Most of us feel busier than ever, and sadly, our free time usually draws the short straw in our list of priorities. There are more emails to read and reply to, more meetings to be had and endless amounts of digital content to consume – and with mobile technology, this all follows you everywhere you go. This never-ending to-do list makes us feel stressed and makes it hard to find much-needed downtime. With women on average spending 25 hours per week on employment, 20 hours on housework and 11 hours caring for dependents – the 56-hour week doesn’t allow much space for anything else. So how can you take a step back from the busyness without compromising what’s important?

Find Out Where Your Time Is Going

While you might feel like you’ve barely had a minute of time out, you might be surprised to find pockets of your life swallowing up a lot of your time. Social media is a common culprit, with the average person spending 6-12 hours each week scrolling their socials; however domestic chores – like cleaning in particular – are a real-time sucker and one most of us don’t enjoy. In fact, with women spending over 1,000 hours annually keeping the home in order and men just under 700 hours, this is one significant chunk of our lives that we bet most would love to claim back. Find out exactly how many hours you spend doing ‘invisible’ unpaid work with this clever calculator.

Where Would You Rather Be Spending That Time?

Carving out and making time for yourself should be a priority. It’s hugely important for our mental well-being and impacts other parts of our lives – everything from relationships with partners, children, and co-workers to our ability to handle stress and reduce depression. By simply handing your cleaning tasks over to professionals, you’ll have more time to:

• Clear your mind over cleaning the house – finding solitude is tricky in a constantly connected world, but the benefits of spending some time solo are huge. Whether you head along to a yoga class, commit to regular meditation, or simply take a walk or sit down for a cup of tea, there are both physical and psychological benefits to regular time spent in your own company. According to this article, more than 34% of women don’t currently get any time to themselves every week. So, we say, put down the mop and bucket and claim back some all-important respite.

• Spend some quality time with the kids – almost half of all parents feel like they don’t spend enough time with their kids, and when they do, it’s a combination of carting them to afterschool or weekend activities, barking out commands in the morning or telling them to do their homework –
which is hardly considered quality time. If the load of domestic chores like cleaning was lightened, it could give you back even half an hour a day to have some fun with your kids. Whether it’s kicking a ball at the park, playing a board game together or joining them for some colouring-in,
these moments build and solidify relationships and can positively influence behaviour overall.

• Channel your inner MasterChef – if you find cooking therapeutic or love mixing things up in the kitchen, by getting a professional in to do your cleaning, you’ll gain a sizeable chunk of time back in your week. You’ll be free to switch things up from the usual SpagBol, able to incorporate some
exciting new recipes into your monthly home cooking menu and won’t need to worry about mopping the kitchen floors afterwards!

• Revisit old passions – remember when you used to be in that sports team or a regular at that gym cardio session? It’s time to reclaim past passions and bring them into the now!

• Get social – humans are social creatures; in fact, emotional connectivity is a crucial part of our psychological well-being. All too often, our social lives suffer as time whizzes by, taking a back seat to more pressing tasks. Claim this time back and make regular catch-ups with family and friends part of your week or month. You’ll find it rewarding in more ways than one.

Save More Than Just Time

Aside from gaining a whole heap of time to do the things you love and that generally enrich your life, by handing your domestic chores over to the professionals, you’ll also experience these 5 benefits:

1. Remove Resentment

While some of us can feel embarrassed about asking for help (your parents probably never had a cleaner), we live very different lives from the homemakers of the 1950s. Despite equality between men and women coming a long way, there’s still a major imbalance in who takes on the lion’s share of household chores. According to a study commissioned by Westpac on Kiwis, 90% of women do more housework than men. By hiring a professional, you’ll feel a huge weight lift that you might not even realise exists.

2. Save On Sanity

Despite the relaxation of many restrictions, many New Zealanders continue working from home, meaning little to no break from domestic duties. Unlike working in an office, there’s no magic cleaning fairy that comes overnight – so why put up with the task at home?

3. Lift Your Mood

There’s something to be said for opening the door to a sparkling home when you haven’t had to lift a finger, and there’s evidence to back it up. According to studies, people with clean houses tend to be healthier than those with messy or cluttered homes, and a clean, tidy home helps increase your focus and reduces anxiety.

4. Benefit From A Healthy Home

Dust is the leading cause of allergic reactions and reduces the air
quality of your home. High use areas like the kitchen and bathroom can also quickly become breeding grounds for bacteria if not cleaned regularly.

Use Your Time Wisely

We’ll bet you’ve got better things to do in your spare time than clean the house, so instead of dedicating your Saturday to it, why not take the load off and let Jim’s Cleaning do what they love so you can do more of what you love!

DISCLAIMER
All information is general in nature, and the advice or information may not suit your circumstances. Source references are included to give credits to any source content published by others. If applying any cleaning techniques or products, be sure to check the product materials or surface you are working with or call in one of our local Jim’s Cleaning experts on 0800 454 654 www.jimscleaning.co.nz