Life can feel like more of a chore than a celebration a lot of the time, especially if duties and obligations outnumber fun or creative endeavors. The phrase “the daily grind” was coined to refer to the tiresome, monotonous routines that life can take on, and was based on how many hours it used to take to grind grain into flour, every single day, in order to remain fed.
While our repetitive obligations can make life seem more drudgery than delight a lot of the time, there are ways to find real joy and purpose in these tasks, too.
1. Whatever you’re doing, do it with full focus and care.
Years ago, when I was studying various types of Eastern philosophy, I came across a book about the daily habits of Japanese Zen monks. In Zen monasteries, the tasks that most of us consider to be trivial chores (e.g., cooking and cleaning) are elevated to high spiritual pursuits instead. To the monks, these “mundane” tasks are vitally important to handle with care, because how a person does anything is how they do everything.
As a result, these chores reflect how each individual engages with life in general. If you feel that you’re being crushed emotionally and mentally by the daily grind, always waiting for something better, try to emulate these Zen monks and put real pride and effort into the seemingly unimportant tasks you do instead.
When you’re washing dishes, handle each one with care and wash it kindly and gently. Similarly, when you’re eating a meal, focus entirely on the food and try to have real gratitude for all the labor and magic that went into growing every plant, preparing every seasoning, and so on.
2. Appreciate what you have the honor or privilege of doing right now.
This shifts your attitude from “I HAVE to do this” to “I have the privilege of doing this”, which can alter your entire perspective of the situation. It’s an approach that can improve everything from your attitude towards work or chores to your satisfaction with your current living situation.
Here’s a personal example for you: where we live, our water comes from an artesian well on the property, which is dug hundreds of feet down into the ground. As a result, we have to empty out the silt traps on our faucets on a weekly basis, or else they clog up. This is an extremely monotonous task that has become very tiresome over the years.
But you know what? Doing this chore allows us to drink the sweetest, cleanest water I’ve ever tasted. This is a privilege, as is the ability to take baths, wash our clothes, and cook delicious meals. Transforming grudging work into gratitude makes all the difference in the world.
3. Focus on what brings you the most pride and satisfaction.
When you think about the things you do on a daily basis that you may have lost passion for (and now feel resentment towards), can you remember a time when you felt pride and satisfaction in doing them? For instance, your day job may feel like a drag now, but how happy were you when you were first hired? And how has this job helped you feel accomplished and proud?
The same can be said about your living space. You may be sick of where you’re living and keep dreaming of the day when you can move somewhere else, but once upon a time, that space you’re in might have been everything you ever wanted. When did that change? And what can you do about your dwelling to make it feel more like that place again?
4. Set some personal goals to work towards.
When you feel like you’re stuck on life’s treadmill with little chance of getting off it (or getting anywhere in particular), it can be difficult to remain motivated. This is why having attainable goals in mind can help you focus on future rewards, rather than the current slog.
For example, see your job as the means by which you’ll be able to redecorate your living room or kitchen. Set dates in your calendar to aim for, with specific tasks or purchases in mind. Then put aside a certain amount of money from every paycheque towards that next item or change. Maybe you’ll buy paint or wallpaper first, then a couch, and so on.
5. Look with fresh eyes at what you have available to you.
We often overlook (and take for granted) what we have in favour of what we feel is missing. Sometimes, when we go back over our skills and possessions, we find treasures we thought were long lost, or remember old approaches we hadn’t done for years that can breathe fresh life into a pursuit that may have become stagnant and joyless.
When you look for wonder and joy in the small, everyday actions you take, you start to be much more present and fulfilled instead of perpetually waiting for something bigger and better to unfold. Rather than always looking ahead to a potential promotion or moving opportunity, you make your current life a bastion of solace and comfort.
6. Soften the edges by celebrating the seasons.
For every time there is a season, and softening the edges of the daily grind with engaging seasonal fare can make each day a celebration rather than a never-ending, drudging slog. This is actually one of the reasons why Medieval and Tudor life centered around sacred feast days: there was always something special to celebrate or look forward to, every single day of the year.
Try to incorporate this kind of approach to your own day-to-day affairs by celebrating as many different things as possible, from across the cultures that inspire you. For example, once autumn rolls around, my partner and I get our spook on and listen to stories on the Horror Babble channel by the master storyteller Ian Gordon. My partner also likes to decorate the house differently every season, with textiles, plants, and colors that reflect the changes accordingly.
Moving with the cycles and seasons helps add more definition to a life that can feel at times stagnant and unchanging. This can greatly help you feel like you’re not stuck on a hamster wheel but rather, moving forward in life.
7. Analyze your daily habits (and seek to improve them).
Buddhist philosophy teaches that every sentient being seeks comfort and hopes to avoid suffering. This is particularly true as we age: when your back feels like it’s moments away from organizing an armed mutiny against the rest of your body, it’s totally understandable that you want things easy and straightforward.
That said, seeking comfort can also lead to complacency and ennui. When you hold yourself back from expanding your horizons, your palate, or your daily habits, the comfortable cocoon you created for yourself can become a smothering, claustrophobic cell instead.
Take note of the things you’ve chosen to do on a daily basis that may be contributing to the monotony you’re experiencing, and determine how you can revisit and improve them. For example, instead of having a cereal bar en route to work, can you get up earlier and meet a friend for breakfast near your office? Or if the daily commute is getting you down, can you arrange to work from home one or two days a week so you can spend more time with your partner and pets?
8. Incorporate play and rewards.
Those of us who have raised or cared for children know that play can be one of the most effective motivators. When toys need to be put away, we make that into a race to see who can pack up the most first, and bathtime fights can be dispelled with fun bubble baths, toys, and crayon soap.
Whenever possible, make your daily obligations as fun, engaging, or rewarding as possible. For example, amazing-smelling products can make chores like laundry or kitchen cleaning a lot more pleasant, and listening to music or audiobooks can make many obligations more enjoyable.
Similarly, rewarding yourself for getting tasks done is also a great motivational method. If you get all your work done by X time/date, you can have that coffee drink you love so much, or reward yourself with a book you’ve been looking forward to.
Final thoughts…
The daily grind can be most oppressive for people whose lives have changed drastically several times over the years. For those who have gotten used to constant change (or upheaval), steady security can feel like caged monotony instead.
Sometimes, rearranging your schedule, your space, or even your own thoughts can reset your perspective on life in general. Suddenly, the sameness becomes sacred, and your obligations become joyful, fulfilling endeavors instead of a boring, frustrating treadmill that makes you feel trapped or oppressed.
