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For many of us, the feel of soggy food clinging to the plates as we wash our dishes is something we’d gladly pay to avoid. Yet, despite the money to do so, billionaire Bill Gates does his dishes every night. Melinda Gates does them right beside him. Why? Why might these two incredibly successful people dedicate time each night to doing such a chore?
As it turns out, dishwashing is a regular family activity for Bill Gates and his wife that contributes to their healthy and balanced relationship. But, the power of chores goes beyond that. From their ability to inspire creativity to their ability to develop a work ethic, chores help one reset and grow as an individual.
Resetting With Chores
With work or school all day, families to take care of, dinner to cook, and houses to keep clean, daily life can get pretty busy – so much so that we forget to take care give our minds a break, which might not always seem important anyway. Nevertheless, brain fatigue can lead to exhaustion, a lack of productivity, and stress, which means mental breaks are imperative.
Chores are the perfect option for a mental break because they give the mind the time to reset, inspiring creativity in the process. Think of it like organizing your desk when you can’t figure out a math problem. For me, at least, the mental break helps me solve the problem 9 times out of 10. And, you get to be productive by doing necessary housework at the same time!
Netflix And Chores
In that aforementioned busy schedule, one might struggle to allocate time for movies, shows, FaceTime, etc. that they want to experience; I often feel guilty if I watch an episode of something during a busy week. But, the time will pass anyway while you’re washing your dishes or folding your laundry, and most chores don’t require a lot of focused attention, so it can’t hurt to FaceTime your best friend or to throw on an episode of The Office as you work.
Or, maybe you want to create your own fantasy world in your head. Chores are the perfect opportunity to daydream because, again, they don’t require much mental energy. So, after a long day of work, come home, embrace your inner Bill Gates, wash your dishes, and escape to another world – whether that world is created by you or by Hollywood. Give your mind a break with chores.
The Source Of Bill Gates’s Ideas?
On top of being great opportunities for mental breaks, chores are also mentally productive. Have you ever noticed that some of your best thoughts surface when you are doing something mindless? Maybe you’ve experienced it while washing dishes or maybe while taking a shower. Either way, mindless activities give our minds the opportunity to run unrestrained; there is no individual problem occupying the mind. As a result, our brains have the opportunity to be creative, to dream up ideas, and to question even the smallest things in the world around us.
On that note, if I were a betting woman, I’d bet that Bill Gates has come up with a number of ideas for Microsoft while soaping up some dinner knives. And, I can tell you that many of my college essays have come to me while folding laundry or doing other chores. Even the idea for this article came as I was washing the dishes the other night. So, don’t underestimate the power of chores.
Personal Growth And Chores
I’m fairly certain that Bill Gates already had an admirable work ethic and an eye for fine details before he started washing his dishes with Melinda; Microsoft wouldn’t exist if he didn’t possess these traits. But, for children especially, chores can be a great way to instill those important qualities.
Training A Work Ethic
My siblings and I have all been washing dishes and vacuuming since the time we could first reach the sink and operate the vacuum. I’m not going to lie, I couldn’t appreciate any of those chores until recently, so I used to try to get through them as quickly as possible. I wouldn’t pay any attention to the job I was doing. However, when you don’t do a good job washing a dish, and it’s left all grimy and gross, you have to redo it again before you can put it away.
So, you spend more time overall than you would have if you just did a good job the first time. As I did, you quickly learn to just always do an impeccable job, regardless of the task you are doing. That work ethic is a common factor between Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and almost every other majorly successful person, which means it is a great thing to develop in someone from an early age.
Attention To Detail
With a work ethic that strives to do a good job, comes an eye that notices the fine details. When I fold my laundry, for example, I want to leave my clothes in a neat, straight stack, so my eyes automatically look for the details that may contribute disorganization/messiness. I notice the wrinkles on the left side of the collar and the crease on the bottom of the shirt and the asymmetric folding of the sleeves. Moreover, when I’m washing a container, my eye automatically spots the food residue on the lip of the top-right corner.
Again, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and all of the rest of them pay attention to the details. In their own jobs, they are definitely addressing more important details than wrinkles on clothes or soap stains on dishes, but we all need to start somewhere. So, why not learn this skill as young as possible?
A Lesson For All Of Us
Chores might not always be the pinnacle of excitement, but it’s hard to deny that they can be very useful in helping one to reset and develop important life skills.
And on a broader level, they teach us that even the smallest, most unexpected, seemingly-unimportant things in life can hold the most power to change our lives. All this to say, there is a lot going on in our world today — a lot of heartbreak, a lot of frustration, and a lot of anger. But, there is always beauty to be found in places we might not think to look; find it. So, wash your dishes, and if you need motivation, remember that Bill Gates does his too.