Finishing chores... why is the second half always the hardest part?
By vivasuzi
@vivasuzi (4127)
United States
March 2, 2008 9:42pm CST
So today I loaded the dishwasher and ran it... but never felt like clearing it. And I washed all my laundry, but didn't feel like folding it or hanging so it's still in the basket. A lot of times when cleaning a room I have no trouble clearing out all the furniture and knick knacks to clean it, but then I don't want to put all the furniture and knick knacks back when I'm done!
Why is it so easy to do the first half of the chore and so hard to do the second half? Here's my theory, the first half is easy b/c I just throw stuff in the dishwasher or throw stuff in the laundry or throw the furniture in a pile in the other room. However the second half requires thought and organization! I have to remember where all my dishes go, I have to figure out which clothes should be hanged and which should be folded, and I have to remember where all my knick knacks go!
So do you have this problem? I got my husband to clear the dishwasher :) But I still will have to hang my own laundry! How do you get yourself to finish your chores?
3 people like this
5 responses
@34momma (13882)
• United States
14 Mar 08
i don't know what's that about either. i know i like to start at the front of the house first. kitchen, living room, bathroom. by time i get to the bedrooms i am so tired and not in the mood they never really get done the way they should and in some cases not at all.
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
14 Mar 08
:) Well that's why I never plan to clean the whole house all in one day. I work in spurts based on what needs it the most, one day the kitchen, another day the living room, etc. The only time I go all out and clean the whole house is when I am having ppl over.
1 person likes this
@killahclaire (3665)
•
3 Mar 08
Well today I had to do my laundry. Put one wash in and when it was done i tumble dried it and then put on another wash. And I ain't done anything with it since. it is all sitting in the machines and I have a pile in the hall that is dirty and the cat has chosen to sleep on that needs washed and I started that at 7pm. It is now quarter to four in the morning so I know I can't tell you how to finish a job lol.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
3 Mar 08
haha! Laundry is just the worst. There are times where I live out of the basket for like a week, grabbing clean clothes from it. But certain shirts get wrinkly and I have to hang them quickly or else... I end up never wearing them bc they are wrinkled!
1 person likes this
@killahclaire (3665)
•
3 Mar 08
And I bet when you do forget you just throw it back in the machine promising yourself you will defo hang it up right away next time.
1 person likes this
@groomtobe23 (635)
• United States
12 Mar 08
ya know... I always find the second half to be much easier! For me, the hardest part is getting motivated to do work around the house in the first place. If I can just get started on a task, I usually want to see it all the way to the end, and I am more likely to get it completely finished than just leave it partially done. Now if I can just find that motivation.....
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
12 Mar 08
Really? I still find the second part harder. I did my laundry LAST WEEK, and I've been living out of the basket since :-D Just don't feel like hanging up the clothes! I think the longer I wait the more overwhelming it seems and the less motivated I am to finish.
I think my problem is the opposite of yours. I get motivated to do lots of things... too many things perhaps. And since I start SO MANY things, it's hard to finish the less than desirable ones :)
@raychill (6525)
• United States
3 Mar 08
I rarely use my dishwasher. I'm only a single person and my cat only has 4 bowls that he uses. So if I do collect up enough dishes to use the dishwasher, I empty it by using those dishes as clean dishes and making them dirty again.
My problem is washing clothes. I wash clothes easily. It's the putting the clothes away part I have issues with...most of the time it's because I forget about them...and then I remember right before I go to bed and I don't feel like it then cause I wanna go to sleep. Then I continue to forget about them until I need something from there...and I eventually put them away, when I hardly have anything left because I've already worn most of the stuff and they go back to needing to be washed :)
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
4 Mar 08
We do that sometimes, just pull clean dishes out of the dishwasher to use :) But usually I try to clear it within a day.
My husband has a tendancy to use a lot of glasses during the day, so we have to run it once we have nothing left to drink out of! Unlike Big Brother, we aren't going to drink out of bowls :)
I think the clothes thing is the same for me. A lot of times I set the basket of clothes on my bed, then I walk in there to get ready for bed and say "ah.. .screw it" and throw the basket on the ground :) Then I try to grab clothes from the basket each morning to wear that day b/c it's one less thing I have to hang up!
Funny thing is, it is 10x harder for me to find clothes in the basket than if I were to hang them up. I spent 10 minutes this morning trying to find my black sweater in the pile. I should just hand them up :)
@Jabsfreelanceworld (191)
• United States
13 Mar 08
I'm not sure. Perhaps when we first start out a task we are at our optimum for energy and motivation. Then, as we continue we are not able to keep it up.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
14 Mar 08
Yeah probably once we realize how boring it is we start to lose motivation :-D I think another reason is b/c while I'm doing one chore (like washing clothes) I start to think of all the things I'd rather be doing... so by the time the clothes are done, they stay in the dryer b/c I'm in the middle of 30 new things :)
