It was tempting—and still is!—to think of tasks like cooking and laundry as impediments to good work. They can be time consuming and take you out of the flow. They require just enough concentration and coordination to make multitasking difficult, if not impossible. But hear me out: What if personal activities like these are actually part of the work? Aren’t productivity and procrastination merely two sides of the same coin?
Understandably, not everyone thinks about this the way I do. In a Dropbox-sponsored study, Economist Impact surveyed knowledge workers about sources of distraction and how they found focus. Of all the knowledge workers surveyed, just 16% said that personal tasks—such as cleaning or chores—helped them recharge or regain focus during the workday. In fact, household chores were the most frequently cited distraction among knowledge workers worldwide.
I won’t argue with the fact that chores may not be the most effective or enjoyable way to recharge. But if I wanted to do something pleasurable, I’d take a walk—or a nap! It’s precisely because they’re a distraction from the task at hand that I’ve come to appreciate sprinkling them throughout my day.
After a few hours spent sitting at my desk—staring at a screen, nudging my mouse around—there’s something refreshing about physical, manual, IRL work. Whether it’s lifting, chopping, hauling, or sweeping, chores are almost guaranteed to scrub any workday woes from my mind. It’s like changing a channel or flipping a switch; working with my hands gives my working brain a rest.
Other times, however, the mere thought of a looming chore can be more of an impediment to doing good work than if I were to just get it out of the way. My least productive days are often the ones where I work a traditional 9-to-5—the days when I can feel all the responsibilities looming, waiting for me, at the end of the day. The earlier I can cross those chores off my list, the easier I find it to focus, and the better I inevitably feel.
