15 chores to tackle in 15 minutes or less

Ah, Summer! How we love you. When you aren’t here we dream of your warm days and perfect star filled nights. We long for juicy peaches and messy popsicles. July is half over and we still happily look forward to summertime fun like swimming, taking road trips, picnics at the park, family cookouts, gardening, morning trips through the farmer's market and bonfires, just to name a few. The one thing we don’t plan and dream of is summer chores. Today I'm sharing 15 chores you can tackle in 15 minutes or less to help you get back to enjoying this amazing season quickly.

I don’t know about you, but at my house, once the kids are out of school my chore time increases. From sticky kitchen tables and counters to the ever present need to sweep up tracked in grass and dirt, I felt like I could not keep up until I made this one simple change. 

When I'm home, I take a break from work every 30 minutes or so and do a quick chore. Taking these mini-breaks helps me be more productive, helps increase my energy while decreasing my seat time and helps lessen my chore list when I do switch gears and stop working for the day. You’d be surprised how much you can get done in 10 - 15 minutes! 

Here are 15 quick chores that I do. Feel free to copy my list to get you started.

• Fold a load of laundry, put it away and start a new one.
• Sweep the kitchen and mud room floor.
• Wipe down bathroom counters and mirrors.
• Water plants on front porch.
• Clean out trash in car.
• Go through mail and recycle junk mail.
• Dead head flowers and pinch back herbs.
• Check pantry supplies for weekly meal plan.
• Dust a room and put away discarded items.
• Unload dishwasher.
• Wipe down kitchen table and chairs.
• Clean out Frig drawers or organize shelves.
• Clean photo frames in the hall.
• Update coupons.
• Wipe down glass doors.

If you work away from home all day, you can still use this list to tackle your chores. Taking a break every 30 minutes to do something you enjoy like sipping a cool drink while reading will help you feel re-energized once you do return to your chore list. 

Be sure to delegate some of your chores to your kids if they are old enough and especially if they find you mid-task and tell you they are bored! I always find a task my daughters can handle. Just remember to be good to yourself and step away from work too so you can fully enjoy this special season.

Please share in comments: What is the toughest area of your home to keep clean? For me, it's the bathroom counters!