Every time I’d clean my house, there are certain tasks hanging on the to-do list that I would just… ignore. Wiping the baseboards, deep cleaning the fridge, scrubbing the bathtub. I kept telling myself, “I’ll do that tomorrow,” and before I knew it, three weeks had passed, and the task was still sitting on my list, mocking me.
I realized that I would always avoid these jobs and tell myself that I’d get to them later, but later never came. Instead, the list of chores kept getting longer. Dust in the nooks and crannies of my house would haunt me as I went about my day. Then I remembered a saying that my grandma would say growing up: “do one crappy job every day”. Just one. No overhauling the whole house, no burnout—just knocking out one annoying task at a time.
It’s been a game-changer. Instead of suddenly waking up one day to a house full of chaos and overwhelm, things stay manageable each day. And to my surprise, as much as I was trying to avoid these certain chores, each one usually only takes 10-15 minutes. Over the past couple of weeks, this has been changing my home and my life. So let’s break down why this strategy works.
Why One Crappy Job a Day Works
✅ It Keeps Overwhelm in Check
When you look at all the things that need to be done, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and do nothing. But when you commit to just one unpleasant task each day, it feels manageable. You’re not trying to deep-clean your entire house—you’re just dealing with that one annoying thing.
✅ It Creates a Snowball Effect
It’s funny how doing one small task can give you momentum. You start by wiping down the kitchen cabinets, and suddenly, you feel inspired to declutter a drawer. Before you know it, you’ve done more than you planned—but without the pressure of a massive cleaning session.
✅ It Keeps the House from Getting Out of Control
When you tackle these jobs regularly, things don’t get as bad. Instead of waiting until your oven looks like a science experiment, you give it a quick scrub now and then. Instead of letting laundry pile up for a week, you do one load before it takes over your house.
What Counts as a “Crappy” Job?
Anything you’ve been putting off because it’s boring, gross, or just annoying. Here are some ideas:
- Scrubbing the bathtub
- Cleaning under the couch (oof!)
- Wiping down baseboards
- Washing the trash can (ew)
- Cleaning out the junk drawer
- Removing lint buildup from the dryer vent
- Organizing the fridge (so satisfying)
- Dusting ceiling fan blades
How to Make It a Habit
- Pick your task in the morning. Don’t leave it to chance—decide early in the day which job you’ll tackle. I tend to plan out the task I will do each day at the beginning of the week which helps me put the entire week into perspective.
- Set a time of day to do the task. Most of these tasks take less than 15 minutes and blocking that time into the day helps ensure you will get it done. For me, it does not have to be an exact time but I reserve 15 minutes of my son’s naptime to tackle the chore.
- Sometimes it will just be “good enough”. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Sometimes doing a quick clean is better than nothing at all. This is especially important to keep in mind while trying to keep up a home with kids running around. For example, this week I cleaned out my car but didn’t have time to fully vacuum it. I simply moved that to tackle another day… and that’s okay.
The Bottom Line: Small Wins Add Up
You don’t need to dedicate hours to deep-cleaning every day. Just pick one dreaded task, do it, and move on. Over time, these small efforts will make a huge difference in how your home looks and feels.
Happy cleaning!
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