Chores that make a difference

Some weekends, I'm energized by the chores I do at home.  Other times, the chores just feel like an obligation. They bore me, and make me crabby.  Why?

I think I'm energized by chores that make a lasting impact.  Last weekend, for example, I reorganized the garage in a way that created more space for the cars.  It is SO much easier to get the cars in and out, and their is much more room to walk around the cars carrying stuff.  The changes should last because I've got bicycles, carts, wheelbarrows and other items hung on the walls that used to rest against walls.

This is pretty mundane stuff, but doing chores that make a lasting difference feels good for me.  The weekends that make me crabby are those in which I simply make repairs, clean things, or do other work that doesn't actually leave a place BETTER than it was before I started.  If I just KEEP UP, or just restore a room to the condition it used to be in, I feel as if I'm running in place.

I have to be willing to do this restorative work.  It isn't glamorous work.  I have to share it with the rest of the family.  But I want to be conscious of how much more I enjoy making IMPROVEMENTS.  Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance recommends that you become mindful of the activities that you enjoy at work and those that you don't, and then fill your work day with activities that energize you.  This same strategy applies to your activities at home.  It helps to choose those home activities that energize you.

If I favor the chores I most enjoy--the chores that make a lasting change in the home--I think I'll be happier, I'll contribute more to the family, and we'll all win.  Or, at a minimum, we'll all be able to get in and out of the garage!