I’m not much of a housekeeper. My domestic cred all comes from being the home sys admin, not the chief cook and bottle washer. Martha Stewart may be able to fold a fitted sheet neater than when it came out of the package but I dare say she can’t reboot a local area network or get the finicky printer to work.
And, yet, some household chores simply must be done. Like laundry. Everyone in my house does their own laundry and this is a very good thing. But it means that I must do mine, too. And yesterday it had piled up into what looked like the foothills of the Towel Mountains: whites, colors, delicates, in-need-of-stain-treatment, wash-first-time-alone-to-avoid-dying-the-rest-of-the-laundry.
My usual pattern is to put a load of laundry in the washer, start it and then remember it a couple of days later. Yuck. But thanks to one of my favorite blogs, Unclutterer, I have discovered a timer for my Mac.
How did I ever get anything done without Alarm Clock 2??? It’s brilliant: multiple alarms and timers that you can give custom names. I love making up names like “The Laundry Fairy” or “Would You Like More Water, Honey?” And, it’s free (although I am happy to donate to Robbie for making such a great piece of software available).
While I was working at my computer, I just set the alarm every time I put more laundry in. Ding! Time for the next load. I felt like a domestic diva! I didn’t mind washing clothes!
So what was going on here? How could something as simple as a timer make this chore more fun? It goes back to something I learned when I was designing educational software: scaffolding. Scaffolding is the process of supporting the intention with just the right amount of intervention. Teachers do it when they give a student a hint to nudge them along. The timer was creating the hint for me.
Sometimes we just need a little help bridging from where we are to where we want to be.
The other reason the timer created such joy for me is that it reduced my cognitive load, particularly because it was embedded into a native environment for me. I was able to be more productive in both zones because I wasn’t trying to remember one thing while doing another.
I always thought I hated laundry but what I really needed was the right support to help me be successful. It seems like a small thing – doing laundry – but life is mostly a series of small things. If I can raise the joy in something so mundane, maybe others activities are good candidates, too?
How do you scaffold? What things in your life could use a little assist to bring you more joy? What would your bridge look like?
By Laurie Foley
I'm Laurie Foley and I help solo professionals like you discover your natural brand so that you can get clear, get noticed and get clients. Please request your free copy of The Inner Brandifesto, my popular guidebook full of brand-building exercises.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that alarm clock sounds great. I need to get a Mac ASAP so I can have cool things like that on my computer. I don’t much like doing laundry (or any household chores) but, as you said, they need to get done and it’s important to find new ways to do time or tools to help us to make it that much easier to get the boring stuff out of the way so we can spend the rest of our time living our awesome lives.
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Great idea, Laurie! I laughed out loud at: “My usual pattern is to put a load of laundry in the washer, start it and then remember it a couple of days later.” Such a relief to find out I’m not the only one who’s a little ditsy when it comes to doing domestic chores…
I need a “how about a stretch and a bite to eat now?” alarm (do you know of software that comes with a grocery shopper and a chef as well?) and an “okay, if you haven’t gotten up yet (even to pee), then it’s definitely time you do” alarm, for my writing days.
And I love the term “scaffolding,” for structures/ systems for supporting yourself as you do/ build your “thing.” Cool word.
Cath
Cath’s last blog post..Leading a Location Independent Life (or Wanting to)?
You hit the nail on the head, Laurie, mentioning reduction of the cognitive load! Now that we ALL need, for all areas of life. “Laundry” itself is an archetype fettered with all sorts of associations (I’m guessing.) My husband and I have a Sock Abyss (orphaned socks in a rattan basket) going on its 4th year of life. Reduction of Cognitive Load? Where do we sign up? I also think of church bells, for some reason, when reading your post. External cues indicating a shift in the day’s pattern. I think you are on to something!!!!!! Too many bells going off in our OWN head. Thank goodness for a little external support
The scaffolding concept reminded me of how I compartmentalize and remember important “ah ha” thoughts in my life. Like many people, those thoughts occur either in the shower or in the car, i.e. a time when you can’t really do much about them. I’ve begun trying to free associate specific thoughts with everyday tasks as my intervention. For instance, I might remember that I really need to get a particular book at the library. I immediately say to myself, “ok, when you get to your office and see the books that are on your desk now, you will remember to get the book you now need”. It sounds rather simple and it is. The key is matching the thought with the task.
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for pointing me at Alarm Clock 2.
Have you come across the Pomodoro Technique for focussed working in controlled bursts?
This might help you too, Cath. You set the timer for 25 minutes, followed by a get up and walk around break of 5 minutes, which conveniently works out as an easily scheduled half hour chunk
Andy Palmer’s last blog post..Lazynchronous
I appreciate all of these other great suggestions!
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