Let’s face it: if chores were fun, they probably wouldn’t be called that. Because for most people, life can be overwhelming – and that means it doesn’t always look like a cleaning commercial where everyone is dancing their way to do laundry, take out trash, or smiling while washing the dishes. KC Davis is a therapist, author, podcaster, and TikToker who knows that caring for yourself can be a struggle. In this episode, she shares how radically rethinking “care” tasks –like not seeing a lack of cleanliness as shameful, or viewing messiness as a moral failure– can improve our quality of life. She also shares small strategies that could help us take better care of ourselves, because we deserve it. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too overwhelmed to tidy up? KC Davis, author of the book "How to Keep House While Drowning," suggests a clean-up strategy that homes in on trash and clutter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this engaging discussion, therapist KC Davis shares her journey through motherhood and mental health during the upheaval of the pandemic. After her ADHD diagnosis brought clarity to her struggles, she reveals insightful strategies for managing daily tasks. KC explores the complexities of adult ADHD, especially in women, and emphasizes the importance of redefining societal expectations around care tasks. She also introduces a gamification approach to boost motivation, helping listeners tackle even the most tedious chores with creativity and joy.

Today we’re talking about an often overlooked source of suffering— housework. There are so many ways in which housework can be a bummer. Maybe we’re feeling guilty about the fact that our place is always a mess. Maybe we’re driving ourselves crazy with obsessive cleaning. Maybe we have relatives who are overly critical about the state of affairs in our home. Maybe gender politics with our spouses and partners is a source of strife. Our guest today, KC Davis, helps deconstruct these often rigid and daunting cultural norms that surround the concept of domestic bliss. As a self-styled anti-perfectionist, Davis has garnered a huge audience on TikTok with more than 1 million followers. She has also written the book, How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing. On today’s show, she offers a ton of practical tips that are rooted in self compassion and the dogged determination not to use shame as a motivator when it comes to our domestic lives. In this episode we talk about: One of KC’s slogans,“You don’t exist to serve your space, your space exists to serve you” The difference between what’s “normal” and what’s “functional”. For example, why that pile of laundry on the floor is just fine if it works for youWhy it’s important to think of house work as morally neutral. For example, why doing dishes has nothing to do with you being a good or bad personWhy she doesn’t believe laziness existsThe power of what she calls “category cleaning” Breaking the clean/not clean binaryAnd achieving equitable division of labor around the house Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/kc-davis-501See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hard seasons are ever present. In a pair of conversations on Struggle Care and Edit Your Life, KC Davis and Christine Koh talk about reframing perspectives on gratitude, flexing emotional muscles, accounting for lived experiences, practical coping skills, and more.LINKS/RELATED EPISODES: KC Davis: Struggle Care, “How to Keep House While Drowning''  Struggle Care 63: Gratitude in the Hard Seasons, Part 1 with Christine Koh Struggle Care 52: When Mindfulness Doesn’t Work with Dr. Raquel Martin Embracing Micro Goals Tiny Moments of Self-Love Navigating Holiday Grief + Joy Identifying Your Values The Power of Expressing Gratitude (with Nancy Davis Kho) Tips for Simplifying Thanksgiving Edit Your Life is an award-winning podcast that shares practical ideas for decluttering your home, schedule, and mental space without getting bogged down by perfection. Visit edityourlifeshow.com for show notes and to connect with host Christine Koh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices