What do you tell yourself day-to-day to keep on top of the drudge work?

[Schoolpickup]

Just that really. Finding the day to day deluge of housework, dishes and bedtime a sludge. There's no avoiding it. It has to be done. There isn't anything that can be stripped back. We're not perfectionists with housework, and Dh and I split the work. This is just the stuff that has to be done.

When it feels like a sludge, do you give yourself a talking to? What do you do?

Podcasts. Before podcasts were invented, I used to do the weekly ironing at 10am on a Sunday morning listening to the Archers omnibus.

While listening to your podcast, fit jobs into each other, e.g. while tea is cooking, don't go and sit down for 10 minutes. Sweep the kitchen floor and wipe down the cupboard doors.

Never walk upstairs without taking something with you and putting it away.

No laughing but I play the Mission Impossible theme song really lightly when I'm doing something I don't want to do. I also pretend I'm on The Cube and have only a certain amount of time to do each task. Aside from that just music really!!!

My husband listens to podcasts whilst he irons.

This is probably totally batshit but I have an imaginary friend. No, really. She's time travelled from some horribly austere period in history and is bloody impressed with things like running water, cleaning products and gadgets. She was used to getting up at 5 to light the fire before working a zillion hours all day.
I tell her about all the mod cons well I work. Very therapeutic.

I don't like cleaning but I do like clean house. I focus on the end result. No children or dogs at home anymore so it's obviously an awful lot easier.

Podcasts and telling myself housework burns calories this is how i get through mundane jobs,I have a list of stuff to do but always end up whipping out my laptop or phone to check in on mumsnetand before i know it two hours have flown by!Its so bloody addictive!

I do a power hour every day.

I come home, roll my sleeves up and just crack on.

I also do ten minute tidy ups with the kids. Trained them from small with a small treat when they finished.

I can be very lazy too!

I'm having a break now as I've had a long day but I'll be having a tidy up shortly. I've a huge stack of washing to put away 😭

1. Audible
2. Wash up by hand anything lthat you can't fit in the dishwasher.
3. Wash on everyday, washing put away everyday.
4. Online shopping, Uber eats delivers Asda for mid week bits.
5. Mutter about not being Dobby the house elf.

Set a timer for 20 mins in the morning and night. Do upstairs in the morning and downstairs at night. If you both do it you should surely have time for everything expect washing the floors and dusting!

Teach children 9+ to change their own beds, iron their own clothes, put dirty clothes in the hamper, polish their own shoes, and pack their own book bags.

I was a SAHM due to lockdown extending my "time off" as DH likes to call it (hahaha, because homeschooling with a toddler underfoot was just one long holiday really, wasnt it, ladies?) for 2.5 years and now I'm back FT and although I'm busier I'm happier because the drudgery is mixed up with the fact that now I ask officially contributing to the household again.

So as I potter about the chores, I feel pretty smug because now DH has to do half of everything again. Yippee!!

Oh and I listen to The News Quiz on Radio4, or music, or I think about the fact that if i get the chores done in the evening, the next morning will genuinely be less stressful and I'll have time to nag my DD about her music practice, and play trains or read a story with my DS.

I am also currently just waiting for lighter mornings so I can take a pre-breakfast potter round the garden, absolutely hate dark winter mornings!

Also re ironing shirts, there is no need to, as long as you a) don't totally stuff the washing machine full and b) have a timer on it. I'm lucky to have replaced our old washing machine for one with a timer. It's absolutely invaluable. Set the washing machine running and at the same time set an alarm on your phone for when the load will end. Take the washing out immediately the cycle ends, shake out any shirts and hang on coat hangers, leave to air dry on a "spare" doorway or ideally outside on a washing line and they will be perfect every time. You're welcome.

When it feels like a sludge, do you give yourself a talking to? What do you do?

Say to myself "this shit isn't forever, when the time comes, you'll be able to have a very long, quiet rest".

It's not a big thing but I also use the timer on my washing machine. Family of 5 so washing to be done every day. I put the next load on when I unload and set the timer so it will be ready at exactly the same time the next day. Then the stuff on the rack is dry by the time the next load is done. Put away that and hang up the next load. 10 minutes max.

It takes the mental load out of needing to remember to do it.

I tell myself that I likeyself and my children to live in a relatively clean and tidy environment and remember how much easier family life is when all that shit is kept on top of. And increasingly that I appreciate how this is possible because I am in good physical health.

@deaexmachina I have always struggled to keep on top of housework. If people are coming I have a mad tidy up. My ex was always criticising my housekeeping skills. My teenage son is just being assessed for ADHD and I recognise traits in myself . Maybe I just couldn’t organise it even though I wanted a lovely home .

I use an iPad with wireless headphones and watch Netflix while doing any house tasks. - cooking, cleaning, laundry etc - it takes longer but I enjoy so it much more.

Also use a dyson cordless vacuum cleaner so I can whizz around a room in minutes so that vacuuming is no longer a chore.

Put clothes in tumble dryer until they steam up - a few minutes - before shaking out and hanging so no need to iron.

Keep phone on me or Apple Watch to count steps so I can feel good about being active while doing tasks.

This has transformed my life from hating housework to not minding it so much.

Get a cleaner to deep clean the house occasionally.

It's just life. I try not to over-think it.

Keep on top of any slight tendencies to hoard that you or anyone you live with may have- too much stuff makes this 1000 times harder. Find ways to constantly declutter in your area by literally whatever means necessary.

Never leave the room without taking something with you and putting it away. If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher, run it last thing at night so you have enough clean stuff for breakfast before school.

II like clean sinks and clear floors and a clear tabletop to eat off and clear beds to sleep in and beyond that I can overlook a lot which really helps

I have a power hour, too, and assign myself jobs per day. I'm a routine demon. Also- don't be a perfectionist. I set a decent standard but I won't set myself up to fail. Decide what matters.

My mantras is also "do a little bit today and you don't have to waste a lot of your weekend on it" and "do it now or you must do it when you're knackered".

I also out outsource cleaning my oven. And once I can afford it, I'll outsource some of the deeper cleaning and the gardening. These are the time consumers I resent!

@Ericaequites

Teach children 9+ to change their own beds, iron their own clothes, put dirty clothes in the hamper, polish their own shoes, and pack their own book bags.

This is important. Secondary school age children should be in charge of their own rooms. Cleaning, changing beds, dirty laundry, putting away clean laundry, painting etc. If they want to live in squalor, just shut the door. All I do is open the windows every so often and deal with any 'extra' jobs like cleaning windows, and tackle any problems like mould.

Dishwasher, cleaner, easy to cook meals, never ironed. I really spend the minimum time possible on stuff like this. Enjoying my life is my priority!

I've lost all motivation to clean my current home and do the absolute minimum as we are supposed to be moving very soon... I'm also 33 weeks pregnant and have a 17 month old!
New house has a dishwasher and I can't bloody wait. Also currently trying to convince DH that we need a cleaner for 3 hours every 2 weeks to do bathroom, downstairs loo and floors in the new house!

The other thing I forgot in my original response OP was that if I see something that needs doing I do it there and then, I never think I'll just do it later because something always crops up and it wouldn't get done!

I feel the same. Sometimes I declare “Right, I’m doing NOTHING tomorrow!” but it’s impossible. The cooking, washing up and laundry never bloody stop!

Ironing, haven’t done that for years, was told early in life show a garment an iron & it will always need it,