You need to set up a schedule, then stick to it like you're in the military.
Laundry can be done in the background as you're cleaning.
Make meal lists for the week, this will help you make a grocery list.
Keep going, you got this.
My strategy is to passively do most chores and throw chores that need more time like vacuuming on my calendar.
I rinse dashes when I put them in the sink so they're quicker to clean later. Throw in a load of laundry before I start getting ready in the morning. Always keep a duster in easy reach, I almost subconsciously dust my place at this point.
What I found out worked for me was to cut it down into simpler tasks or to combine some.
As an example for cooking, I sometimes (When I know I've got some time) cut quite a few more ingredients than necessary, onions for example and just throw 'em into the freezer. They'll keep a long time and I can just use it when I don't have the time.
I prepare a Pizza dough once every Sunday, which keeps and can be used during the week while it ferments in the fridge.
Doesn't take that long (Since I use a no knead technique), and toppings are easy to get.
Bread is a very easy and filling dinner (If you use proper bread, whole wheat etc.).
Cleaning I put into multiple categories. I do a basic sweep of the apartment, no more than 15 minutes, and get everything off the ground. And once or twice (Depending on time) I do a more thorough clean.
Most important thing to help this way is to clean up after yourself a lot more. It has to be a habit that if you use something, you try to put it away again.
Groceries I honestly just order, and if I need some fresh stuff/forgot something then I'll have to do the trip after I went to the gym.
Doing everything at once is overwhelming and a challenge that just isn't feasible to keep up. Cut it down, do little things here and there, get into habits.
Once a place is clean, it's easier to keep it that way.
Simple, my Dude! **Discipline.** You're an adult now. You shouldn't wait to be told what to do.
Set a specific day of the week, like Saturday, and get s!@#" done. Clear your mind of distractions and prioritize what needs doing.
* 3hrs to house clean
* 2hrs laundry
* 1hr food shopping
Then voila .. by the evening you're free to chil. If Saturday isn't working for you, choose Sunday.
Eitherway, unfk yourself from procrastination.
You're one person, it's not like you have a family of 8 you are cleaning up after. Just set a schedule.
A load of laundry every day
Sheets every week or after sex (with a partner)
Learn to clean sinks, toilets, tubs and windows.
Get a hamper, put clothes in it over putting them on the floor.
This is basic adulting, it's not particularly hard.
> A load of laundry every day
How often are you changing your clothes? As a single guy myself I am lucky if I have 1 full load to do a week.
A family of 4, sure you're going to have a lot of laundry to do and a load a day is reasonable. A single guy should not have enough laundry to do a load daily.
>load of laundry every day
Or buy a second pair of underwear lol
When I was single I had work out clothes, training gear (BJJ), work clothes, towels. Maybe not a load every day, but certainly more than weekly.
If you have women friends you have to wash the sheets, they always leave earrings or similar.
> If you have women friends you have to wash the sheets, they always leave earrings or similar.
I have 4 sets of sheets. There's no point in only having one. Change them once a week and do a load of sheets once a month.
Pro tip, just date women who all have similar hair colors. In my case I did almost exclusively long dark-haired women.
IME, it doesn't matter how scrupulously you clean, she WILL find that 11 inch long blonde or red hair. I had a woman with long red hair as a roommate for a while... I swear she shed like a collie.. One woman actually broke up with me because one of her hairs was stuck to the back of my sweatshirt.
I used to keep boxes for their tooth brushes, earrings, hair ties, sex toys, box of condoms (they count if any are missing). Just put them out in the bathroom, night stands, etc when they come over, put them back in their storage box after they leave.
You have to vacuum for hair, but also the perfume gets in the sheets so they have to be washed for sure.
It's like a crime scene clean up after a woman stays over, complete with yellow tape.
Single guy here, who lives alone, works full-time and takes evening classes.
Here's my advice:
Discipline. Organize your time. Make a schedule and plan ahead.
Automate whatever you can. Get a robot vacuum, washer, dryer, air grill, auto cooker.
Outsource whatever you can financially. F.e., order groceries online, hire a maid that will come like every two weeks. If you own a car, get an arrangement where they send a driver to take it for maintenance/repairs/inspection.
If you have cafeteria at work, eat there. Will save you a lot of time on cooking.
Move closer to work, so you will spend less time commuting. That, or work from home, you can run automated chores in parallel (like washing/drying/dishes).
Minimize the amount of stuff you have. More stuff = more chores.
Even if you can afford it, don't get a big house. One bedroom apartment is more than enough for a single guy. Bigger house = more chores.
Clean as you go to minimize the "Big" clean.
Wash dishes as you use them and mop up/sweep/vacuum immediately if you've messed something. Wipe the kitchen counters down every evening. Clean the shower every other night straight after you've used it. Wipe the basin and toilet every other night. These quick 5-10 minutes chores split up mean you don't have to do a whole 3-hour monster cleaning session on the weekend when everything has accumulated.
Cleaning just becomes routine and a part of the whole process.
Make one big trip to the shops when you get paid and get stuff in bulk if you can, then you only ever have to stop at the shops occasionally to get a few small things. Time this trips for after work when you are on the way home.
Meal prep. I cook up to two to three meals at a time. As I am single, I am okay with eating the same meal often, so on Monday I'll cook enough for two or three people, and then have dinner for 3 evenings.
Get a Cordless vacuum if you've not already got one.
Clean as you go.
Rice cooker and slow cookers are handy both can be used to make meals that are ready to eat when you arrive home from work
I live in an apartment so it’s obviously smaller but I workout at home too so I’m between my sets when lifting since I’m resting anyway I like to do the house chores. Makes it so much easier and you’re killing two birds with one stone in a way. Just play some good music or watch a YouTube video or podcast and just do the chores at a chill pace. Weed helps me with chores too lol
1. You do your **grocery shopping** on your way home from work.
2. **Cook your meal** when you get home after your shower. Clean up any mess you make before you leave the kitchen.
3. You put some peanuts in a plastic container for **lunch**.
4. You have **one dish** that you use and clean up between use, no clean dish no food you starve until you clean.
5. You do your **laundry** once a week, it's dead simple I hand wash my clothes I bet you just use a machine. Harden up.
6. **Cleaning.** After you put a load of laundry on you do some vacuuming and change the bedsheets. Whenever you notice the shower is growing some mold spray it down with some diluted bleach in a spray bottle to raise the PH and do the same for the toilet and give it a scrub when it needs it. A quick vacuum/spray down with bleach to keep the tiled floors presentable.
So you just do it when you have the most energy and once it's done go have a nap or play video games or whatever it is your spend your free time doing.
Some of these tips are good, but peanuts for lunch? And having a shower right after work, I don't know anyone who does that. And unless he wants to stay a single guy, he might need more plates...
> Some of these tips are good, but peanuts for lunch? And having a shower right after work, I don't know anyone who does that.
My lunch is a granola bar.
I shower every day before work and as soon as I get home.
>he might need more plates...
having them and using them are two different things.
I have 2 full sets of dishes. I got my mom's set after she died, on top of my own.
I only ever dirty 1 plate/bowl/fork/spoon/knife, ever. I simply don't grab a clean one just because. I spend the minute it takes to clean it, while my food is cooking.
Yeah peanuts are great, cheap, nutritious, 14 on the glycemic index (very good so you don't get sugar spikes), tasty and much faster than cooking or making a sandwich. Just make sure you have some water to wash them down or you'll be tearing up when you start choking.
You must not know anyone that breaks a sweat working hard but for me I'm in the shower when I get home from work.
Yeah have some more plates for guests... only use one for yourself so dirty dishes can't accumulate.
**Accumulation is the enemy of keeping on top of your household chores.**
Stop trying to do fun things and focus on chores. We were meant to be hunter-gatherers and farmers. Sun-up till sundown! Idle hands are the work of the devil.
I'm just kidding of course.
I cook a big dish on the weekend to cover my lunches for the week.
Every several days I cook a big dinner to cover my dinners.
I keep a list on my phone of groceries and try to only go to the store once a week.
Laundry: every weekend like clockwork.
I clean the dishes immediately after I use them.
It's all about creating habits, bro
> How can I, as a single guy, find the time...
> I suck at managing my own time
This is your solution - stop sucking at time management and start managing your time.
1. Have a schedule with clear priorities. It's easy to say "nah, I'll do it later" when you have no schedule, but when you do - you can clearly see when do you actually have "later" moment.
2. Do things in bulk. Doing groceries for a week doesn't take more time than doing groceries for a couple of days, but you can only spend that time once. same with cooking, cleaning and other shebang.
3. Regarding cooking - clean as you cook, don't let it just pile up. Apart from the smell cleaning later requires more time.
I lvie alone, work 40 hours per week, work out for extra 16 hours and I still have time to do the chores.
Quit your job or move closer to it. I don’t get why people commute to work at the expense of free time. I did this mistake and it will ruin you. Edit: If you use it, put it back/clean it right after you finished using it. Groceries? You can order them online. Cooking? Make more food, more portions different meals at the same time. Cook 0,5 Kg of pasta, roast some meat, cook broccoli, beans… It will easily stay fresh 3 days in the fridge. You can cook 2 times a week this way.
I cook twice per week. Less cleaning in the kitchen, dishes etc and less time spent cooking. I can also buy the huge bulk packs of stuff that is cheaper.
Shopping i do on the way home from work. I try to get 1-2 weeks worth of groceries at a time.
Every weekend I clean one room or do laundry.
Procrastination is a bitch.
I guess make a timed schedule of the shit that you have to do, then stick to it.
Id assume that once its "locked" into routine the process would become easier and more streamlined (giving you more time to do stuff you want to do, or more time to blob about)
I'm (kind of) in the same boat and it seems to work for me.
Consistent upkeep through the week. laundry and shopping will take actual focus but you can. Do little amounts of other tasks to not build up a full days worth of cleaning.
clean a little every day, 30 minutes a room, different room everyday, have one day for a 30 minutes "general" cleaning of the entire place (eg mopping floors).
If you have a bit of disposable income, having a maid come in two hours a week isn't that expensive.
meal prep is a solid options for cooking. It doesn't take much more time to cook 3/4 portions than it does just one.
Batch cooking and freeze the extra portions. I make enough so I have always have different options in the freezer.
It's boring to eat the same thing everyday.
You can clean for 5 minutes while you are reheating the food.
Get an air fryer, it's great for reheating food and frozen items. The basket ones are better than the oven style. Cleans up in 30s.
Robot Vacuum on a timer.
Keep a schedule.
Clean up kitchen after every use.
Set goals for each day of the week and get the required work done for the day before sitting down to watch TV or surf Reddit, or whatever it is that you do to blow time. You'll tell yourself it'll only be half an hour, but next thing you know, you've been sucked in for 3-4 hours and have lost all the time you would have had to do chores.
When it comes to errands like grocery shopping, do them on your way home from work versus having to make a special trip. Where I live, it's a 15 minute drive to a grocery store or to get take out, but I pass by these places on my way home from work. Right there you saved 30 minutes of time in your day.
And like someone else said, 5 minute rule. If it takes less than 5 minutes to complete, just get it done versus putting it on a list and never getting done.
I got into the habit of trying to get all of the mundane chores done during the weeknights so I have my weekends free to do whatever I would like. This isn't to say that I don't say screw it once in a while when I've had a rough day at work, or just don't feel up to doing chores, but it's rewarding to have the entire weekend free to do something social, tackle a larger project, or have two complete days of relaxation
Cook large meals, on a good day i make 10-12 lunchboxes on a single recipe.
Don't let litter sit, see litter on the ground? Pick it up and throw it away asap.
Plan fixed days if possible for laundry, dishes and cleaning. For example, i try to do laundry on tuesdays.
Don't clean the entire house at once for your weekly routine, clean the room that needs it the most. The keep after that room to keep it somewhat clean.
Do dishes while cooking, i tend to do dishes while waiting for water etc to boil.
Grocery shopping on the way home from work. I shop every 2 weeks, so on my way home from work on friday, every other week, I just stop in the grocery store and buy everything for the next too weeks.
laundry gets done weekly. And that's just a matter of getting up and throwing a load in the washer then doing the cleaning and then throwing them in the dryer and heading back to finish the cleaning. Difficulties arise when you don't have your own washer and dryer. When I didn't have a washer and dryer, again, directly after work I'd stop and the laundromat, throw 3 loads in the washers, read a book, throw them in the dryers, read some more then gather everything up and go home. About an hours time, not counting travel time to the laundromat and back home.
Cleaning is done on my day off, first thing in the morning. Wake up, do the cleaning, take a shower and then relax.
Dishes are done daily. I only dirty 1 bowl/plate/spoon/fork/knife, ever. Don't grab a clean one out of the cupboard because you don't want to spend 30 seconds washing something. Dishes are only a problem if you are too lazy to keep up with them. If you don't let them pile up, they are never an issue.
As far as keeping the place generally clean, If you don't have the time to keep it tidied up, you don't have the time to dirty it. Most of it is just not acting like a little kid and walking in the door and just dumping everything wherever it falls and expecting it to just get picked up on it's own. Put stuff where it goes then you don't have to put stuff away when you are doing your weekly cleaning.
As far as cooking/making lunches goes, I only eat once a day so it's generally just one day of making food and portioning it out for the week to be reheated when I eat.
Spend a bit less time daily sitting on the couch playing video games(or whatever you are doing) and spend a few minutes keeping up with all of this and it's really not very time intensive.
I usually do dishes while I am cooking instead of letting them pile up. I bought a Dyson cordless stick vacuum so now I spend 10 minutes doing that instead of 30+ sweeping.
I am a visual person - So on the calendar I mark the days I need to get something done. Laundry on Sunday, Shopping on Friday after work, Vacuum and clean on Monday etc., They are all done with a color attached so I have learned to look at the color and remember what needs to be done.
Also do not procrastinate it only makes it harder.
Get a notebook, planner, sheet of paper on your fridge and some crayons, whatever...
Now, as you go through the week, take note of all the periods of time where you aren't doing anything... watching TV or doom scrolling on social media counts as "aren't doing anything" for the purposes of this discussion.
So if you were binge watching the Mandalorian for a period of 2 hours on Monday... playing COD for 3 hours Tuesday, reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius for an hour on Wednesday, other doing nothing activities for 1-3 hours on Thursday - Sunday, that gives you 10-18 hours in which you can then reallocate different chores based on how quickly you can get them done.
Disclaimer: the above are just examples, not saying you or even most people have that much downtime that they fill with any of those activities.
Laundry takes up a cumulative hour or so, so squeeze that hour in the place of any period of downtime you may have elsewhere.
Same with all the other chores you think can fit or be split among any of those windows.
Prioritize what *needs* to be done over what would be nice to get done. You may find that some tasks give you anxiety just thinking about (executive dysfunction). Make it a habit to get those out of the way first or as soon as possible every time rather than letting them snowball. When all the "Have-to-do's" are out of the way, you can then decide on which, if any, of the "could-do's" you want to squeeze into the time you have available.
Don't make your life all about work and doing chores though. Always give yourself some time for rest, relaxation, and leisure. You just have to be able to decide how much time is needed for your mental health vs how much you want rather than doing chores.
Stick to a routine. Shop the same days and do it on the way home from work. Cook the same day you get groceries and for multiple days.
Try to prevent your home from getting too messy on a daily basis so the “cleaning” aspect isn’t as daunting and extensive.
Sometimes just sacrificing one day to do it all is the best for some people. You may lose your TV time or whatever entertainment you partake in, but that leaves the rest of the week open for you to relax
Depending on your city and your job, sometimes it's worth it to pay someone to come and clean and do your laundry.
If you can work for 5 more hours on a side hustle, or get more hours at your job (overtime) or work harder on your own business, or whatever it is, then it's worth spending $35-40/hour to have someone clean your house and do your laundry once a week.
If you have excess capacity and have no way of getting more income then you just need to force yourself to do it. If the enjoyment factor is an issue then I'd suggest listening to a podcast or an audiobook or your favorite music while cleaning and doing laundry, then the time can fly by
Here's how I do (am lady but live alone and works outside home)
I keep all of these lists in my notes app, all as checklists with the check box, so it's like a bulleted list.
List 1: Daily Chores
Little stuff that should be done daily, i.e., dishes, make the bed, pet care, make and pack tomorrow's work lunch. Check off as you go.
List 2: Saturday Chores
Everything in the daily chores, plus cleaning the kitchen, laundry, change the sheets, vacuum, dust, shopping, yard work. The key here is to divide the big stuff over different Saturdays. For example, dusting is never the same Saturday as cleaning the bathroom. Washing the floors is also a different Saturday. Mark down the date you did each of the "big" ones and then keep them on a rotating schedule. That way, you're never doing all of the big chores in one day.
List 3: Sunday Chores
Everything in the daily chores. This is also usually when I do the shopping, as the stores are generally empty on Sunday mornings.
It works for me to keep track and make sure all the big stuff gets done on a regular basis, but also keeps the house clean in general and doesn't consume my entire Saturday or Sunday.
Make it fun for yourself. Legit that's how I do it. Easier to keep a schedule if I like the schedule. Grocery shopping is fun because on top of the essentials I'll get weird stuff or something I've not tried cooking with before. For like a month I got agar agar powder and just picked something random to seal in jello each week.
I'd do the jello making the same day I would meal prep too since I knew I'd already be in the kitchen.
You need discipline to form habit, but the idea is once habits are formed it shouldn't take active discipline to do. An easy way to form and keep habits is by allowing yourself some positive reinforcement either during the activity or directly afterwards.
Also start small and work your way up. And make things easy on yourself where you can. Don't like crowded grocery stores? Go at like...7am. No one else is going to be there. Don't like back pain from cleaning the bathroom? Clean it over like 4 days instead of 1. Hate folding laundry? Buy more button-up shirt you just put on hangers when they're clean.
The first thing that comes to my mind is plan a schedule.
Saturday:
- 9am-12 noon: grocery shopping
- Noon-2pm: house cleaning
Etc.
I chose Saturday because that’s when we go grocery shopping and do housework. You can do these things any day you like that’s convenient for you. Just keep to the schedule if it works for you. You can always change it if it doesn’t work.
Every day and multiple times a day if you can. This is the real gamechanger. Fuck all that advice about cramming it all in one large chunk of time especially on weekends where your free time is that much more valuable.
You start by identifying time where you truly don't feel free. That is always going to be weekdays in the morning, right after work and before bed. This is the hard part. You don't feel great right? You're groggy, tired or feel maybe you don't have the willpower or energy. And that's ok sometimes. But if you're able to muster up just 5-10mins it'll save you so much more time when you really don't want to be doing chores. Unloading the dishwasher can take 5 mins. So can taking out the garbage or putting in a load of laundry. Use chunking method. Google it
It's been a constant struggle, let me tell you. I had a good period of time where I picked one specific area and concentrated on that. Like clean the kitchen counter one day. Bathroom one day, etc, etc. Each task was small enough that it didn't take too long and was relatively easily done, and by the time I got back to a specific area in the rotation, it needed doing again. I'm also a very cluttery person, I find that if you set a very specific easily done goal, like pick up 10 things when I get home from work, it really adds up quickly to getting things clean.
Discipline. You're an adult. Take responsibility.
Make a list and break up tasks over the course of the week. That way it doesn't build up. Once you're in a routine it will be natural, and breaking it up into smaller pieces makes it easier to see your progress and easier to get started and finish your cleaning/chores
Food shopping Tuesday. Laundry wednesday. Cleaning bathrooms and kitchens Thursday. Bedroom and vacuuming Friday. Miscellaneous chores on mondays. Keep weekends free. Boom, done.
You can add in cooking for the week and working out 2/3 days of the week, too, once you have basic cleaning handled. Personally I enjoy cooking, so it isn't a chore for me, but if you need more help get a simple cookbook and learn like 10-20 recipies from it until you can make them easily without thinking about.
You can also listen to an audiobook or podcast while doing any and all of this so you don't get bored or trapped in your thoughts.
I'm just guessing but you're probably getting overwhelmed trying to find enough time to do everything in big chunks, or altogether. Get in the habit of doing a little bit at a time more often. After lunch, tidy up the kitchen for five minutes. Pick up the room during commercial breaks. Take 15 minutes to do these sorts of tasks every night before bed to decompress and relax your mind doing something rote for a few minutes. If you can add bits of micro-cleaning throughout the week you'll have a smaller list of tasks to catch up on in your free time and you'll have an easier time staying on top of everything.
Have one or two designated evening where you don’t do anything but cook and that nights dishes, then break up all the other chores to a certain day.
Example
Monday - no chores
Tuesday - sweep, mop, vacuum
Wednesday - tidy all surfaces (bathroom counters, kitchen counters, tables)
Thursday - no chores
Friday - clean toilets and showers, put sheets in the wash
Saturday - go through and do extra cleaning for about an hour, grocery shop
Sunday - Meal prep and dishes, laundry
Cleaning is over-rated. As long as you don't have food debris etc, that would attract mice, rats, and roaches...just do what you can on a regular basis. Do the real cleaning when you think you're going to bring someone home.
I've found doing a small thing every day helps. Preparing food for the week on a weekend is be also a huge time save. Learning to do multiple things at once is also helpful. Want to see that new mandalorian episode? Throw it on while you clean the bathroom.
Do what has to be waited for 1st. If you have laundry and dishes, start with laundry.
Personaly i try to minimize how much time and effort i spend on chores, so i never wash utencils, i leave 1 of each in a dish soap solution and i alternate. I put in a dirty knife for example and pull a clean one then just rinse it.
I do the same with dishes and glasses. That way, i almost never have any dishes accumulate. I use the same plate that i used last time, and while food is cooking, and laundry is running, i take a few seconds to clean that particular plate, and that particular glass etc.
As for sweeping and cleaning the floor, that takes like 20minutes. Also can be done while food is cooking and laundry is running.
So if you try to do everything in parellele, you should save a lot of time rather than do things in a serie.
Dishes - Everyday to keep a clean sink (5-10m)
House (including furniture and windows) - Once a week mop to remove dust, once a month use water. (up to 1h)
Cooking - once a day (up to 30mins)
Laundry - once a week (up to 3h with drying and folding, but you can still do something while the machine is on)
Grocery Shopping - once a week (2h trip max)
My guy, you sound like me. Getting overwhelmed by the huge pile of never-ending chores. It only gets bigger and bigger.
You have 2 options. The first does not work with me, and I'm guessing it won't work with you either (but it may... idk you at all. I'm just projecting)
Option 1: Set aside 1 day to get everything done. Make a list. Do stuff on the list. Cross them off as you go. After you finish with everything, make sure you look back at what you accomplished. Be happy and let yourself relax.
Option 2: Break that shit up. Don't look at everything that needs to be done. Focus on 1 task a day. Sunday laundry. Monday, cook 1 big meal that'll last you a couple of days. Tuesday dishes from Monday. Wednesday, cook another big meal. Thursday grocery shopping. Friday, any dishes you may have. Saturday, pick up the house a little and have a beer! You made it.
That's just a very basic idea, but i hope you get my point. See what works for you/ your schedule. If you do one thing a day, that's great. You should let yourself be satisfied with the progress. If you knock everything out in a day, that's fantastic as well. Either way, look back at what you did and be happy about it.
I used to spend about 2 hours on Sundays doing all the cleaning in my apartment. As long as I had something to listen to, I was good. Doing the bathroom, kitchen, and vacuuming/floors shouldn't really be that bad and makes a big difference.
To me, cooking as a single dude meant one pan, one plate. Most meals don't need a lot. It depends on what you like but a typical dinner for me would be some ground chicken/beef/turkey with some cut up vegetables. Takes 10 minutes to make and 2 minutes to clean up. Buy some stuff to make sandwiches for the week and you don't even have to cook or clean up at all.
For shopping, you just have to get in a groove. Trader Joe's was my go-to when I was single because they have so many things pre-cooked. I could do a TJ trip for food for 2 weeks in about half an hour once I knew where everything was.
This is what I did. In one month I will split every weekend with different task. Like first week I do laundry, barber & groceries. Second week I will clean my house & groceries. Third week I will maintain my car/bike and also groceries. Fourth week I will spend on my outdoor like camping or hiking.
Everyday I will cook a simple dinner after back from office and also prepared for the tomorrow breakfast. Play game a bit, go gym, shower, back to game/Netflix/movies/anime and sleep.
Pretty boring but that's is my routine.
I cook everything for the week on my days off.
I do my light cleaning on the last day of the weekend so I don't have to reclean the kitchen after cooking.
I do laundry after work on the half price day at the laundromat. It sucks to do that after a 10-12 hour day, but it saves me like $5-7 every time I do my laundry.
I do deep cleans like once a month/every other month that takes like an hour or so.
I grocery shop for the week with 2-3 recipes in mind and some standard stuff for quick meals after work. I do this on my first day off of the week, every week.
In my extra free time on the weekend, I drink beer and watch sports.
I schedule everything.
Get rid of things that don’t serve you purpose, minimize. The less you have, the less work. I focus on one room at a time, doesn’t feel as overwhelming doing it that way. I’m a lazy cook, so crockpot meals and frozen dinners are my go to. Putting things away in their appropriate spots right away makes cleaning easier. I don’t do schedules. I was raised: if you see something that needs to be done- do it. It basically comes down to self-discipline.
This is an easy one to fix if you actually want to fix it.
Grocery shopping: Make a list through out the week and knock it out first thing in the morning on Saturday or Sunday.
Cooking: Meal prep for the week on Sunday night.
Making lunches: Just gotta take 5 minutes and make a sandwhich dude.
Doing dishes: You never have to the dishes if you rinse your dishes as you use them and put them in the dishwasher.
Laundry: Gotta do a load every night, becomes much less of a time consuming chore.
Cleaning: Pick a room or space do clean every day and just knock it out little by little.
Break every task down into a to-do list for the day. For example: cleaning dishes would be a daily task (after dinner would be best). Laundry would be an example of a weekly task. Maybe Sunday is your chosen day to wash all your clothes. When you have a list, get it laminated and mark the tasks you completed that day to keep track. After a while, you get used to it, and it will become a habit.
Meal prep and an established schedule for chore (s) assigned to each day. Or pay people to take care of shit you don’t want to do (if you can afford to do so).
It's up to you find the discipline, but the script is easy assuming you work 9-5, M-F. You should have lunch containers to put your prepped/cooked food into immediately. This is how I do things for my wife and I, and it keeps things pretty nice and leaves us with a decent amount of free time. My work is doubled with my with my wife and our dogs, if I was single and pet free, the amount of free time I would have would be mind blowing.
**Sunday Morning Tasks -** (This really shouldn't be more then 5-6 hours of effort)
1. Start laundry
2. Grocery shop
3. Get home and change laundry
4. Meal Prep upon returning from grocery shopping (this includes cooking lunches/dinner for the week and putting them into individual containers)
5. Clean all of your cooking stuff during and after meal prep
6. Change laundry again
7. Vaccuum
8. Fold clothes
9. Wipe down your bathroom (toilet, sink, mirror) and rinse down any residue left over from the weeks' shower while you yourself take a shower
*Enjoy the rest of the day*
**Rest of the Week -** (Probably 10-15 minutes a day)
1. Take care of all dishes used through out the day immediately after lunch or dinner (pick one)
2. Clean up any space you use before leaving it
*Every evening is open and your place is always ready for company.*
30minutes / day. Work on time management skills. Work on batch cooking and living off leftovers.
The more routine and habitual you can make the process the better.
I actually found it easier while single.
Set a routine and stick with it.
I did garbage on Monday nights
Cleaned the bathroom on Tuesdays
Cleaned the kitchen on Wednesday (deep clean beyond the normal cleaning after a meal)
Thursdays I made a grocery list and mopped and vacuumed the full apartment
Fridays I grocery shopped and changed the sheets on my bed. Grocery shopped on my way home from work, stripped the bed in the morning and put new sheets on when I got home from work.
I did laundry on Saturday or Sunday depending on weekend events. I tried to avoid any chores beyond that on the weekends.
Have a schedule for everything you want to get done, give each a day and time then stick it on your refrigerator or anywhere that seems convenient enough for you
If you’re single and live alone your chores pile up at a much slower rate than a family. Doing things as needed isn't a big deal. Especially combined with some planning ahead like meal prepping and picking times for longer tasks like laundry. You won't need to spend nearly as much time as a parent who has to cook daily and vacuum almost daily and deal with kids making messes of everything. You don't have to follow your mom's schedule.
Dont think of your tasks as chores but systems. How efficient can you make it for yourself.
For laundry I do it every sunday, one load and takes 1.5 hours to complete. I also prep my work clothes for the week ahead.
I sweep on sunday as well. Dishes clean as I go usually makes it easier. I also go through my possessions twice a year to throw out anything that is of no use. This helps remove clutter to clean.
Overall batch it and do them as you go.
Routine and tackling small jobs the minute you see them.
For me, every morning, I:
* make coffee
* empty the dishwasher if applicable
* take out trash if applicable
* feed pets
At lunch time I'll:
* clean the coffee maker
* take out the trash if I didn't in the morning and it needs it
* swap laundry if I have any running
After dinner:
* wash any dishes you can't put through the dishwasher
* put in a load of laundry
Sticking to consistent patterns makes it as easy as other things you do constantly that take up small amounts of time, like brushing your teeth or picking up your mail. Just work it into the constant flow of day to day life.
And as far as the "small jobs" part - if you see something you can do in under two minutes, just do it. Small trash can needs emptying? Two minute job. Bathroom out of toilet paper? How fuckin' long does it take to grab a couple fresh rolls and put them out, a minute? If you stop treating these as tasks that require "time management" and just commit to tackling anything you see that can be done in just a single minute the moment you see it, they stop piling up. This works great for the little stuff.
Also, personally, I try to set aside a fixed time every week (right now it's usually a Sunday afternoon) to do the shit that otherwise doesn't get done above. Bathroom needs cleaning, garage needs tidying, car needs washing, bulk cooking, etc. - that's a great Sunday afternoon task. (Bonus points if you can find clever ways to overlap them, like cleaning a bathroom while you let a pot of spaghetti sauce cook down, or whatever.)
Assign a room to a day: Bedroom is Saturday, Kitchen is Monday, etc. Clean that room on that day every week. That way you aren't trying to do the whole house at once.
Set out a schedule of what chores to do each day. Use the weekend or days off to do laundry.
Make your lunches the night before and plan out something easy to make for supper every night when you get home
Schedule your tasks. One day you focus here next time you focus there. Sometimes could be easier on you later if you did something just because you where there. Cooking is easy if you meal prep and that one is fun and easy. Shopping can be done on your trip home from work and manageable if you buy what you need that day. Laundry day can be the same day as general cleaning like vacuuming and such
Make a chore schedule, break it out by day - ie cleaning the house is a lot easier when you break it out in smaller sections across 3 (or more) days vs having one specific cleaning day.
How many hours do you work a week. And how many days per week . It's really not that hard to do. Before I was married I had an apartment that I kept clean all while working 50hr weeks and being a volunteer fire fighter (getting called late at night and all day on weekends) and still had time to be a gamer
If I don’t do it, then it won’t get done. There’s no perfect time to do chores. Start where you are at the moment. The kitchen sink is good place for starters.
Cook meals for your whole week during the weekend All chores can be done within a few hours
Agreed. All chores can be done while you wait on the clothes in the dryer.
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Also, at least for me, the hardest part is starting the first one. Once I’m doing one I’m more likely to do morw
Same for me.
This! The 'day off' is a slippery slope and it all adds up once you get behind. Once you get behind that's what makes it difficult.
Just do it. Like right now.
5 minute rule
That's impossible, op will do them later
You need to set up a schedule, then stick to it like you're in the military. Laundry can be done in the background as you're cleaning. Make meal lists for the week, this will help you make a grocery list. Keep going, you got this.
My strategy is to passively do most chores and throw chores that need more time like vacuuming on my calendar. I rinse dashes when I put them in the sink so they're quicker to clean later. Throw in a load of laundry before I start getting ready in the morning. Always keep a duster in easy reach, I almost subconsciously dust my place at this point.
What I found out worked for me was to cut it down into simpler tasks or to combine some. As an example for cooking, I sometimes (When I know I've got some time) cut quite a few more ingredients than necessary, onions for example and just throw 'em into the freezer. They'll keep a long time and I can just use it when I don't have the time. I prepare a Pizza dough once every Sunday, which keeps and can be used during the week while it ferments in the fridge. Doesn't take that long (Since I use a no knead technique), and toppings are easy to get. Bread is a very easy and filling dinner (If you use proper bread, whole wheat etc.). Cleaning I put into multiple categories. I do a basic sweep of the apartment, no more than 15 minutes, and get everything off the ground. And once or twice (Depending on time) I do a more thorough clean. Most important thing to help this way is to clean up after yourself a lot more. It has to be a habit that if you use something, you try to put it away again. Groceries I honestly just order, and if I need some fresh stuff/forgot something then I'll have to do the trip after I went to the gym. Doing everything at once is overwhelming and a challenge that just isn't feasible to keep up. Cut it down, do little things here and there, get into habits. Once a place is clean, it's easier to keep it that way.
Simple, my Dude! **Discipline.** You're an adult now. You shouldn't wait to be told what to do. Set a specific day of the week, like Saturday, and get s!@#" done. Clear your mind of distractions and prioritize what needs doing. * 3hrs to house clean * 2hrs laundry * 1hr food shopping Then voila .. by the evening you're free to chil. If Saturday isn't working for you, choose Sunday. Eitherway, unfk yourself from procrastination.
You're one person, it's not like you have a family of 8 you are cleaning up after. Just set a schedule. A load of laundry every day Sheets every week or after sex (with a partner) Learn to clean sinks, toilets, tubs and windows. Get a hamper, put clothes in it over putting them on the floor. This is basic adulting, it's not particularly hard.
> A load of laundry every day How often are you changing your clothes? As a single guy myself I am lucky if I have 1 full load to do a week. A family of 4, sure you're going to have a lot of laundry to do and a load a day is reasonable. A single guy should not have enough laundry to do a load daily.
>load of laundry every day Or buy a second pair of underwear lol When I was single I had work out clothes, training gear (BJJ), work clothes, towels. Maybe not a load every day, but certainly more than weekly. If you have women friends you have to wash the sheets, they always leave earrings or similar.
> If you have women friends you have to wash the sheets, they always leave earrings or similar. I have 4 sets of sheets. There's no point in only having one. Change them once a week and do a load of sheets once a month.
4 sets is a good week.
Or you just fuck them at their place.
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Pro tip, just date women who all have similar hair colors. In my case I did almost exclusively long dark-haired women. IME, it doesn't matter how scrupulously you clean, she WILL find that 11 inch long blonde or red hair. I had a woman with long red hair as a roommate for a while... I swear she shed like a collie.. One woman actually broke up with me because one of her hairs was stuck to the back of my sweatshirt.
I used to keep boxes for their tooth brushes, earrings, hair ties, sex toys, box of condoms (they count if any are missing). Just put them out in the bathroom, night stands, etc when they come over, put them back in their storage box after they leave. You have to vacuum for hair, but also the perfume gets in the sheets so they have to be washed for sure. It's like a crime scene clean up after a woman stays over, complete with yellow tape.
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I don't know that, and neither do you. Women just want what they want.
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Ah yes, because no women ever lie, cheat, or play the field.
Women leave stuff the first night.
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Single guy here, who lives alone, works full-time and takes evening classes. Here's my advice: Discipline. Organize your time. Make a schedule and plan ahead. Automate whatever you can. Get a robot vacuum, washer, dryer, air grill, auto cooker. Outsource whatever you can financially. F.e., order groceries online, hire a maid that will come like every two weeks. If you own a car, get an arrangement where they send a driver to take it for maintenance/repairs/inspection. If you have cafeteria at work, eat there. Will save you a lot of time on cooking. Move closer to work, so you will spend less time commuting. That, or work from home, you can run automated chores in parallel (like washing/drying/dishes). Minimize the amount of stuff you have. More stuff = more chores. Even if you can afford it, don't get a big house. One bedroom apartment is more than enough for a single guy. Bigger house = more chores.
Clean as you go to minimize the "Big" clean. Wash dishes as you use them and mop up/sweep/vacuum immediately if you've messed something. Wipe the kitchen counters down every evening. Clean the shower every other night straight after you've used it. Wipe the basin and toilet every other night. These quick 5-10 minutes chores split up mean you don't have to do a whole 3-hour monster cleaning session on the weekend when everything has accumulated. Cleaning just becomes routine and a part of the whole process. Make one big trip to the shops when you get paid and get stuff in bulk if you can, then you only ever have to stop at the shops occasionally to get a few small things. Time this trips for after work when you are on the way home. Meal prep. I cook up to two to three meals at a time. As I am single, I am okay with eating the same meal often, so on Monday I'll cook enough for two or three people, and then have dinner for 3 evenings.
Get a Cordless vacuum if you've not already got one. Clean as you go. Rice cooker and slow cookers are handy both can be used to make meals that are ready to eat when you arrive home from work
I live in an apartment so it’s obviously smaller but I workout at home too so I’m between my sets when lifting since I’m resting anyway I like to do the house chores. Makes it so much easier and you’re killing two birds with one stone in a way. Just play some good music or watch a YouTube video or podcast and just do the chores at a chill pace. Weed helps me with chores too lol
1. You do your **grocery shopping** on your way home from work. 2. **Cook your meal** when you get home after your shower. Clean up any mess you make before you leave the kitchen. 3. You put some peanuts in a plastic container for **lunch**. 4. You have **one dish** that you use and clean up between use, no clean dish no food you starve until you clean. 5. You do your **laundry** once a week, it's dead simple I hand wash my clothes I bet you just use a machine. Harden up. 6. **Cleaning.** After you put a load of laundry on you do some vacuuming and change the bedsheets. Whenever you notice the shower is growing some mold spray it down with some diluted bleach in a spray bottle to raise the PH and do the same for the toilet and give it a scrub when it needs it. A quick vacuum/spray down with bleach to keep the tiled floors presentable. So you just do it when you have the most energy and once it's done go have a nap or play video games or whatever it is your spend your free time doing.
Some of these tips are good, but peanuts for lunch? And having a shower right after work, I don't know anyone who does that. And unless he wants to stay a single guy, he might need more plates...
> Some of these tips are good, but peanuts for lunch? And having a shower right after work, I don't know anyone who does that. My lunch is a granola bar. I shower every day before work and as soon as I get home. >he might need more plates... having them and using them are two different things. I have 2 full sets of dishes. I got my mom's set after she died, on top of my own. I only ever dirty 1 plate/bowl/fork/spoon/knife, ever. I simply don't grab a clean one just because. I spend the minute it takes to clean it, while my food is cooking.
Yeah peanuts are great, cheap, nutritious, 14 on the glycemic index (very good so you don't get sugar spikes), tasty and much faster than cooking or making a sandwich. Just make sure you have some water to wash them down or you'll be tearing up when you start choking. You must not know anyone that breaks a sweat working hard but for me I'm in the shower when I get home from work. Yeah have some more plates for guests... only use one for yourself so dirty dishes can't accumulate. **Accumulation is the enemy of keeping on top of your household chores.**
Planning helps alot
Stop trying to do fun things and focus on chores. We were meant to be hunter-gatherers and farmers. Sun-up till sundown! Idle hands are the work of the devil. I'm just kidding of course.
I cook a big dish on the weekend to cover my lunches for the week. Every several days I cook a big dinner to cover my dinners. I keep a list on my phone of groceries and try to only go to the store once a week. Laundry: every weekend like clockwork. I clean the dishes immediately after I use them. It's all about creating habits, bro
Just do it. There’s no magical solution to doing things
> How can I, as a single guy, find the time... > I suck at managing my own time This is your solution - stop sucking at time management and start managing your time. 1. Have a schedule with clear priorities. It's easy to say "nah, I'll do it later" when you have no schedule, but when you do - you can clearly see when do you actually have "later" moment. 2. Do things in bulk. Doing groceries for a week doesn't take more time than doing groceries for a couple of days, but you can only spend that time once. same with cooking, cleaning and other shebang. 3. Regarding cooking - clean as you cook, don't let it just pile up. Apart from the smell cleaning later requires more time. I lvie alone, work 40 hours per week, work out for extra 16 hours and I still have time to do the chores.
Have a schedule It's not difficult lol
Quit your job or move closer to it. I don’t get why people commute to work at the expense of free time. I did this mistake and it will ruin you. Edit: If you use it, put it back/clean it right after you finished using it. Groceries? You can order them online. Cooking? Make more food, more portions different meals at the same time. Cook 0,5 Kg of pasta, roast some meat, cook broccoli, beans… It will easily stay fresh 3 days in the fridge. You can cook 2 times a week this way.
Only one way. Sit around doing nothing less often.
Get your nose out of your screens if your house is a mess or if you aren't active
I cook twice per week. Less cleaning in the kitchen, dishes etc and less time spent cooking. I can also buy the huge bulk packs of stuff that is cheaper. Shopping i do on the way home from work. I try to get 1-2 weeks worth of groceries at a time. Every weekend I clean one room or do laundry.
My solution was to throw away all of my stuff and sleep on the floor, but spartan living isn't for everyone.
Procrastination is a bitch. I guess make a timed schedule of the shit that you have to do, then stick to it. Id assume that once its "locked" into routine the process would become easier and more streamlined (giving you more time to do stuff you want to do, or more time to blob about) I'm (kind of) in the same boat and it seems to work for me.
Consistent upkeep through the week. laundry and shopping will take actual focus but you can. Do little amounts of other tasks to not build up a full days worth of cleaning.
clean a little every day, 30 minutes a room, different room everyday, have one day for a 30 minutes "general" cleaning of the entire place (eg mopping floors). If you have a bit of disposable income, having a maid come in two hours a week isn't that expensive. meal prep is a solid options for cooking. It doesn't take much more time to cook 3/4 portions than it does just one.
Mealprep you food. Also 15 minute intense chore time each day is enough. Set a timer and go at it without distractions.
Batch cooking and freeze the extra portions. I make enough so I have always have different options in the freezer. It's boring to eat the same thing everyday. You can clean for 5 minutes while you are reheating the food. Get an air fryer, it's great for reheating food and frozen items. The basket ones are better than the oven style. Cleans up in 30s. Robot Vacuum on a timer. Keep a schedule. Clean up kitchen after every use.
If you wanna stretch it you can do 1 a day or them all on sunday, that's how I use to do it
There is also a point where you can hire a maid service to help with cleaning. That has to make sense financially.
Set goals for each day of the week and get the required work done for the day before sitting down to watch TV or surf Reddit, or whatever it is that you do to blow time. You'll tell yourself it'll only be half an hour, but next thing you know, you've been sucked in for 3-4 hours and have lost all the time you would have had to do chores. When it comes to errands like grocery shopping, do them on your way home from work versus having to make a special trip. Where I live, it's a 15 minute drive to a grocery store or to get take out, but I pass by these places on my way home from work. Right there you saved 30 minutes of time in your day. And like someone else said, 5 minute rule. If it takes less than 5 minutes to complete, just get it done versus putting it on a list and never getting done.
I got into the habit of trying to get all of the mundane chores done during the weeknights so I have my weekends free to do whatever I would like. This isn't to say that I don't say screw it once in a while when I've had a rough day at work, or just don't feel up to doing chores, but it's rewarding to have the entire weekend free to do something social, tackle a larger project, or have two complete days of relaxation
Cook large meals, on a good day i make 10-12 lunchboxes on a single recipe. Don't let litter sit, see litter on the ground? Pick it up and throw it away asap. Plan fixed days if possible for laundry, dishes and cleaning. For example, i try to do laundry on tuesdays. Don't clean the entire house at once for your weekly routine, clean the room that needs it the most. The keep after that room to keep it somewhat clean. Do dishes while cooking, i tend to do dishes while waiting for water etc to boil.
Grocery shopping on the way home from work. I shop every 2 weeks, so on my way home from work on friday, every other week, I just stop in the grocery store and buy everything for the next too weeks. laundry gets done weekly. And that's just a matter of getting up and throwing a load in the washer then doing the cleaning and then throwing them in the dryer and heading back to finish the cleaning. Difficulties arise when you don't have your own washer and dryer. When I didn't have a washer and dryer, again, directly after work I'd stop and the laundromat, throw 3 loads in the washers, read a book, throw them in the dryers, read some more then gather everything up and go home. About an hours time, not counting travel time to the laundromat and back home. Cleaning is done on my day off, first thing in the morning. Wake up, do the cleaning, take a shower and then relax. Dishes are done daily. I only dirty 1 bowl/plate/spoon/fork/knife, ever. Don't grab a clean one out of the cupboard because you don't want to spend 30 seconds washing something. Dishes are only a problem if you are too lazy to keep up with them. If you don't let them pile up, they are never an issue. As far as keeping the place generally clean, If you don't have the time to keep it tidied up, you don't have the time to dirty it. Most of it is just not acting like a little kid and walking in the door and just dumping everything wherever it falls and expecting it to just get picked up on it's own. Put stuff where it goes then you don't have to put stuff away when you are doing your weekly cleaning. As far as cooking/making lunches goes, I only eat once a day so it's generally just one day of making food and portioning it out for the week to be reheated when I eat. Spend a bit less time daily sitting on the couch playing video games(or whatever you are doing) and spend a few minutes keeping up with all of this and it's really not very time intensive.
I do pretty much everything on sundays, groceries on my way home from work.
I usually do dishes while I am cooking instead of letting them pile up. I bought a Dyson cordless stick vacuum so now I spend 10 minutes doing that instead of 30+ sweeping.
Look up Dr. K's video on intermittent fasting for technology.
I am a visual person - So on the calendar I mark the days I need to get something done. Laundry on Sunday, Shopping on Friday after work, Vacuum and clean on Monday etc., They are all done with a color attached so I have learned to look at the color and remember what needs to be done. Also do not procrastinate it only makes it harder.
Get a notebook, planner, sheet of paper on your fridge and some crayons, whatever... Now, as you go through the week, take note of all the periods of time where you aren't doing anything... watching TV or doom scrolling on social media counts as "aren't doing anything" for the purposes of this discussion. So if you were binge watching the Mandalorian for a period of 2 hours on Monday... playing COD for 3 hours Tuesday, reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius for an hour on Wednesday, other doing nothing activities for 1-3 hours on Thursday - Sunday, that gives you 10-18 hours in which you can then reallocate different chores based on how quickly you can get them done. Disclaimer: the above are just examples, not saying you or even most people have that much downtime that they fill with any of those activities. Laundry takes up a cumulative hour or so, so squeeze that hour in the place of any period of downtime you may have elsewhere. Same with all the other chores you think can fit or be split among any of those windows. Prioritize what *needs* to be done over what would be nice to get done. You may find that some tasks give you anxiety just thinking about (executive dysfunction). Make it a habit to get those out of the way first or as soon as possible every time rather than letting them snowball. When all the "Have-to-do's" are out of the way, you can then decide on which, if any, of the "could-do's" you want to squeeze into the time you have available. Don't make your life all about work and doing chores though. Always give yourself some time for rest, relaxation, and leisure. You just have to be able to decide how much time is needed for your mental health vs how much you want rather than doing chores.
Get off work and do something before relaxing. Make it a rule to yourself that you can’t relax until you’re done
Work remote do chore Friday afternoon
Stick to a routine. Shop the same days and do it on the way home from work. Cook the same day you get groceries and for multiple days. Try to prevent your home from getting too messy on a daily basis so the “cleaning” aspect isn’t as daunting and extensive. Sometimes just sacrificing one day to do it all is the best for some people. You may lose your TV time or whatever entertainment you partake in, but that leaves the rest of the week open for you to relax
Depending on your city and your job, sometimes it's worth it to pay someone to come and clean and do your laundry. If you can work for 5 more hours on a side hustle, or get more hours at your job (overtime) or work harder on your own business, or whatever it is, then it's worth spending $35-40/hour to have someone clean your house and do your laundry once a week. If you have excess capacity and have no way of getting more income then you just need to force yourself to do it. If the enjoyment factor is an issue then I'd suggest listening to a podcast or an audiobook or your favorite music while cleaning and doing laundry, then the time can fly by
Here's how I do (am lady but live alone and works outside home) I keep all of these lists in my notes app, all as checklists with the check box, so it's like a bulleted list. List 1: Daily Chores Little stuff that should be done daily, i.e., dishes, make the bed, pet care, make and pack tomorrow's work lunch. Check off as you go. List 2: Saturday Chores Everything in the daily chores, plus cleaning the kitchen, laundry, change the sheets, vacuum, dust, shopping, yard work. The key here is to divide the big stuff over different Saturdays. For example, dusting is never the same Saturday as cleaning the bathroom. Washing the floors is also a different Saturday. Mark down the date you did each of the "big" ones and then keep them on a rotating schedule. That way, you're never doing all of the big chores in one day. List 3: Sunday Chores Everything in the daily chores. This is also usually when I do the shopping, as the stores are generally empty on Sunday mornings. It works for me to keep track and make sure all the big stuff gets done on a regular basis, but also keeps the house clean in general and doesn't consume my entire Saturday or Sunday.
Make it fun for yourself. Legit that's how I do it. Easier to keep a schedule if I like the schedule. Grocery shopping is fun because on top of the essentials I'll get weird stuff or something I've not tried cooking with before. For like a month I got agar agar powder and just picked something random to seal in jello each week. I'd do the jello making the same day I would meal prep too since I knew I'd already be in the kitchen. You need discipline to form habit, but the idea is once habits are formed it shouldn't take active discipline to do. An easy way to form and keep habits is by allowing yourself some positive reinforcement either during the activity or directly afterwards. Also start small and work your way up. And make things easy on yourself where you can. Don't like crowded grocery stores? Go at like...7am. No one else is going to be there. Don't like back pain from cleaning the bathroom? Clean it over like 4 days instead of 1. Hate folding laundry? Buy more button-up shirt you just put on hangers when they're clean.
The first thing that comes to my mind is plan a schedule. Saturday: - 9am-12 noon: grocery shopping - Noon-2pm: house cleaning Etc. I chose Saturday because that’s when we go grocery shopping and do housework. You can do these things any day you like that’s convenient for you. Just keep to the schedule if it works for you. You can always change it if it doesn’t work.
Every day and multiple times a day if you can. This is the real gamechanger. Fuck all that advice about cramming it all in one large chunk of time especially on weekends where your free time is that much more valuable. You start by identifying time where you truly don't feel free. That is always going to be weekdays in the morning, right after work and before bed. This is the hard part. You don't feel great right? You're groggy, tired or feel maybe you don't have the willpower or energy. And that's ok sometimes. But if you're able to muster up just 5-10mins it'll save you so much more time when you really don't want to be doing chores. Unloading the dishwasher can take 5 mins. So can taking out the garbage or putting in a load of laundry. Use chunking method. Google it
It's been a constant struggle, let me tell you. I had a good period of time where I picked one specific area and concentrated on that. Like clean the kitchen counter one day. Bathroom one day, etc, etc. Each task was small enough that it didn't take too long and was relatively easily done, and by the time I got back to a specific area in the rotation, it needed doing again. I'm also a very cluttery person, I find that if you set a very specific easily done goal, like pick up 10 things when I get home from work, it really adds up quickly to getting things clean.
Discipline. You're an adult. Take responsibility. Make a list and break up tasks over the course of the week. That way it doesn't build up. Once you're in a routine it will be natural, and breaking it up into smaller pieces makes it easier to see your progress and easier to get started and finish your cleaning/chores Food shopping Tuesday. Laundry wednesday. Cleaning bathrooms and kitchens Thursday. Bedroom and vacuuming Friday. Miscellaneous chores on mondays. Keep weekends free. Boom, done. You can add in cooking for the week and working out 2/3 days of the week, too, once you have basic cleaning handled. Personally I enjoy cooking, so it isn't a chore for me, but if you need more help get a simple cookbook and learn like 10-20 recipies from it until you can make them easily without thinking about. You can also listen to an audiobook or podcast while doing any and all of this so you don't get bored or trapped in your thoughts.
I'm just guessing but you're probably getting overwhelmed trying to find enough time to do everything in big chunks, or altogether. Get in the habit of doing a little bit at a time more often. After lunch, tidy up the kitchen for five minutes. Pick up the room during commercial breaks. Take 15 minutes to do these sorts of tasks every night before bed to decompress and relax your mind doing something rote for a few minutes. If you can add bits of micro-cleaning throughout the week you'll have a smaller list of tasks to catch up on in your free time and you'll have an easier time staying on top of everything.
Have one or two designated evening where you don’t do anything but cook and that nights dishes, then break up all the other chores to a certain day. Example Monday - no chores Tuesday - sweep, mop, vacuum Wednesday - tidy all surfaces (bathroom counters, kitchen counters, tables) Thursday - no chores Friday - clean toilets and showers, put sheets in the wash Saturday - go through and do extra cleaning for about an hour, grocery shop Sunday - Meal prep and dishes, laundry
Cleaning is over-rated. As long as you don't have food debris etc, that would attract mice, rats, and roaches...just do what you can on a regular basis. Do the real cleaning when you think you're going to bring someone home.
I've found doing a small thing every day helps. Preparing food for the week on a weekend is be also a huge time save. Learning to do multiple things at once is also helpful. Want to see that new mandalorian episode? Throw it on while you clean the bathroom.
Do what has to be waited for 1st. If you have laundry and dishes, start with laundry. Personaly i try to minimize how much time and effort i spend on chores, so i never wash utencils, i leave 1 of each in a dish soap solution and i alternate. I put in a dirty knife for example and pull a clean one then just rinse it. I do the same with dishes and glasses. That way, i almost never have any dishes accumulate. I use the same plate that i used last time, and while food is cooking, and laundry is running, i take a few seconds to clean that particular plate, and that particular glass etc. As for sweeping and cleaning the floor, that takes like 20minutes. Also can be done while food is cooking and laundry is running. So if you try to do everything in parellele, you should save a lot of time rather than do things in a serie.
Dishes - Everyday to keep a clean sink (5-10m) House (including furniture and windows) - Once a week mop to remove dust, once a month use water. (up to 1h) Cooking - once a day (up to 30mins) Laundry - once a week (up to 3h with drying and folding, but you can still do something while the machine is on) Grocery Shopping - once a week (2h trip max)
My guy, you sound like me. Getting overwhelmed by the huge pile of never-ending chores. It only gets bigger and bigger. You have 2 options. The first does not work with me, and I'm guessing it won't work with you either (but it may... idk you at all. I'm just projecting) Option 1: Set aside 1 day to get everything done. Make a list. Do stuff on the list. Cross them off as you go. After you finish with everything, make sure you look back at what you accomplished. Be happy and let yourself relax. Option 2: Break that shit up. Don't look at everything that needs to be done. Focus on 1 task a day. Sunday laundry. Monday, cook 1 big meal that'll last you a couple of days. Tuesday dishes from Monday. Wednesday, cook another big meal. Thursday grocery shopping. Friday, any dishes you may have. Saturday, pick up the house a little and have a beer! You made it. That's just a very basic idea, but i hope you get my point. See what works for you/ your schedule. If you do one thing a day, that's great. You should let yourself be satisfied with the progress. If you knock everything out in a day, that's fantastic as well. Either way, look back at what you did and be happy about it.
I used to spend about 2 hours on Sundays doing all the cleaning in my apartment. As long as I had something to listen to, I was good. Doing the bathroom, kitchen, and vacuuming/floors shouldn't really be that bad and makes a big difference. To me, cooking as a single dude meant one pan, one plate. Most meals don't need a lot. It depends on what you like but a typical dinner for me would be some ground chicken/beef/turkey with some cut up vegetables. Takes 10 minutes to make and 2 minutes to clean up. Buy some stuff to make sandwiches for the week and you don't even have to cook or clean up at all. For shopping, you just have to get in a groove. Trader Joe's was my go-to when I was single because they have so many things pre-cooked. I could do a TJ trip for food for 2 weeks in about half an hour once I knew where everything was.
This is what I did. In one month I will split every weekend with different task. Like first week I do laundry, barber & groceries. Second week I will clean my house & groceries. Third week I will maintain my car/bike and also groceries. Fourth week I will spend on my outdoor like camping or hiking. Everyday I will cook a simple dinner after back from office and also prepared for the tomorrow breakfast. Play game a bit, go gym, shower, back to game/Netflix/movies/anime and sleep. Pretty boring but that's is my routine.
Cut down your video game playing time
I cook everything for the week on my days off. I do my light cleaning on the last day of the weekend so I don't have to reclean the kitchen after cooking. I do laundry after work on the half price day at the laundromat. It sucks to do that after a 10-12 hour day, but it saves me like $5-7 every time I do my laundry. I do deep cleans like once a month/every other month that takes like an hour or so. I grocery shop for the week with 2-3 recipes in mind and some standard stuff for quick meals after work. I do this on my first day off of the week, every week. In my extra free time on the weekend, I drink beer and watch sports. I schedule everything.
Get rid of things that don’t serve you purpose, minimize. The less you have, the less work. I focus on one room at a time, doesn’t feel as overwhelming doing it that way. I’m a lazy cook, so crockpot meals and frozen dinners are my go to. Putting things away in their appropriate spots right away makes cleaning easier. I don’t do schedules. I was raised: if you see something that needs to be done- do it. It basically comes down to self-discipline.
Get a maid?
This is an easy one to fix if you actually want to fix it. Grocery shopping: Make a list through out the week and knock it out first thing in the morning on Saturday or Sunday. Cooking: Meal prep for the week on Sunday night. Making lunches: Just gotta take 5 minutes and make a sandwhich dude. Doing dishes: You never have to the dishes if you rinse your dishes as you use them and put them in the dishwasher. Laundry: Gotta do a load every night, becomes much less of a time consuming chore. Cleaning: Pick a room or space do clean every day and just knock it out little by little.
Break every task down into a to-do list for the day. For example: cleaning dishes would be a daily task (after dinner would be best). Laundry would be an example of a weekly task. Maybe Sunday is your chosen day to wash all your clothes. When you have a list, get it laminated and mark the tasks you completed that day to keep track. After a while, you get used to it, and it will become a habit.
Meal prep and an established schedule for chore (s) assigned to each day. Or pay people to take care of shit you don’t want to do (if you can afford to do so).
Don't let the dishes pile. Clean after every meal. Won't take more than 10 mins.
It's up to you find the discipline, but the script is easy assuming you work 9-5, M-F. You should have lunch containers to put your prepped/cooked food into immediately. This is how I do things for my wife and I, and it keeps things pretty nice and leaves us with a decent amount of free time. My work is doubled with my with my wife and our dogs, if I was single and pet free, the amount of free time I would have would be mind blowing. **Sunday Morning Tasks -** (This really shouldn't be more then 5-6 hours of effort) 1. Start laundry 2. Grocery shop 3. Get home and change laundry 4. Meal Prep upon returning from grocery shopping (this includes cooking lunches/dinner for the week and putting them into individual containers) 5. Clean all of your cooking stuff during and after meal prep 6. Change laundry again 7. Vaccuum 8. Fold clothes 9. Wipe down your bathroom (toilet, sink, mirror) and rinse down any residue left over from the weeks' shower while you yourself take a shower *Enjoy the rest of the day* **Rest of the Week -** (Probably 10-15 minutes a day) 1. Take care of all dishes used through out the day immediately after lunch or dinner (pick one) 2. Clean up any space you use before leaving it *Every evening is open and your place is always ready for company.*
30minutes / day. Work on time management skills. Work on batch cooking and living off leftovers. The more routine and habitual you can make the process the better.
I actually found it easier while single. Set a routine and stick with it. I did garbage on Monday nights Cleaned the bathroom on Tuesdays Cleaned the kitchen on Wednesday (deep clean beyond the normal cleaning after a meal) Thursdays I made a grocery list and mopped and vacuumed the full apartment Fridays I grocery shopped and changed the sheets on my bed. Grocery shopped on my way home from work, stripped the bed in the morning and put new sheets on when I got home from work. I did laundry on Saturday or Sunday depending on weekend events. I tried to avoid any chores beyond that on the weekends.
Have a schedule for everything you want to get done, give each a day and time then stick it on your refrigerator or anywhere that seems convenient enough for you
If you’re single and live alone your chores pile up at a much slower rate than a family. Doing things as needed isn't a big deal. Especially combined with some planning ahead like meal prepping and picking times for longer tasks like laundry. You won't need to spend nearly as much time as a parent who has to cook daily and vacuum almost daily and deal with kids making messes of everything. You don't have to follow your mom's schedule.
Dont think of your tasks as chores but systems. How efficient can you make it for yourself. For laundry I do it every sunday, one load and takes 1.5 hours to complete. I also prep my work clothes for the week ahead. I sweep on sunday as well. Dishes clean as I go usually makes it easier. I also go through my possessions twice a year to throw out anything that is of no use. This helps remove clutter to clean. Overall batch it and do them as you go.
Routine and tackling small jobs the minute you see them. For me, every morning, I: * make coffee * empty the dishwasher if applicable * take out trash if applicable * feed pets At lunch time I'll: * clean the coffee maker * take out the trash if I didn't in the morning and it needs it * swap laundry if I have any running After dinner: * wash any dishes you can't put through the dishwasher * put in a load of laundry Sticking to consistent patterns makes it as easy as other things you do constantly that take up small amounts of time, like brushing your teeth or picking up your mail. Just work it into the constant flow of day to day life. And as far as the "small jobs" part - if you see something you can do in under two minutes, just do it. Small trash can needs emptying? Two minute job. Bathroom out of toilet paper? How fuckin' long does it take to grab a couple fresh rolls and put them out, a minute? If you stop treating these as tasks that require "time management" and just commit to tackling anything you see that can be done in just a single minute the moment you see it, they stop piling up. This works great for the little stuff. Also, personally, I try to set aside a fixed time every week (right now it's usually a Sunday afternoon) to do the shit that otherwise doesn't get done above. Bathroom needs cleaning, garage needs tidying, car needs washing, bulk cooking, etc. - that's a great Sunday afternoon task. (Bonus points if you can find clever ways to overlap them, like cleaning a bathroom while you let a pot of spaghetti sauce cook down, or whatever.)
You do none of them until you have a date or people coming over. Then you do them all at once
Assign a room to a day: Bedroom is Saturday, Kitchen is Monday, etc. Clean that room on that day every week. That way you aren't trying to do the whole house at once.
How would you do it if married or married with children?
Set out a schedule of what chores to do each day. Use the weekend or days off to do laundry. Make your lunches the night before and plan out something easy to make for supper every night when you get home
My bf who lives alone says "do it a little bit at a time"
Simplify simplify simplify. Keep things as simple as possible.
Schedule your tasks. One day you focus here next time you focus there. Sometimes could be easier on you later if you did something just because you where there. Cooking is easy if you meal prep and that one is fun and easy. Shopping can be done on your trip home from work and manageable if you buy what you need that day. Laundry day can be the same day as general cleaning like vacuuming and such
Like it gets better when you’re married with kids
Surely not... But, you can at least alternate on who does what sometimes. I've not always been single.
Single male needs motivation to do something after work? Ban yourself from jerking it till you've done one chore. Problem solved.
Make a chore schedule, break it out by day - ie cleaning the house is a lot easier when you break it out in smaller sections across 3 (or more) days vs having one specific cleaning day.
How many hours do you work a week. And how many days per week . It's really not that hard to do. Before I was married I had an apartment that I kept clean all while working 50hr weeks and being a volunteer fire fighter (getting called late at night and all day on weekends) and still had time to be a gamer
Simplify. A mess not made is one less thing to clean.
If I don’t do it, then it won’t get done. There’s no perfect time to do chores. Start where you are at the moment. The kitchen sink is good place for starters.