Changing housework style!

I call it pottering petallus - doing a bit here and a bit there as the fancy takes me. It's definitely the stress-free way to get through the chores I find.

In days gone by when I was a full-time working Mum I had to get stuck in and get it done. One of the joys of retirement is that things can be done - or not done - at leisure. And if it doesn't get done today, well there's always tomorrow.

Its the payback from all the years we had to get things done then relax or go off to work,this morning I went up the kitchen steps don't know how many times just wiping out a cupboard and checking dates on stuff I'd look at two or three then come down and do something else where as before I'd have had it done in minutes the next cupboard can wait until next week

I have a rule - if it's not done by midday it doesn't get done that day!

I know what you mean pettallus about flitting from one thing to another but I have been quite good today sorting out a lot of paperwork etc. Then I realised it's gone five pm. Shock Horror!

I don't do any housework unless I'm in the mood.
It's pointless really, I just mess about, however on the rare occasions when I am in the mood, I get far more done.

Start-stop--start-stop->>lunch!

I have always blitzed most of the housework on Monday and Tuesday mornings as early as possible. By that I mainly mean cleaning. I still find time later in the week to do the ironing and shopping, but if the house gets dirty between Tuesday and Sunday it gets left unless it is an emergency.

I have got far more interesting things to do.

I have become very lazy about housework since J died. I just think, well it's only me and it's my mess, so what! I always blitz the place before going away for any length of time so it isn't as if it isn't clean - just messy and a little dusty. I had a Swiss friend who rarely did any housework - in fact they used to have the house completely decorated every so often as it got so bad. 'Life's too short, just enjoy it and the children' she used to say. She sadly died in her early 50's but at least she didn't waste her short life doing housework ....

I have always tried to get as much as possible done on a Monday. It always used to involve cleaning from top to bottom. But I get so tired nowadays. And motivation seems to have gone out of the window too.

I do like a straight house. I get a bit down if it starts to pile up too much.

"But I get so tired nowadays" - applies to me too.
I do a job for 30 mins or so, then have a break, usually go online.
I find vacuuming tiring for my back so still sweep and mop (but not often.)
Luckily DH is a bit of a cleaning freak so he does most of the heavy work, once a week.
I do cooking, laundering and ironing, most of the gardening.
Occasionally the windows get cleaned.

I do like a tidy kitchen. I will potter about tidying the lounge/diner probably every other day. I am easily distracted from this though ! Hoover when I think it needs it.
Upstairs is another matter ! Nobody sees the dust in the bedroom except me and DH

I always remember my mum when she was working, she would shop most nights on her way home. Carrying it in panniers on her push bike. Clean top to bottom on a Friday evening, wash clothes on Saturday. Sunday morning was ironing in between cooking a roast lunch. She would then spend Sunday afternoon snoozing in the armchair. I used to wonder why

I try to get on with the essential chores early then perhaps do one extra thing - tidy a cupboard, bake, etc. - but if it isn't done by lunchtime it isn’t going to get done. I have lots of hobbies and not enough energy!

What is housework, petallus?

I used to be quite fussy, now I just discourage friends from coming round too often. Vacuuming hurts my dodgy hips, so I don't do it very often. I find just thinking about it exhausts me. I used to have a routine, but now that DS is at Uni and it doesn't look as if he is ever likely to come home for more than a week, I really can't be bothered. I no longer have to set him an example.

Another one who CBA here. What are 'chores'? Things like emptying the kitchen bin and putting the recycling out on the right day have to be done, of course (or rubbish piles up!) but cleaning windows....

I see things at home needing done and whereas before I would have jumped up and cleaned, dusted or whatever, I no longer have the energy nor the inclination now to actually get it done.

I now do housework in fits and starts and only when I am in the mood with lots of breaks involving faffing about with much more enjoyable pastimes.

Come to think of it, makes me feel quite decadent when I decide occasionally to sit back on the sofa with sandwiches and a small glass of wine and watch a good film. Perfect lunch!

I'm currently trying to get my house in order as jobs have piled up with years of various people living here on and off [son and girlfriend/ S.O.] and fitting housework in with working. Have the house to myself at the moment so trying to do a room at a time [but I've been doing it for weeks and seem to be taking one step forwards and two back]. But it seems to be never ending; house/garden/clean the car...one big endless loop .

I love housework. But my problem is getting distracted by other jobs. Today I excelled myself. It started when I got home this morning. I thought, oh, I'll just give the porch a Hoover. Then noticed the all the plastic needed a wash.
So then it was outside plastic. While outside I looked up and thought, oh, the Holly tree needs a trim. The 'trim' filled 2 dustbins. What happened there.

I do the same; a bit of housework and a bit of internet, housework, book, chatting on phone, or friend comes for a coffee. Lunch, a bit of housework or gardening, tv, going for a walk, going shopping etc.This is not only very nice [and why not, we deserve it] but actually better for your back, muscles and so on.I can't leave the house to get in a mess, but there are only 2 of us here on a regular basis, the family visits, but they all live nearby so don't need to stay over [now that IS hard work.]Don't feel guilty anyone, think of all the years when we rushed about from early morning to bed-time.

I always remember Shirley Conran's advice that if a room looks tidy, no-one notices the dirt.
I do have a cleaner once a fortnight though.
I'd rather work in the garden.
For any non-gardening jobs like paying bills or replying to emails & letters I make a list and go through it.

So long as it's not unhygienic dirt, I don't care if things look a bit grubby or tatty from frequent use. As for tidy... DD2 describes our house as "organised chaos". What she means is that tidy isn't a word you'd apply, but organised is. Work that one out if you can!

The thing is, we do stuff... and it shows. Someone else said: "I like your house; there’s always something interesting to look at." I took that as a compliment.

Interesting, bags; how can you be sure whether dirt is unhygienic or not?

If it's on the floor and not smelly, it's not unhygienic. If it's on the bread board, it could be so I clean it off. I just apply common sense. Seems to work. What needs to be clean is clean, what doesn't 'need' to be clean might not be particularly at any particular time. It's not a dirty house, just not spotless like many I've seen, and there's always plenty of dust which I see and think "I should wipe that" and then I forget because something else actually interesting catches my attention. And the dust lives for another day doing not a scrap of harm to anyone or anything. Which means it's not unhygienic.

Yes. My dust-laden skirting boards aren't a risk to health, so they can just wait...and wait

The Yorkshire Shepherdess calls this attitude, which she also has because she has seven kids and nine hundred sheep (plus some other things) to look after, "not sweating the small stuff".

I'm from Yorkshire too originally.