The Case For Friday Night Chores (And 5 To Do This Friday)

Recently, my social media feeds have been full of acquaintances chatting about their Friday Night Chores (all caps, because it's a capital-T Thing).

A quick Google search on the term turned up this story from a few years ago, courtesy of Rachel Wilkerson Miller. It proposes dedicating your Fridays to the scrubbing, sweeping, and tidying you'd usually spend a few hours doing on Saturday or Sunday. In doing so, you open up your weekends for more rest and relaxation.

A Friday Night Chore session doesn't have to knock everything off your to-do list. It's more efficient to break your cleaning up into chunks, so pick the thing you're least looking forward to and start from there.

While it doesn't involve cleaning inside your home, getting your laundry out of the way before the weekend is one big thing checked off the list—especially if you live in an apartment or home without the necessary appliances in your unit because you're likely to avoid weekend crowds at your local laundromat.

First, make sure all your dishes from the week are clean (even all those rogue water glasses that we always seem to leave scattered around). After you finish your dishes, don't stop there: Turn to your sink for a good, quick clean.

Checking this task off the list is a particularly good idea if you're a weekend grocery shopper. Start by pulling everything out to take stock of what's there (so you don't create undue food waste). While your fridge is less packed, you can wipe down the shelves and drawers.

Bathrooms are usually small enough to tackle at once, and cleaning them on Friday means you don't have to dread dealing with them on Sunday night.

Doing the chores on Friday can set you up for a more restful weekend—so focusing some attention on your sleep space makes sense. That way, you can go to sleep and wake up in a clean, comforting, place—and maybe spend a lazy afternoon lounging there too.

Change the sheets, dust off nightstands and bookshelves, maybe run a vacuum through, and you're ready for another week before the previous one even ends.