, if you don't mind me asking?

I did the laundry on a timer this morning, so it will be waiting for me when I get home from work to put in the tumble dryer. I also need to add changing the bathroom lightbulbs as the last one went this morning and I do not want to shower in the dark tomorrow.

my SJ at work has been done - project programme for my next big job. Unfortunately it's looking like there is going to be a 10 week period when I'm going to have to stay away from home 3 nights a week towards the end of this year which is not great. Work will pay, but it's going to take some organising to keep home running at the same time...

Stalled a bit today after not sleeping well last night, however I have put petrol in the car so I don't have to do it tomorrow and wiped the inside of the windscreen which was terribly smeared and hard to see through in low winter sunlight
I've also phoned and rebooked blood tests at the doctor's that I should have had done in November but had to can't as I was ill with a stomach bug.
I've put a wash on too.
I'm waiting for some new storage things to arrive so I can sort out the kitchen and bathroom which is at least a logical reason for procrastination on those!
Reading what everyone had done is inspiring.

Now considering a Strangers on a Train kind of scenario where we swap SJs. Other people’s SJs are always less daunting.

Any offers to tackle this pile gratefully received.

it is definitely inspiring to read what shitty jobs you guys have crossed off your list. I’ve tidied a couple of drawers in my bedroom, gone through my wardrobe and taken 2 bags of clothes to the charity shop. Should do something else off my list now but cba. Will tackle either the book shelves or under stairs cupboard tomorrow.

Love this idea. I managed to clear 20 years of teaching stuff in 2 hours, mainly thrown away but kept a little. Also enjoyed sorting through old cards and letters over the holidays, it felt like spending time with a younger me. Took photos of special ones and binned quite a lot.

Friend finally came today to pick up her stuff I'd been storing for years so now have more space to store my crap stuff and gradually sort through it. Made a list of doable shitty jobs and a list of bigger projects that will need tradespeople or handy persons in. Been putting off storing my medications and getting rid of any out of date ones, finally did that today and have a few blister packs to take down the local pharmacy. I've got a crate full of out of date make up and toiletries, think these will have to be binned. Noticed my shower ceiling is getting a little mouldy & the paint a bit bubbly, another crapola job to nip in the bud.

I ventured into the garage again today and organised or threw stuff. I now have plastic boxes to go into the loft and room for the new kitchen storage. I also did some laundry.

Tomorrow I'm sweeping the garage floor, cleaning the rest of the house including a deep clean of the family bathroom and repotting a plant to go into a larger plant pot.

We are getting there!

I'll swap you paperwork for ironing? Or booking in blood tests for DD/fixing the toilet seat?

I LOVE sorting paperwork (when I finally get round to it)

I am doing my tax return too at the moment.. a boring SJ that is always at the back of my mind to be completed but then it doesn't get done.. 😂

Did another hour of CPD and - though it's not a shitty job it's one I've been putting off- burned a small amount of crap (old envelopes, bits of paper that are too small or crappy to recycle, a broken wooden coathanger)- in the fire grate at the bottom of the yard.
The "burn pile" things get stuffed into bags and corners all over the house and outbuildings, and we rarely get around to burning them. I had planned to make Wednesday (my day off) burn day so I could keep on top of things, but I had forgotten that paper doesn't burn as well as you think on a small fire. Bum. Gonna have to either bin stuff as I go along, or have one big burn bag, start a proper fire once a month or so and burn all. But I know I won't be organised enough for that and the crappy piles will remain. Oh well. It was worth a try.

I deal with ironing by buying nothing that needs it. I haven't ironed in years except for one off posh items. Try it!

Bathroom lights changed. They are waterproof spot lights so an absolute ballache but done now. Laundry in tumble dryer and another load on the timer for tomorrow morning

Jobs to add to tomorrow's SJ list - clean out two logburners, book chimney sweep and order logs. And fold and put away about 4 loads of laundry.

We are getting there...

Ongoing SJ- putting dishwasher on early evening and unloading BEFORE bed. Gamechanger for the morning 😊

Great thread! I have a pesky job - to reorganise my understairs cupboard. I don't think there's rubbish in there, just things which would be better stored elsewhere. Hopefully 🤞🏻 tomorrow will be the day I tackle this.

Also on the SJs list are two phone calls, and some paperwork organising/shredding. Hate paperwork 😔

Can I join in please.
I had a lot of work done on the house at the beginning of last year and started to decorate and reorganise but, at the beginning of June I just ... stopped ... and I've found it so hard to get any impetus back. There's barely a room in the house that doesn't have a dozen or more shitty jobs sat waiting to be done and I'm finding it all a bit overwhelming so I think this is a brilliant thread that will really help.
Since the beginning of the year I have:

• tidied my sewing table and cupboard (sort of) and done all the high dusting in that room.
• made a set of living room curtains (the fabric had been cut and left in a pile under the sewing table since maybe October)
• hung the new curtains and tacked the hems (the proper hanging and sewing the hems will need to wait until the end of the month
• I put the Christmas decs away tidily and threw some old ones away

So, not a bad start to the year but I'm away this weekend and then next weekend I will be at my brother's helping with some of his SJs so it'll be hard to keep going. One SJ a day seems achievable. I want 2026 to be the year I get on top of things.

Well done everyone!

Tax return is DONE!!! Plus my tax bill is lower than I thought. Will await confirmation from the accountant.

returns all packed up and ready to go on the way to Pilates tomorrow.

next SJ will be to respond to a few emails and generally sort through those. Will do that first thing tomorrow.

night do a bonus SJ and declutter.

Also some proper exercise.

Sorted out the medicine box and got rid of some out of date stuff.
Rearranged the saucepan cupboard and now the door shuts properly.
Sounds little but I have to climb on a bar stool to get to the top and back of the cupboard and resent the tall people in the house who don’t seem to notice these things.

Sorted out my balls of yarn ( I crochet ) …. But only because there’s a new load arriving soon and that’s something DH doesn’t need to know about

DH got involved today in the kitchen. Emptied out the corner cupboard with the swing out shelves got enough space for the slow cooker to go in now. Said it killed his knees. Bechod

And I love ironing!! Well, love, maybe not… but it’s not an SJ to me. Deal!

Decorations in the loft, a few more items in the bin and another pile ready for the charity shop. Also found a couple of lovely things i'd forgotten about so they're on display.

Restarted my Gousto and chose meals for the next 2 weeks. Filled in a direct debit form for car insurance and uploaded it.
worked 8.5 hours. Made a curry. Picked up DD
Cant be arsed to do the big jobs on a work day.

I am impressed with everything we have done already! (And yes, I would much prefer other people's shitty jobs than my own).
The new washing machine will, fingers crossed, be delivered on Saturday. So the dreadful basement needs to be clear by then (or at least the part where the washer and dryer go).
Today I:

1. Emptied the broken washing machine which is full of sodden clothes and cold water. The clothes are now in a bucket ready for a launderette trip.
2. Spent 30 minutes clearing the part of the basement (a set of shelves) of all the junk that was there, so that all the cleaning supplies (currently in dusty piles on the floor in the washing machine area) can be moved there.
3. Once I reached decision fatigue, I randomly picked up rubbish in the basement. Filled three massive black bags full of stuff.

In not so good news, I was so tired that, when walking up the basement stairs holding a glass container full of dog kibble, I dropped it down and the glass smashed. So now my basement cleaning project includes the removal of all the kibble. I cleaned up what I could reach and will get the rest when I get to sweeping the floors, which may be a while. The whole basement smells of fish-flavored dog-food...

The whole thing was just so icky - thick thick dust, cobwebs, and mouse poo. Even though I wore a mask and gloves, I could feel I was breathing nasty stuff in. A little a day, as I can tolerate, with the washing machine area as priority needs to be the way forward.
YUCK.