Chores To Cut When You're Constantly Short On Time


I'm busy, you’re busy; everyone is busy. It’s the calling card for the 21st century- no one is just doing well, we’re all doing it in a busy way. This penchant for being busy has inspired numerous op-ed pieces, but this pondering doesn’t detract from the fact that busy is a way of life for many of us. So what to do? Time is precious, yet we acknowledge we have to spend a fair chunk of time cleaning, tidying, and doing housework and maintenance. Is there perhaps a middle ground- chores that you can get rid of, without resigning yourself to living in a state of perpetual mess? Of course there is a third way; all you need to know is what items from your to-do list you can cut, and how you go about filling the gap that your abandonment of that chore will leave behind. 

Mowing The Lawn Every Week
Even if you’re a dedicated gardener, there’s no doubt about it - mowing the lawn is incredibly boring. All you’re doing is returning it to a default state, and no lovely scent of grass is able to make up for quite how irritating a task it is. You may be wondering how you can give up mowing the lawn without seeing your garden descend into an overgrown jungle. The alternative is pretty simple, actually - why not use fake grass? Surprisingly easy to maintain and pleasant-looking, companies like Multiturf have turned artificial grass into an art. You can still have the picturesque garden that you’ve always wanted, but without the constant need to drag the mower out every couple of weeks. 

Ironing Bedding 
I have to admit, I'm a stickler for this one. I do really love how neat and tidy ironing sheets makes the bed look. Ironing in and of itself isn’t the most exciting of chores, and it tends to be surprisingly time-consuming as well. Many people iron bedding because they think they should, wrestling with duvet covers and fitted sheets that just never seem to quite spread over the ironing board the way that you’d want. There are ways round it however. You can encourage the majority of the creases from washing to drop out by laying a drying sheet flat, especially if you opt for dark colours when it comes to the design. Alternatively popping it in the tumble dryer helps to reduce creases. It's not quite as nice as having it fully ironed, but it saves time and your bedding isn't wrinkled. 

Washing Dishes Before Using The Dishwasher 
A lot of people confuse the fact that you should ensure plates are free of food with the need to outright pre-wash dishes before using the dishwasher. While you don’t want to put plates with huge food remnants into the machine, there’s no need to be wiping down every scrap of sauce, crumbs or oil. A quick swipe with a paper towel is all you need to do; let the designated machine take care of the rest. 

This is not a list that is exhaustive, but the above combined could genuinely save you an hour a week. Every little helps after all; just think - what other far more interesting things could you be doing with 52 hours (two and a bit entire extra days!) a year?