I have so much to do around my house that sometimes, I just don’t know where to start. So, instead, I created a game to let the fates decide! I divided my house into 12 zones (6 upstairs and 6 downstairs) and stamped letters on cubes to represent each area. Then, I stamped 2 cubes with times (15, 20, 30 minutes), and a set of options to mix things up a bit. I’ll roll a die for upstairs, and one for downstairs, plus dies for the times for each. Then, I’ll roll the options cube and do what it says. I also made myself some tracking sheets (not pictured) so I can log what I did each day/week so I can keep track of my points.
I did a trial run of the system a few weeks ago, and it really worked well. Since I’m starting it officially on July 1st, I’ll make my week start on Thursday, so I can have a full week right from the beginning.
Roll the dice at least 2 nights a week, and one weekend day during the school year. During the summer, roll the dice at least 5 days a week.
Tasks accomplished during the time can be decided upon in the moment, and need not be fully completed in the specified time (working longer than the specified time is okay, but both zones must be completed unless a Skip is rolled).
No breaks during the scheduled time, except in an emergency.
Unless a Switch or Skip is rolled, work must be done in the specified area for the entire time- there is probably always going to be something to do in each area.
Scoring Points:
Each day that I roll the dice and actually do the tasks, I will earn 2 points. Extra 5 points a week for following Rule #1.
Rolling the dice additional times during any day and doing the tasks will earn two points for each successfully completed roll, but do not count as additional days during the week.
Once the points total 100 points, I get some sort of reward (TBD).
I think I’ll be able to make decent progress using this system. It’s little time chunks, I can do more than one roll per day if I want, and I can take a break in between each area if I want. It’s supposed to make it fun, not exhausting
And, it’s not stated in the rules, but dishes and laundry do not count towards the point totals. Those are mostly hands-off anyway.
The only potential issue I thought of is … what happens if one room, say the bathroom, doesn’t get rolled for a couple weeks and a swap location doesn’t either. Could get stinky
So, I get to skip the office for now! But, since I’m only hitting one area, I’ll probably do at least one more set of rolls.
@Cindy - LOL! So true! I can definitely do tasks without rolling the cubes, so hopefully that won’t happen. I’m single, so a quick swipe & swish every few days keeps the bathroom from stinking When I roll the cubes, it can be for things like organizing the cabinets, dusting, deep clean the tub, etc.
And, I forgot to share a key component- the cube timer! It has times of 15, 20, 30, and 60 minutes, so it even works for doubling the time (for 20, I just have to run it twice).
Now, of course, I could have used my phone, but I was worried that it would become a distraction. So, while I’m working, the phone is in another location.
4 Likes
Lynx
(In a world where you can be anything, be kind.)
13
This is genius. What a great idea to turn boring housework into a game.
I love the idea of turning housework into a game and giving yourself points. A couple of years ago I put a bunch of random chores in a bowl and would draw it to see what I had to do that day. It worked for a while, but I love the idea of giving yourself points! Ha!
3 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
15
I tried that, too, but I kept throwing back the things I didn’t want to do, so it didn’t work too well for me!
@AIMR and @gozer, I do have a set of task jars I created (a To Do jar and a Done jar) but I wasn’t great about using it. Keeping track of my points is definitely motivating! I got home late last night and knew I needed to earn points in order to earn my weekly 5 point bonus, so I worked for an hour before I went to bed.
3 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
17
I need a system like this to help me shed a few pounds…points for exercising and not snacking? lol