I  have spent the last several months working the graveyard shift. While it’s not something that I particularly enjoy, I don’t exactly hate it either. Early in my career as a first responder, I worked for an ambulance company here in So-Cal. The shifts were wildly inconsistent and often had me sleeping at odd hours on my days off. For example, I’d go from having a 10-hour shift on Monday morning to being scheduled to work overnight a few days later. 

When Mads was born, I started working for a company that cares about my wellbeing; let me tell you, that has been great! When I started, I worked the night shift but slowly made my way into the daylight hours as time went on. I am back on the night shift with little to complain about one transfer and two promotions later. Working nights has minimal impact on my time with my little one, as I can still sleep while she’s in school and maybe a few extra hours during the day, thanks to my living arrangements. 

Working late also doesn’t impact the thing’s I enjoy in my free time, like fishing, writing, and spending time with my loved ones. However, it does affect keeping up with some of my more exasperating household responsibilities, like folding clothes or dusting the entertainment center. 

Sound familiar? It’s important to understand that it’s ok to fall short of responsibility from time to time, so long as you dedicate the appropriate amount of time to your children and circle back to the task later. 

But how exactly do we do that? I like to use a trick called the “10 Minute Tidy”, which I learned from tik-tok of all places. The creator is another day who explains that he finds it easier to work by time rather than by task. He said 10 minutes is just enough time to get a few things done but not so much that he’s no longer motivated to do it. In the video, you see a timelapse sequence of him cleaning up his living room, all while his child makes a slight mess of the couch which he’s already straightened up. 

Our dad-friend goes on to say that the goal of a 10 minute tidy is to get something done, not necessarily finish a task. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, it’s alright to “let yourself off the hook” for not completing the task. You revisit it when you have another 10 minute opportunity to attempt to conquer it. 

While our dad from the video likes to set a physical analog timer that he can see, I prefer to use the alarm feature on my Amazon Echo because watching the minutes tick by is far more nerve-racking. Another excellent alternative is to play 10 minutes of music over a similar device. Then, when the music stops, so do you! I also find it especially helpful for my little one too. Mads likes it because it’s almost like a game where you must get as much done as possible before the music cuts out. 

A Final Thought

No matter how you set your time, cleaning without tasks in mind has been very helpful in helping to keep my area clean and well-organized. 

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What are some of your favorite ways to keep your home tidy?