Laundry. I have a few tips that may hopefully make this inescapable reality of family life a little more tolerable.

1. Count it a blessing that laundry is not how it used to be (or how it still is in some other countries) – The luxury of washing machines and dryers are not something to be taken for granted. Also, most fabrics we have today do not require any work after removing the item from the dryer; whereas laundry once required the extra step of ironing. I’ve seen how the women do laundry along the Amazon River:  All by hand in the river with a bar of soap. We are blessed to be able to do laundry with the press of a button, and practicing gratitude in this will lighten the burden.
2. Time yourself – With a load of clean laundry before you, set a timer, work hard and efficiently, and see how long it takes to put it all away. You may be surprised how quickly it can be done. Is it 5 minutes? 7? 10? Figure out your time and remind yourself of this the next time your flesh bucks against the chore.
3. Just do it – Simple enough to say, but this really helps. Don’t wait to feel ready. Don’t wait for the perfect time. Just get in there and do it. We only make it harder on ourselves by procrastinating.
4. Repeatedly do the next step –  Throughout the day, if you pass the laundry room, do the next step. Putting the clothes in the washing machine? Putting them in the dryer? Doing a quick sort? Putting up one pile? Make it part of your day.
5. Try to clear the folding table before bed – It’s a task you can mentally check off ✔️And having this goal gives a sense of finality to this never-ending  chore. At least until tomorrow.
6. Don’t expect to be done – Yes, try to clear the folding table before bed, but realize laundry is a chore that will Never. Be. Done. This is a mind shift needed in order to make the chore not seem like drudgery. Go ahead and prepare yourself to accept laundry as a chore that will forever be a part of family life (like so many others.)
7. Sort – A quick sort puts all likes together and seems to make the job go so much faster. I sort after I wash, but I know many who sort before. A sorted pile helps you “do the next step” throughout the day because of you don’t have enough time for the whole load of laundry, perhaps you have time for one sorted pile.
8. You don’t have to fold everything – I don’t do extra things that I don’t see as a necessity; and folding *all the clothes* to me feels unnecessary. I hang my husband’s shirts and my dresses, and I fold towels, his pants, and his shorts. Everything else has a place it goes…unfolded. The children all have 6 bins, one for each of the following: short sleeves, long sleeves, shorts, pants, pajamas, church clothes. My philosophy:  I want to work as hard as I should, but not any harder.