How to Motivate Yourself to Do Housework You Hate

As a homemaker, is there a particular household chore that you dislike? Perhaps one or two tasks that you struggle to complete, not because you can’t do the job, but because you don’t enjoy doing it? Whether your nemesis is folding laundry, vacuuming the rug or washing pots and pans, here are a few tips on how to motivate yourself to do housework you hate!

4 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Do Housework You Hate

Every woman struggles to accomplish household tasks she really, truly doesn’t enjoy. As you and I both know, ignoring or putting off these tasks doesn’t help the situation. In fact, it usually makes things worse! So when I had a reader write in and ask me how I managed to accomplish household chores I didn’t enjoy, I had more than a few answers come to mind.

Here are my best tips for you!

Tip 1: Get Tools You Need to Do the Job Well

When it comes to completing a household task you truly dislike, having the right equipment on hand can help with the motivation factor.

I’ve never liked doing laundry. It used to be one of those things I would avoid until we ran out of clean socks and underwear. And then I had to no choice (I just wasn’t comfortable with the alternative!).

It went on like this for several years, until I decided it was time to start changing my attitude toward laundry. After all, I will be doing it for the rest of my life.

As I began improving my attitude toward laundry, I realized not having proper tools had contributed to my dislike. So I made a few changes in my laundry room!

I started using a different type of laundry soap-my homemade soap hadn’t been cleaning clothes as well as it should, and this fact always left me feeling a bit defeated as a laundress. But since I’ve change to a tougher option, I’ve felt happier about doing laundry!
I began using a stain removal bar-instead of feeling defeated by the stained clothes every time I folded laundry, I learned to use a stain removal bar (I love this one here) to remove cooking oil and other splotches from our clothing. It has helped immensely!
I made wool dryer balls for my dryer-wool dryer balls are natural and adding a drop or two of essential oil to each ball creates nicely scented clothes (you can learn how to make your own in this tutorial here).
I changed out my laundry baskets-instead of using an ugly old plastic laundry baskets, I found and started using several large wicker baskets at local thrift stores. They always make me feel happy inside!

I quit looking for shortcuts and bought (or made) items that helped me do the job better. And it made a big difference in how I felt about doing laundry!

Sometimes having proper tools that give better results will help with the motivation factor.

Tip 2: Set Yourself Up to Succeed

As a homemaker who repeats the same tasks over and over again, you need to set yourself up to succeed, particularly with chores you don’t enjoy.

A classic example? If you hate washing pots and pans, don’t leave them sitting on the stove overnight. Instead, set your cookware in the sink and fill each item with water, so the food remnants don’t have an opportunity to harden and stick. Washing them up in the morning won’t be a big chore if you take this little step before going to bed a night.

Going back to the example of laundry? I’ve learned that doing laundry isn’t nearly as draining if I put myself on a schedule and deal with dirty clothes 2x a week, instead of having one big day doing something I don’t love.

Many household tasks become significantly less burdensome if you just take the time to set yourself up to succeed.

Tip 3: Listen to an Audiobook or Podcast During Chore Time

We’re spoiled in this day and age. If you have a task that is truly a struggle, go ahead and distract yourself! Between youtube, podcasts and audiobooks, we have many options available to preoccupy our minds (and ears) while tackling a chore or task we dislike.

Some of my favorite podcasts include:

Pioneering Today Podcast-Melissa is a homemaker and homesteader who talks about gardening, canning and raising your own food
Simple Farmhouse Life Podcast-Lisa cuts thru the fluff and is all about creating a handmade home, cooking from scratch and natural living
Homemaker Chic Podcast-best friends Angela and Shaye revive the art of homemaking and will have you rolling your eyes one moment and laughing the next!

Audio books are also a wonderful way to distract yourself. I’ve used this online Amazon audiobook subscription called “Audible” for the past several years. Not only did I receive two books of choice for free when I joined, but they have a massive selection to choose from! You can cancel your plan at any time.

Some of my favorite audibooks include:

Little House on the Prairie Series (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Anne of Green Gables (by Lucy Maud Montgomery)
Christy (by Catherine Marshall)

I dare you to only listen when you’re doing that dreaded household chore! You’ll be amazed when you find yourself looking forward to it. Not because you want to do the task, but because you want to listen in again!

Tip 4: Give Yourself a Reward for Following Through

If you’re the type of person who works well on a reward system, use it on yourself. Set a goal (like doing laundry faithfully for 4 weeks) and give yourself a reward if you stick to it.

Maybe you’ll buy that kitchen appliance you’ve been wanting. Perhaps you’ll get the newest cookbook release by your favorite cook, or finally purchase that fabric you’ve been eyeing up for new bedroom curtains.

When all else fails, try the reward system. Sometimes it’s just the thing you need to motivate yourself to do housework you hate!

Once it’s all said and done, you can’t force yourself to love a particular household chore. But I do think there are ways that you and I can make these tasks more bearable. Sometimes we have to get fed up with the way things are before we actually want change (like me and my laundry routine).

With just a bit of intentionality, you can learn to make certain tasks endurable and even learn to take pride in the results.

So what will it be? What is your nemesis and how are you going to turn it into something you can take satisfaction in accomplishing?