I Asked My Husband to Cook for the Week; Here’s What I Achieved in That Time

First, we fought; then I achieved

I asked my husband to take over my cooking duties for a week because I felt like I didn’t have enough time to work on my writing.

First, we fought.

Then I explained that I was frustrated because I would really like to give writing a chance.

I was starting to feel resentment for the days he’d be working in the garage on his woodworking projects while I’m prepping and cooking dinner. Then, like the well-orchestrated machine that I like to run my household, he’d waltz right in just as dinner is ready to be served.

I enjoy cooking so normally, I have no issues with this. He has his chores, and I have mine. We’re both working professionals so we divide up the house chores.

I cook, he vacuums. I do the dishes, he mows the lawn. I clean the bathrooms, he takes out the garbage (because I’m afraid of finding a dead body in the trash bin).

But I wanted an opportunity to start writing. I wanted to become a writer.

The motivation to write is not always there. And when you fall off that writing wagon, there’s no one around to encourage you to get back on it. So while I had this spark of inspiration to write, I didn’t want it to slip to the bottom of my to-do list.

If only I had a good chunk of uninterrupted time to really settle into my thoughts — some quiet bonding time with my mind and my laptop. Maybe then, I’d be able to do my childhood dream of becoming a writer some justice.

So, I looked at my daily routine, in search of something that could give me the time I needed to nurse this ember to life.

Can’t really skip my 8–5 job. Wouldn’t be fair to not walk the dog. I’m always tempted to skip my gym workout anyway so I shouldn’t even touch that.

Ah, cooking dinner.

Why can’t I waltz in from the office after some focused writing time just in time for dinner?

My husband begrudgingly took over the evening cooking responsibilities.

The first week, we ate leftovers once, ordered takeout three times, and he cooked three dinners. Not that I’m keeping track of anything.

I thanked him each night for cooking and I was very careful to be open-minded about whatever he decided to cook. My writing wasn’t the only tender tendril I was nurturing that week.

Keeping true to my mission, I hunkered down at my laptop and took my first few steps towards becoming a writer. Or maybe I should say I took my first few steps as a writer.

• I wrote ten articles over the span of that first week.
• I discovered publications and was accepted to write for them.
• I made contact with the online writing community and found a safe space to explore this new identity as a writer.
• I published all ten of the articles that I wrote across eight different publications.
• I made new Instagram and Twitter accounts because apparently, self-promoting is a thing that you’ve got to do to play the game these days.
• I was constantly churning with new topics or ideas to explore in my writing.

Folks, in case you missed it in my username (@theconflictedmillennial), I’m a millennial. That instant feedback is important and oh boy, did I get it!

This achievement won’t move mountains or solve world hunger, but it gave me some pretty quick validation about what I could achieve if I carved out some dedicated time for myself.

The key message that I want you to take away from this is not that I’m starting to write. Yay — go me, but that’s not the point.

The point is that it’s important to ask for help so that you can prioritize yourself over the daily grind of life.

Story after story and across all walks of life, women appear to feel like they have to do it all. They have to work the full-time job, pick up their kids from school, cook dinner, do the dishes, clean the house, vacuum the floors, scrub the toilets, pack the lunches, do the laundry, walk the dog, etc.

By the time they’re done their chores, there’s no time or energy left for them to invest in themselves.

Prioritize yourself and ask for help if you need it. It’s not a weakness to ask for help. You’ll never know what you might be able to achieve if you don’t give the opportunity a chance to knock.

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