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Angie Mc
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| Posted: March 12 2009 at 10:58am | IP Logged
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How do you motivate yourself to do the mundane tasks, duties, and care that help you to fulfill your vocation? What are your least favorite mundane tasks and how do you face them day in and day out with a steady and cheerful disposition? I'm looking for anything positive and helpful...from the philosophical to the practical  . Thanks!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Cay Gibson
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Angie,
I guess that's why I cannot give up reading blogs and ordering domestic books and making impulse buys of magazines such as Victoria, Hobby Farm, Cottage Living, Country Living etc. They motivate and excite me and I, in turn, am more positive and upbeat when performing those practical and mundane tasks and duties.
Honestly, it doesn't take much to excite me. 
I also wish I had a better answer but I really love my vocation and am just excited and overjoyed to be a homemaker serving my family everyday.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
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CrunchyMom
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Well, I think I am more motivated to do things like clean my kitchen after seeing a beautiful kitchen in a magazine. So, thanks for verbalizing that Cay so I can remember to use those things as tools that way!
But after reading that you have a similar relationship with exercise that I do, if THAT is the mundane task you are trying to do, I'm afraid that curling up with said magazine is far more inviting than 15 minutes of exercise and I'm not sure that it would help me do the exercise more. 
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JodieLyn
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this doesn't help so much with the motivation but putting on fun music to sing along with or just singing songs or on a rare occation being able to listen to a talk on the internet while I'm working can sure help me stay on task.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: March 12 2009 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
Honestly, it doesn't take much to excite me.
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I'm a cheap date, too, Cay! No wonder we get along .
CrunchyMom wrote:
| But after reading that you have a similar relationship with exercise that I do, if THAT is the mundane task you are trying to do, I'm afraid that curling up with said magazine is far more inviting than 15 minutes of exercise and I'm not sure that it would help me do the exercise more. |
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Good point, Lindsay . Yep, I love TTapp but I don't always love formal exercise . I put it in the mundane task category for sure, yet I know women who find exercise motivating...go figure? 
Cleaning...I'm motivated by a routine with a beginning and an end, working as a team with my children, and playing loud, fast music.
Cooking...I'm motivated by quiet, alone time in the kitchen - rarely happens these days. The kids and I look forward to making a big breakfast on Wednesday mornings.
Eating...I'm motivated by variety and good food.
Laundry...I'm motivated by watching a movie alone in my room while folding when the loads pile up.
Waking...I'm a morning gal so I love to get as much of my personal care and computer time done early, so I'm naturally motivated in the morning.
Bedtime...I'm loving our strict bedtime routine and am motivated by stiving for meeting the deadlin of lights out at 10:00.
Exercise...I'm motivated by being pain-free (used to have neck, back, and feet pain,) having more strength and stamina, and better posture. Hmmmmmmmmm...I think I'll write up a note and put it on my bedroom mirror to act as a reminder when I forget  the many benefits.
Jodie, I'll need to remember to sing...humming too.
Does anyone set up rewards for themselves?
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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JodieLyn
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Oh now that you mention it I do do rewards.. I'll do.. I can't come back to the computer until I do one thing.. this is great when a friend and I are both working.. and we come back and tell each other what we accomplished and then off the computer again until another thing is done.. the on the computer time is really only minutes so you still get a lot of stuff done.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Willa
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What a great question, Angie. I am just coming out of a slump where I felt TOTAL distaste for the ordinary little things in my daily duties. I particularly hate scrubbing, especially since it doesn't look so much better after I finish, and it gets messed up again so quickly.
I have found recently that I work better when I have a goal and set accountability subgoals. Probably strange, since I'm not really a "doer" type, but I do like progress charts and that kind of thing. They keep me from getting lost in the middle of the task, and from getting discouraged about even trying.
So for example, at the bottom of my blog (see signature for link) I have tickers for weight loss, exercise (in miles) and days to the end of the formal school year (we are going to stop when we get to 135 because we can fill in the rest with informal learning). I do a lot of that sort of thing.
I have a daily routine chart that I don't follow religiously, but that helps me notice if I'm consistently letting something slip.
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Willa
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SuzanneG
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I think I always visualize the end product/result. And, visualize the impact of NOT doing xyz has on the next day, that afteroon, etc. If I don't clear off the countertop, I have nowhere to prepare bfast and then I'll be crabby.
I'm definitely motivated by a LIST to checked off. Pretty paper with a bunch of things to get crossed off on my clipboard is motivating to me. I like to carry around my clipboard with me and pretend I'm at my old job!!!! Crossing things off is fun.
Efficiency motivates me. Sometimes, I'll set the "count up timer" to see how fast I can get something done. I do this with emptying the dishwasher, my least favorite chore. I don't have to do it much these days, though!!! 
Humming.....if I start to get overwhelmed and don't want to do the next thing cuz it's just a drop-in-the-bucket, I start to hum for a second, like I do to "bring myself down" from beginning to blow up at dc. It's a relaxer and reminds me to bring it down a notch, say, "Heaven Help!" and then I get a moment of perspective and dive in, no matter how tiny.
Look at A REASON FOR NOT WANTING TO DO SOMETHING. Is there a REASON why I am procrastinating with these little things? Maybe change something about that or fit it in a differnet time period can make a big difference. ie: having a yummy smelling counter spray helps motivate me to clean off the kitchen counters at night. Setting my clothes out in the hallway next to the heat vent, helps me pop out of bed, shower and get dressed in the morning, because it's not so cold there as in my bedroom.
One of the things that keeps me from starting something is the dread I feel from the potential of getting interrupted. All these little 10-20 minute projects always have the potential of turning into a half-finished mess that everyone gets into. So, I have just realized that there are mundane things that CAN pile up until I have childcare or my mom visits, and that's ok. I have to remember to write these things down or I'll forget.
I do love being a homemaker. I love the little stuff. But, it gets overwhelming to be doing so many other things BESIDES homemaking.
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Suzanne in ID
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LucyP
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Oh I hate doing dishes. And cooking - although *in reality* I enjoy cooking. My children don't cope when I am occupied with these tasks, so there is a lot of stress and screaming involved, and with a teeny kitchen and children who are "interesting" I can't have them in with me.
I keep my sink surrounded with statues and icons. That helps me.
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Bridget
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Pride. Sad but true. Since our kids hit the teen years, we seem to have revolving doors. There is unexpected company regularly. Even our priest has stopped in unexpectedly on more than one occasion. I am delighted with it, but it does keep me hoppin' and motivated to not have dirty dishes piled up or piles of laundry or half finished projects laying around.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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melanie
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My ipod has motivated me quite a bit. :) Getting to listen to good podcasts and music and such...we can't even pick up a Catholic radio station here, so it's a great thing.
Sometimes I have timed myself doing a particularly irritating chore. For example, I don't like unloading the dishwasher. I'm not sure why. I don't mind loading it! Weird, huh? But I don't like unloading it, and I will procrastinate doing the dishes right after a meal because I don't want to bother unloading it at that moment and then the kitchen looks messy and dishes start backing up....so I timed myself unloading it and found I could unload the dishwasher in 4 minutes! ha! So, all of a sudden it seemed pretty silly to avoid doing something that caused such a downward housekeeping spiral just to procrastinate a 4 minute chore.
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Melanie
homeschooling Maria (13yo), Kain (10yo), Jack (5yo), Tess (2yo), and our newest blessing, Henry Robert, born 4/23!
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Leonie
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I am reading Splendor in the Home and this book is helping me direct my thoughts to the importance of the mundane. I finish a section and find myself jumping up, rearranging something,feeling holier  while doing tasks. This makes a difference in my attitude. Makes me smile more.Makes me perform the tasks better.
A quote from this week's reading ~
Holy things are ordinary things perceived in their true light, that is, as bearers of the divine mysteries and glory to us. Looked at this way, eating becomes Eucharistic, and working becomes the opus dei ( the work of God) and loving becomes an image of the City of God.
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Leonie in Sydney
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Servant2theKing
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"Holy things are ordinary things perceived in their true light, that is, as bearers of the divine mysteries and glory to us. Looked at this way, eating becomes Eucharistic, and working becomes the opus dei ( the work of God) and loving becomes an image of the City of God."
Leonie,
Thank you for this quote...such beautiful inspiration for embracing day-to-day life in a more grace-filled way. One of the tools I use to motivate us in tackling the mundane is posting quotes, like the one you shared, throughout our home. I printed up the one above, from Splendor in the Home, along with an image of Mary sowing seeds, as a reminder to ask the Blessed Mother to plant such truths deep in our hearts and souls.
Above our baking area I've posted quotes from scripture about wheat and bread, which helps me view the ordinary task of baking bread in a more Eucharistic light.
As others have mentioned, pegging mundane tasks with more enjoyable pursuits can be helpful...if I am having difficulty being motivated for a particular task I refrain from something else I am looking forward to until the task at hand is accomplished.
When clutter is overwhelming or I'm dreading a larger household task I like to break things down into small goals...if clutter is an issue, I simply set the goal of taking care of 5-10 items at a time, usually upon entering or leaving a particular area of the home...this works very well when all members of the family join in.
We often have "work and pray" times, during tasks like dishwashing or folding laundry, which fits quite well with the concept that our work is our opus dei, our work of God. We often strew words, such as ora et labora, in strategic spots throughout the house, as a reminder to unite everyday tasks with prayer.
Thank you once more for the beautiful quote Leonie...holy inspiration for embracing the mundane and turning all aspects of our lives into a holy offering to the Lord.
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: March 21 2009 at 12:17pm | IP Logged
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Suzanne, I was so struck by this thought, combined with the yummy one, that I started a new topic on pretty little ways. I'm eager to learn more about this!
Thanks, all, for your contributions here. I'm sitting at the computer right now with an index card to jot down ideas gleaned from here. I've got a huge day of one mundane task after another. Gotta run!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: March 23 2009 at 11:07am | IP Logged
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Just curious, does anyone set up negative consequences for themselves? A friend shared that if she misses her exercise she puts a dollar in a jar for her dh .
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Topic: Motivation for the mundane?
