Feeling blue? Do some chores

Growing up my parents owned an antique shop. We spent many weekends treasure hunting, visiting auction houses, dingy haunts and other people’s stores. Our house was filled with antiques, too. And because we lived in the country with few distractions around home, we were put to work. Weekend chores often comprised dusting and polishing the cedar and mahogany furniture, bric-a-brac and silverware. It was tedious and not always fun. But it taught me many valuable lessons.

While my family weren’t regular church-goers, I discovered that dusting on Sundays can be holy, too. Looking after your possessions is an act of gratitude. It’s like a silent prayer of thanks for all that you own and have in your life. Secondly, making an effort is important. Because, it primes your brain for success.

As the famous saying goes, “how you do anything is how you do everything”. And lastly, if you want to avoid chores, live minimally and don’t hoard stuff — especially not decorative crockery, figurines and ornaments. They are the ultimate dust collectors.

Chores are a necessary part of life, though. They’re not always pleasant but they must be done. And there’s new evidence to prove that doing chores is good for your brain. Recent research from La Trobe University found that regular chores improve executive functioning, and help children to focus, plan, switch between tasks, and improve self-regulation.

Including children in planning chores is important, too. Because when there is buy-in from the kids, they take ownership of the tasks. And far from being burdensome, completing the chores stimulates the reward centre of the brain. It leads to greater sense of accomplishment, pride and personal empowerment. That naturally produces flow-on effects, and positively impacts other areas of their life, socially, academically and at work.

Feeding the pets, sweeping, setting the table and weeding the garden are just some of the obvious chores to do. And according to some studies, it’s best to start the chores from the moment you wake — with making the bed. Science reveals that making the bed will make you happier and more productive. Why? Because it gives you a small sense of achievement from the get-go, which creates momentum for further achievements throughout the day. Aside from this, making the bed instils a certain level of order in your mind.

The army knows this, too. While straightening and folding linen might seem irrelevant to battle-prep, it’s one of the most important tasks a soldier can perform. Making the bed trains the brain to focus on details and teaches soldiers the valuable skill of discipline. Plus, who doesn’t love crawling into a neat and tidy bed? Especially after a long and hard day.

Small jobs performed regularly around the house provide routine and structure. They teach patience, and act as anchor points in our busy lives. Washing the dishes, taking out the rubbish and cleaning the loo all help to keep things real. When we get wrapped up in high-flying ideals, stress and drama, doing chores can remind us of the basics — for happiness resides in the stability that simplicity provides.

And even the most spiritual beings know and appreciate this. There’s a beautiful Zen Buddhist proverb that captures the sentiment quite poetically: “Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.” It is possible to find peace in the mundane and to be moved by grace while folding the washing. A tidy home helps to create a clear and tidy mind. And doing chores will save your sanity and improve your important family relationships, too.

This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 25 June 2022.