The Transformation of Drudgery

Forced routines, those things we do day after day, week after week, month after month. They feel like drudgery and we do them reluctantly. We do them under pressure. We do them because of the consequences. We do them, turn around, and do them again. (Are we trying to get better at them?) If we are lucky, we have learned to incorporate some of them into our lives, thereby lessening the pain. Most, however, because we are human, take us by surprise even though we know we have them waiting for us, thereby increasing the torture.

Preparing our taxes, paying bills, yearly physicals, dental exams, doing laundry, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, making the bed, replying to emails, correcting papers, preparing report cards (if your occupation is other than teaching you can fill in the previous two with a similar job related duty), unpacking at the end of a work day, going through the mail, fixing lunch, getting gas (in your car!), grocery shopping, cooking (I know, some of you love this!), heck, even showering can become a really annoying routine!

Yeah, the list could go on and on. But, you may say, that’s life, right? The old “circle of life” brought down to moment by moment routines.

So I got to thinking.

What if we gave this level of importance to other aspects of our life? What if we forced ourselves to commit to routines of our own choosing. Would they seem like drudgery too or would the face of routines change from drudgery to delight?

Putting your feet up. Eating ice cream. Going to the movies. Reading a book. Writing. Swimming. Singing along with a favorite song (at the top of your lungs of course). Sitting in the garden. Eating out. Ordering in. Taking a “day-cation”. Playing with your kids. Walking in a park. Geez, what would happen to us if we actually stopped doing everything else because it was time to chat with (insert name of special person)!

What would happen if we set time aside for the things we wanted to do? Made them fit a routine. Why can’t the things we want to do have the same priority as the things we have to do? Would they become less dear, kind of like that old “familiarity breeds contempt” thing? Or would the result be less stress?

Hmmm, can and should drudgery be magically transformed into delight?