Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-09

having all this everlasting detail |
10 do without any definite set |
tiue when ii has to be done. Be-
fore j Was married, In war days, l
did all sorts of aid work in the |
hoaci.al, In the pantry and linen |
room. and even took hand at
sweeping out the wards once when |
they simply couldn't get maid to |
do that workout that was COM
paratively easy, because we all
worked under the stimulus OF al
most military discipline. II We
signed up to report for work at
a certain time. we simply had to
got there. The nurse In charge OF
us gave us each certain things to
do-she didn't ask us X We were
willing. either. But with work in
ones own house---there' always
tho thought that 1t can be put of
or dono in an easier way, or left
for the day's-work woman. So in
the end it is the hardest sort of
work"
That Is orc point of view. An
other young wife says: Il wouldn't
mind doing the actual work, and
I wouldn't mind managing maid,
but It's having to wo.k on both
sides OF tho fence that makes II
hard. 1t takes the Joy entirely out
of tho p,anning-always to have
10 stop aud attend to the detail"
The Notebook Idea
And here is the method OF
third. more experienced housewife.
that ought to be helpful to both
the younger women. She has a
lit.lc day-book-a little diary with
Eve or six lines for each day. This
she calls her assignment book.
Once a week, uually in planning
mood on Sunday afternoon. she
gives orders. She looks at each
day OF the coming week, with the
engagements as she knows them
thus far. and writes down the
regular weekly routine, then the
things that II occurs to her ought
20 be done additionally.
She has decided, let us say, that
the silver ought TO be cleaned. She
divides 1t up into FIRST silver
cleaning" and "other silver" and
adds one item to Monday morn
ing's assignment and the other to
Tuesdays. She makes note OF
garbage and rubbish collections
for she lives in q suburb where
such collections are made only
once or twice a week-and thus
avoids the chance OF forgetting to
put the proper cans out on those
days.
Her plan for doing autumn and
spring housekeeping is TO spread
the process over two or three
weeks In April and October. She
divides the entire process into
tasks OF two or three hours work.
and assigns herself one of these
tasks for four or five days every
week in this season of special
cleaning.
Plan It Carefully
Most women make lists OF the
work that needs to be done, but
this daily assignment plan has dis
tinct advantages. With the list
plan you collect a discoura gins
number Of tasks. The first day
you start in planning TO strike as
many Of them of the list as posi-
BILE. Possibly you pick out all the
rather pleasant tasks first. or yor
may do all the disagreeable ones
first TO get them out of the way
With the desire TO attend to thu
whole list ct once, you neglect the
daily routine of your housework
leaving 100 little time for mea
preparation and for rest or recrea
ton.
SAYS the woman who uses tn,
assignment book: II make il a rul
never to do more household task
than ] have assigned myself. Fo
instance. il / find one mornini
that have assigned myself to Civ
the gGest room q thorough clean
Ing, and II happens to be cool
bracing day. / find that l can d
time than ! had thought Sunday
when the weather was muggy an
warm. But just because ] .ge
through sooner than / had expect
ed. and because ! happen TO fee
ambitious, ! do not rush alon
borrowing tasks from the mex
days list. That, l think. is Away
a mistake. l give myself the sal
isfaction OF a little unexpecte
leisure. Perhaps / take littl
ramble in the fields with the chi
dren. II / had car ! shout
spend the time gained taking III
tie run out into the country. BIZ
the important thing is TO close tn
assignment book for the day g
soon as you have got your tas
done"
She's Two Individuals
The woman Of the assignmer
book confessed that she felt he
self TO be two distinct individual
the individual that planned an
gave directions and thought OF
simplified methods and provide
good equipment, and the other II
dividual who plugged ahead ever
day with tasks assigned, takir
satisfaction in doing work wei
and as much satisfaction in dom
II quickly.
The first individual is rather e
acting at times, but she seldo
over-estimates the second indiyi
ual's strength. The second ind
yidual not infreauently feels tn
The task master is rather insiste,
on certain routine, but, after a
she almost never questions h