How to Get Chores Done When You Don’t Feel Like It
We all have those days where we just feel unmotivated or sluggish and we don’t have the drive or energy to get things done. As our list of chores to do piles up, it causes us stress and feelings of inadequacy. We can feel depressed because we are not doing what we know we ought to.
How do you get out of that funk and get some things done? Here are some methods I will use to get me moving. I hope some of them work for you as well.
1. Jump Start Your Energy With Caffeine
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This one seems obvious, but I want to share my personal caffeinating tips that help me when I am extra sluggish. I may add some more coffee to my drink to make it more energizing. Or I might add in some toppings or flavorings as a treat to get me motivated. A little cinnamon, honey, whipped cream, or additional creamer will often do the trick. These little things remind me I’m worth it. It also helps to stay close to the coffee while it is brewing so you get the benefit of that lovely aroma.
Remember that green tea and some other teas have caffeine as well, so if you are not a coffee drinker, you can still get that caffeine boost. Sugar works okay too for a jump start, but you are more likely to crash afterwards. A little sugar is fine to get you moving, but overdoing it can give you an even worse mood later on.
2. A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way
Exercising in the morning is the life hack you didn’t know you needed. You may not feel like doing any kind of strenuous movement when you are feeling down or unmotivated, but you might be surprised at the difference it makes in your mood. You don’t have to do an entire 20-minute workout session to get the benefits of stimulating exercise. You can just run in place for a minute or two, do a few jumping jacks, jump rope for a short while, or do a few of whatever exercise appeals to you.
If all you are trying to do is boost your mood and increase energy levels, then it only takes a minute or two of exercise to do that. Just enough to get your heart pumping is all you need, and you will be golden. This energizes your body by increasing cardio and respiratory activity. It tells your brain to wake up and makes you feel like you can do great things, and it can reduce or eliminate stress, depression, and anxiety.
3. Delegate Some Work
You don’t have to do all the work yourself. Maybe the reason you feel unmotivated to get your chores done is because you feel overwhelmed by them. We have probably all been there- when there is too much work to do and we feel like we just don’t know where to start. It can help to have others pitch in and take some of the burden off you.
If you have kids who can do chores, why not get them to help you? They can be a huge help in doing some of the things that you feel you cannot get to. Also, if they made the mess, I think they should be picking it up. That will teach them to make fewer messes and give you less to do and less to stress about.
You can also have a professional cleaning company do some of it for you, handling sweeping, mopping, organizing, and scrubbing so you have more time to do other things. How motivating is it to know that you don’t have to do all of that stuff? I know it is a big help when I have a maid service take care of some of my house chores, and I get to focus on other things to be done. If you wish to look for a maid service, you can get more info here!
4. Make a List
Another method I use to help motivate me is to start writing down what has to be done. This helps me get a handle on all of my chores and reduces stress so that I am not trying to remember everything. Sometimes I will put even very small tasks on the list so I can get them done quickly and easily and then mark them off. It’s my little sneaky way of feeling accomplished, because I know from experience that for every item I get done and then mark off, I feel a bit better and I feel motivated to do even more.
5. Schedule Work and Break
Another mental trick to do more and feel more motivated is to plan a work period and then a rest period. You can figure out your own timing for this, but I like the 30/5 rule. This would mean that I am working for 30 minutes and then resting for five minutes. I put a timer on for these so that I know I am “on the clock”. That gets me moving. As I am working, I am thinking about what I am going to do on my break, and I look forward to that.
During my five minutes of break, I can do absolutely anything- watch a YouTube video, eat a snack, take a short walk outside, lie down on the bed, etc. Once my break is over, I go back to the next 30-minute work period. I keep doing this until everything is done.
I know it isn’t always easy to start working first thing in the morning, especially when you don’t feel particularly energetic. I am offering these solutions not to be judgmental but because I know it is important for your mental well-being to stick with your responsibilities.
When I am feeling unmotivated, I try one or two of these methods to get me moving. Which one I use will often depend on my mood, so you can go through the list trying different things until you discover something that works for you.
