Navigating Domestic Administration with Clarity and Kindness

Zach· Host0:01

Hey, it's Zach. This is Weirdly Helpful, and oh my God, there is so much stuff to do. [upbeat music] Fill out the immunization form for my daughter's camp, do the laundry, turn in the permission slip to bring our dog to son's school this week. Dinner has to get made, breakfast has to get made. Plans need to be made for this weekend. Plans need to be made this summer. What are we gonna do for Mother's Day? Insurance bill must be contested. Wedding gift needs to be sent. Both kids need to go to the dentist this spring. Dishes need to be cleaned. Clothes need to be put away. iPads need to be charged. Shoes need to be organized. Garden needs to be watered. You know, it's endless. Rental car needs to be booked. If you're doing all of this alone, apply for new passport, God bless you. Return overdue library books. If you are lucky enough to be in a partnership with someone, mow the lawn, well, there are all sorts of ways to handle life admin. Take out the garbage. That's what we're gonna talk about today. Take in the recycling. I'm gonna start with this. Years ago, the poet Lucy Anderton sent me this voice memo about how she handles domestic administration.

Lucy Anderton· Soundbite1:00

In your partnership with the person whom you live, you are doing most of the labor, be it emotional labor, physical labor, all the damn labor, so much labor, um, and you feel that your partner's not pulling their weight, sit down, make a list of every single kind of labor that you can, and, uh, apportion a percentage to each of you. Then, transfer those,