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If you had to choose the hardest part of housework, what would it be? If you answered “simply getting started,” then you’re among the majority. Starting a task, be it cleaning the house or working on that big paper, is often the biggest hurdle to productivity. Unlike that big paper, though, cleaning never truly ends. Many household chores, like dishes and laundry, are repetitive—even if you “complete” it today, you’ll have to do it again tomorrow. It doesn’t help that many of these are pretty boring. 

In fact, studies show that when a task is long, boring, repetitive, or familiar, it’s more difficult to start. This is called task paralysis, and it’s most common among those with ADHD or executive dysfunction. Research also shows that having a cluttered environment makes it harder for us to focus and increases our stress levels, which ironically also makes it more difficult to do those repetitive, boring tasks that will tidy up our space. The competition between not wanting to start your chores and keeping your home tidy can feel like a catch-22. But never fear—there is hope for that growing pile of smelly socks.

Crack the door on repetitive tasks using a chore cycle

Rather than envisioning your housework as an infinite to-do list, try organizing your repetitive tasks using a “chore cycle.” This cyclical task list breaks down housework into smaller steps that will take less time and can be completed while you go about your daily routine. It also encourages you to look at housework as continuously moving the task at hand from one stage in the cycle to the next, rather than worrying about completing all the steps in the task at once. 

For example, you can picture doing laundry as having four steps in the “cycle”:

1. Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
2. Put clothes in the washer.
3. Put clothes in the dryer.
4. Fold and put away clothes.

So let’s say you need to do laundry, but you’re in the middle of writing a paper. When you need to take a screen break, use that time to nudge the cycle forward one step: Gather all the dirty laundry in your room and put it by the door with the laundry detergent so it’s ready to go when you are. Voilà—you’re already a quarter of the way done!

When it comes to daily chores, this mindset can help reduce task paralysis by allowing you to “crack the door” on tasks, which should make it a bit easier to keep your place tidy.  

Learn more about chore cycles and how to make them in the video below.