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The Basics

We’re Trying to Solve: The clean laundry is piling up
Target Audience: Families, housemates
Ages: 3 and up
Category: Household chores
Estimated Time: 1 hour or more
Difficulty Level: Focused work for at least an hour, but fun too

Sometimes one repetitive chore can become so daunting and so overwhelming that it can affect your attitude about everything else on your plate. Laundry is one of the non-negotiable chores we hear the most complaints about falling on one person – one person who ends up totally resenting it. Every week, it has to be done. Even if you keep up with the washing and drying, you’re still left finding time to fold it and put it away. (Brigid’s favorite cartoon, posted in her laundry closet: Three machines. Washer. Dryer. Folder. And above it, the words, “You wish.”) But because laundry breaks down into so many steps, it also lends itself to collaboration better than some.

Here’s one experiment we love, in part because it helps families who don’t have enough time in the day combine a big job and quality time together into just one hour. It can take something daunting and, by sharing the load, transform it into a communal and fun activity. An added benefit of this experiment? You model sharing the load for your kids so they can learn good habits from the start. It’s made a big difference in Brigid’s family. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Directions

1. When the clean laundry has piled up and it’s time to fold it: Take a moment to think about who usually washes, dries, folds, and puts away the laundry in your family. Why? Talk about that as a family and ask yourselves, is it fair?
2. As a family, pick a movie or show to watch that doesn’t require all your attention but everybody enjoys, maybe something you’ve seen a few times already in case you miss some dialogue. Or pick some upbeat music to listen to. Make sure it’s something that makes everyone happy and energizes you.
3. Bring the loads of clean laundry to the room with the TV or speaker.
4. Turn on the movie or music.
5. Everybody – Fold! If listening to music, dance, sing, and fold! If watching a movie, sit down and fold while you enjoy the show. You don’t have to go too fast. It’s not a race to finish, because this is the night’s family activity. Feel free to chat and laugh as you go.
6. When the movie is over, or when the laundry is folded, everyone takes their own clothes and puts them away.
7. When the folded laundry is put away, get back together and high five! Be sure to thank one another. And then, before you’re done and go your separate ways, take a moment to think about how it felt working together as a team to get things done. Was this better or worse than the way laundry was being folded before? How will this affect how you handle the laundry moving forward?

Connect With the Better Life Lab

Are you going to try this week’s experiment? Do you have a story about how you and your own family solved a problem with the work at home? Is there a specific challenge you’ve been trying to tackle? Can this experiment be improved? Please let us know via this , at bllx@newamerica.org, or in our .

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