Minimum Viable Household

“I wish I had time for crocheting and knitting,” - said my mom when I told her I just finished making a baby sweater - “but I’ve barely finished editing the book, and it’s already time for Christmas cleaning”. That was a whole 27 days still before Christmas. My mom and my dad live all by themselves with no kids or pets, are both extremely clean and organized, and work much less in December than normally.

Out of all the people in the world, if my mom needs a full month to properly clean everything for Christmas, how could the rest of us ever catch up with it?

This is how I felt about cleaning all my life

That even if I dedicate my whole life to it, I will never catch up. There will be always more things to be done than I’ll ever have time for doing them. My mom’s way of dealing with this is that she puts off things like crocheting infinitely. She always said she’s gonna do it when she retires, but her lifestyle right now is not very different from retirement. I’m a bit worried she will never find the time to make a sweater, or anything else that would give her joy.

Growing up I felt like I can either have a life or a clean and well-organized house. I chose a life, which meant that my house fell into disarray. I almost never cooked - there are so many amazing takeout options here in Warsaw, and you can even order delicious and healthy 5-meal-a-day delivery plans! I hired cleaning help and only cleaned the house myself when the mess made me angry. Instead, I took my time after work to go on walks, write, make art, read books, do yoga, meet friends, make new friends on the Internet, or even just scroll Twitter mindlessly.

My husband and I were both pretty happy living like this for a few years. But when our daughter was born, I realized I want her to have a wonderful, cozy home. And then, when I thought about all the things this would entail, I immediately panicked, because I knew I would never find enough time for it all. Not without sacrificing my whole life, at least.

How do you run a house and still have a life?

Or rather, how do you run a house that actively helps you live your best life possible instead of being an obstacle to it? This is the main premise of a housekeeping bible called Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. I’ve barely started reading the book, and I find it both fascinating and terrifying - but the whole premise of it makes perfect sense.

According to the author, a well-kept home is one that helps everyone feel good and live the life they want. This will mean vastly different things to different people - a childless couple living in a small apartment will want completely different things than a family of 8 on a big farm. Good homemaking starts with asking yourself what are the things you want to do to make your family life happier, and what are the things you choose not to do. There will be always more stuff to be done than time to do it, so you have to consciously decide where to stop and consider your house work done. This is the part I really wish I heard growing up as a young girl.

Then the author proceeds to list all the possible things you might consider worthy of taking care of, and saying it’s intimidating would be an understatement. At one point she listed the absolute bare minimum she suggests doing when you’re sick or just had a new baby. I don’t think I’ve ever done some of the things she mentioned there since we moved in here 5 years ago.

But again, these are the author’s standards, not mine. I get to choose what the absolute bare minimum means to me. This got me thinking, what is the minimum viable standard of housekeeping that won’t decrease the quality of my life, and will to leave me plenty of time for all the other things I’d like to do?

In other words, what’s my Minimum Viable Household?

In the software and especially startup world there’s a thing called Minimum Viable Product - the minimum version of the app you’re making that will make people want to use it. As I keep reading the book, I’m trying to apply the same principles and think about my household as a product that my family will use. What things are absolutely required to keep us happy and sane at home? And what are the things that would be nice to have but we’ll totally do without?

So far, I’m going through every room in my house and listing all the things that are acceptable, not acceptable, required, and luxurious. For every two things that are absolutely required or not acceptable, I’m trying to add at least one that’s not perfect but not an obstacle to a happy life. I’m also keeping track of luxurious things that make me feel exceptionally wonderful, like fresh flowers, scented candles, or organic bath oils. One thing I decided not to track are things that are just nice to have rather than necessary or delightful. Life is too short to spend it on things that are just nice.

Also, what’s the minimum viable way to get there?

The biggest challenge so far was realizing I can’t fix all the things that are necessary for me in one day. This means I’ll either keep working on them until exhaustion, or leave them in an unacceptable state for another few days or weeks. I chose the latter, carefully noting all the things I did manage to successfully complete. I’ve been living like this for so many years, there’s no reason I wouldn’t survive another week or two. And every little step I’m taking now gets me closer to the home life of my dreams.