WEBVTT - Consider a longer cadence

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is for when you are sharing responsibilities with a partner, roommate,

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<v Speaker 1>or kids, consider whether a longer cadence of trading off

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<v Speaker 1>chores might make your loads feel lighter. So oftentimes, when

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<v Speaker 1>we are sharing responsibilities, we take turns on short timeframes.

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<v Speaker 1>You cook one day, your partner cooks the next, and

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<v Speaker 1>then it is your turn again. This week. Your daughter

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<v Speaker 1>sets the table and your son takes out the trash,

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<v Speaker 1>and then next week they swap chores and your son

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<v Speaker 1>sets the table and your daughter takes out the trash.

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<v Speaker 1>Roommates likewise might cycle through a schedule where one person

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<v Speaker 1>cleans the kitchen and the other vacuums the second floor,

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<v Speaker 1>and then they switch for the next week. If short

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<v Speaker 1>turns like those are working in your household, that's great,

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<v Speaker 1>carry on. But if you are feeling frazzled with doing

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<v Speaker 1>chores or with reminding other people in your household about

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<v Speaker 1>what chores they need to do and how to do them,

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<v Speaker 1>consider whether a longer cadence could help. That is, you

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<v Speaker 1>don't trade off for many weeks. Or possibly even months.

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<v Speaker 1>A few things happen with a longer cadence. First, each

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<v Speaker 1>person develops knowledge and expertise. If your youngest child is

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<v Speaker 1>in charge of setting the table for this semester, she

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<v Speaker 1>has plenty of time to get confident about what goes where.

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<v Speaker 1>She won't ask you every single night whether the fork

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<v Speaker 1>goes to the left or the right of the plate.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe your spouse is in charge of laundry for

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<v Speaker 1>the summer. After a few weeks, maybe he or she

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<v Speaker 1>will realize that everybody has what they need and life

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<v Speaker 1>isn't consumed with laundry if it mostly happens on Sundays,

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<v Speaker 1>with just one extra load of athletic clothes on Thursdays

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<v Speaker 1>so that the kids have clothes for weekend sports practices

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<v Speaker 1>and games. You may find that a longer cadence creates

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<v Speaker 1>unexpected other efficiencies as well. I know of one couple

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<v Speaker 1>that went from one person cooking the first half of

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<v Speaker 1>the week and the other cooking the second half of

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<v Speaker 1>the week to one person cooking the first half of

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<v Speaker 1>the month and the other cooking the second half. They

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<v Speaker 1>reduced their food waste and grocery spending by a lot.

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<v Speaker 1>They realize that whenever one person's turn in did food

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<v Speaker 1>that person had bought but hadn't used tended to go

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<v Speaker 1>to waste. With the longer cadence, they changed turns less frequently,

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<v Speaker 1>so they used more of the food they bought, and

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<v Speaker 1>less food ended up languishing unused in the back of

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<v Speaker 1>the fridge. Of course, choosing a longer cadence for chores

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean a chore is yours forever. If you feel

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<v Speaker 1>you have to rake the yard, or give the dog

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<v Speaker 1>a bath, or do the dishes forever, that could start

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<v Speaker 1>to feel burdensome. And if it's been ages since you

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<v Speaker 1>were in charge of a given chore, you may forget

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<v Speaker 1>what you can do to make the chore easy for

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<v Speaker 1>the person responsible for it. For instance, my hunch is

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<v Speaker 1>that the person who is in charge of dishes is

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<v Speaker 1>much likelier to use the same water glass all day

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<v Speaker 1>than a person who hasn't done dishes in years and

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't think twice about getting a new glass yes every

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<v Speaker 1>time she's thirsty. Switching chores keeps a given chore from

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<v Speaker 1>wearing you out, But we may not need to switch

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<v Speaker 1>chores as frequently as we assume, So if you and

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<v Speaker 1>others in your household, are feeling burdened by chores, consider

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<v Speaker 1>a longer cadence, perhaps taking on a given chore for

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<v Speaker 1>a month, a season, or a semester at a time.

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<v Speaker 1>By taking turns on a longer cadence, you have time

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<v Speaker 1>to develop expertise and efficiency without feeling like you will

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<v Speaker 1>never be free from the chore. How do you and

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<v Speaker 1>your family members or roommates share responsibilities? You can let

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<v Speaker 1>me know at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our tasks. Hey, everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E

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<v Speaker 1>the number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot

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<v Speaker 1>me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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