This Weekend, We’ll Get You One Step Closer to Catching Up on Housework

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

Is there such a thing as being caught up on housework? I never have been. Even if your weekly chores have been completed and the laundry monster mountain has been defeated, there’s probably something around the house that’s been bothering you to get it done.

This weekend, you’re going to pick one undone chore from that nebulous but nagging collection of things, and then do it.

If you’re not “caught up” on the week’s chores, do one of those. If the laundry mountain monster looms, pick up your sword and slay that dragon. You could complete a recent weekend project that you meant to do but never got to (you can see all of them on the Weekend Projects page). Or just feel good about checking an infrequent spruce-up off your list.

Chances are, something came to mind as soon as you read the project. But if you need a kick-start, here are some sample chores that might fit the bill for you:

• Wash your bedding
• Catch up on laundry
• Spot clean the upholstery
• Hand wash that load of delicates
• Dust the baseboards
• Change the fire alarm batteries
• Deodorize the dog bed (sprinkle with baking soda, let sit, vacuum it and/or set it out in the sun)
• Scrub the bathtub
• Clean the grout
• Catch up on your undone weekly chore(s)
• Clean out the fridge
• Scrub the oven
• Straighten the pantry
• Clear off your desk
• Sort through the paper pile on the counter
• Declutter one small area
• Repair the nail holes in the wall
• Clean your front porch or front door area
• Polish your granite countertops
• Clean your doorknobs and light switch plates

Here’s the most important part: Once that one aggravating chore is finished, your weekend list is done. Done, done. Pat yourself on the back, let the rest of the un-dones stay that way, and enjoy your weekend. Sometimes the best refresh we can give ourselves isn’t from the sense of accomplishment we get from doing it all but from enjoying the control we have to let things go.

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.