Your seasonal chores are seasonal — which means they are predictable.
This one small fact provides an opportunity to increase your efficiency AND your enjoyment mightily.
There comes a day, each New Hampshire spring, when the temperatures get scorching hot — much too hot for warm clothes. I always try to have my winter clothes put away before that day arrives. But there have been years when the temperatures suddenly hit 90° and I got caught with only my warm winter clothes to wear.
The good news is that if that happens, I am able to quickly adjust. That’s because the seasonal ‘clothes swap’ is something I do every year. It’s a chore that I know very well.
Your seasonal chores…
What are your seasonal chores and how do you manage them? No matter how you feel about these regular tasks in your life, you know that they predictably arrive and that they require your time and attention.
One of my fondest memories as a youngster was the twice-yearly “clothes swap.”
We were lucky enough to have enough storage space to be able to put away unneeded seasonal clothes. Each year — once in the spring and once in the fall — my mother would start the swap.
I would then trade one season’s clothes for the next. We stored away anything I wouldn’t be using. And it was an opportunity to get rid of things that I had outgrown and to think about items I would need.
Resonating to the rhythm of your days
These tasks also offer a window on the future. There is much pleasure to be gained from of looking ahead and anticipating the coming months and what they may hold.
Your seasonal chores need to be done at particular times every year. In that they are predictable. As you engage with them, year after year, you notice patterns and develop efficiencies. Creating templates so that you remember your ‘best practices’ helps you accomplish more and also frees you to engage more deeply with these moments.
These ‘chores’ can be more than rote tasks. Rituals such as the “clothes swap” provide markers as your years unfold. They offer opportunities to address changing needs and anticipate coming events. And they also offer moments to reflect on changes that time has wrought.
These regular chores also create memories of their own, as they become part of the rhythm of your life.
Yes, even celebrate…
Like the holiday traditions that you create, seasonal chores can become rituals of celebration. They are easier to welcome and you can experience them with greater depth and openness when you frame them that way.
And this, in turn, enhances the entire experience. It gets easier and easier to enjoy and complete your seasonal chores the next time they roll around.
So, what kinds of seasonal chores do you do at this time of year? How do you feel about them? Are there ways that you could welcome them more fully and, perhaps, enhance your experience?
Try templates for more help…
Your life is busy. Whether it’s seasonal changes, work, vacation planning, or unpredictable events that intrude, you’re making decisions from the time you wake up to the moment you go to bed. And I don’t mean life-changing decisions. Most often, they’re the small, everyday choices — often pretty much the same choices over and over.
You might think that having choices would always be a plus. But in reality, too many choices can be exhausting. You might not even notice, because they are often so small. But all the decisions drain you and slow you down, sapping energy that you could be applying to other things.
So today I want to share my newest E-Guide with you. It gives you tools for easing ‘decision fatigue’ and helps you make the most of your time. It’s powerful, practical, and it absolutely works.
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