How to ENJOY Your Daily Chores

876 words. Almost there BOOM!

Efficient? Yes. Successful? That's the goal.

But boring, stuffy, and endlessly lackluster? What if life didn't HAVE to be a drag?

Big loopy giant Alan Watts: realize it's play quote.

But really: finding the levity, the humor, the joy in the mundane is the key (if not the most overlooked tactic) one can discover for themselves.

Whether you have years of school left and mountains of intimidating papers hanging over your head, whether you are locked into golden handcuffs working hard at your corporate gig, or an entrepreneur taking a dive into the unknown and working/praying for the best…

Life ain't easy. It's not always fun. Most of the daily tasks that SOMEONE has to do if it's not your style/ within your budget to pay someone ELSE… most of the tasks in our life are, let's face it, pretty damn boring.

Do I wake up with effervant enthusiasm to let me dog outside, sort the mail, take out the garbage, wash dishes, empty the dishwasher, buy groceries, haul them up a flight of stairs, cook, clean, cook, clean, bathe, make the bed, vaccum, commute to work, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

Not particularly.

But as any Zen practioner would remind you of, "God is not outside. The spiritual exists in the plain and ordinary as well."

Thinking that, for me, the majority of tasks I have to do daily, or DO accomplish daily because I want to live in a clean and beautiful home… to fight the flow of what needs done because we don't want to… well, life is going to seem a LOT harder than necessary.

What can you do while facing these inevitable tasks?

Interrupt negative patterns of thought. First and foremost. If you have a pile of dishes to wash and you use that time to think, "I hate washing dishes. I hate washing dishes. This is so stupid. This sucks. I wish someone ELSE would wash these dishes. This is so unfair. This is so gross. I'd rather being doing ANYTHING else."

Guess what? The reality of needing to wash your dishes will be impacted zero percent.

What needs done needs done. Facing that reality can cause you to throw and internal temper tantrum, or it can give you a chance to change your tune.

You know, whistle while you work.

What can you do with that time?

I love to listen to lectures, motivational speeches, meditations, awesome music, or podcasts.

See also: My Top 100 Playlists, My Top 10 Favorite Alan Watts Lectures, My Top 10 Favorites Podcasts to Motivate You to ACTION, My Top 10 Favorite Podcasts for Entrepreneurs + Side Hustlers, etc.

I also love to move from spinning cycles of negative, begrudging thoughts to a breath of fresh air for my mind.

If you're feeling uninspired, feel free to research a bit about the Defocusing Network Mode of the Brain… turns out, by allowing yourself the space to let your mind do it's thang… think, process, and connect many interrelated dots… you end up doing yourself a large favor: similar to deep sleep, your brain is a problem solving machine. (literally!)

Give yourself space to daydream, to ponder, to follow the swirling, occasionally random, and ever playing stream of thoughts to be free as they are. Get lost in your thoughts and take a few deep breaths. Feel your feet and remember the mantra, "I don't HAVE to do this. I GET to do this."

Feel grateful you can use your body to accomplish such simple tasks. Many people can't do what you can do. Feel grateful you have a place to live, running water, dishes! Food to eat. Look around and see what you DO have instead of getting sucked down a black hole of lack, focusing on all that you WISH you had.

Neat. Fun to dream and have visions of grand future. But if those very visions make you feel like RIGHT NOW isn't enough… it's time to take a second look.

Make a list, allow your mind to do what it does best: snowball similar thoughts.

What are you grateful for?

I'll fill in a few blanks for you; you can find even more things to be grateful for, keep this list growing as long as you can! Notice how you feel after you concentrate your attention all that you DO have.

Thich Nhat Hanh said this (and most sentences) perfectly:

"Enough is a feast."

Need inspiration? Try:

"I am grateful for today."

"I am grateful that I am alive."

"I am grateful I can use my body."

"I am grateful to be breathing."

"I am grateful for my competent brain, my organs and inner systems operating automatically to take care of me."

"I am grateful for the roof over my head, the possessions I already own, the home I have for shelter."

"I am grateful for realization that every new moment is a fresh start; I am grateful that I can make positive changes at ANY point in time."

"I am grateful for those who love me and those who I love. I am blessed to have these connections and I do not take those around me for granted."

"I am grateful to be alive and breathing in this very moment."

Bogged down, overwhelmed, bored?

You need to get your body involved.

Sitting at your computer staring into a never-ending abyss. Organizing benders.

You need to refresh your mind, body, and spirit.

Get up!

I use my chores and housework as my shift and it is life changing on so many levels.

I get bogged down and bored… I go fold a basket of laundry.

I wash dishes.

I clean my closet.

I help myself while helping myself.

Keep Reading!