Routine tasks

We don't think about them very much, but there are routine tasks that pretty much everyone has to perform, whether you live in an apartment, a house, or a houseboat. This week, we'll take a look at the routine tasks in our lives.

Off the top of your head, what are five routine tasks you have to do every so often to keep your space livable?

This week's theme is routine tasks.

Your first toothbrush

Can you recall when you were too young to brush your teeth or use deodorant? Do you remember being initiated into those rites? Did it make you feel happy? Grown up? Annoyed to have the responsibility?

Do you still use any of the personal care products you used as a child, or that your parents used when you were a child and living with them?

This week's theme is personal grooming.

Ablutions

How flexible is your morning routine? Do you have a consistent order from which you never deviate? Or do you just wing it based on how you feel?

Is there one thing that you do in the mornings that, if you forgot to do it, you'd feel uncomfortable during the rest of your day?

This week's theme is personal grooming.

The nose knows

What kinds of scents do you favor in your personal care products? Do you like flowery or herbal smells? Spicy scents? Fruity? Unscented?

This week's theme is personal grooming.

Hair and now

Do you get your hair cut or trimmed on a regular schedule? Do you have it done the moment it starts to get a bit shaggy, or out of shape, or do you put it off until your hair is long and needs a complete restyling? Do you go through periods of different hair lengths, and just cut it when you feel like it?

This week's theme is personal grooming.

Personal grooming

Is your shower cluttered with dozens of bottles, soaps, sponges, razors, and other things? Or do you just have the minimum necessary items in there? Are you very particular about what products you use while bathing, or are you happy to use whatever is sitting around?

This week's theme is personal grooming.

You don't look well...

When you're sick, do you relax and enjoy it — reveling in being in pajamas all day and letting your hair get dirty -- or do you try to keep up with your normal grooming routine, defying the illness by at least trying to look like a healthy person?

This week's theme is being sick.

In Mom and Dad's day...

Were your parents good role models for taking care of your health? Are you generally in better, worse or the same health as your parents at the same age? If your parents had a particular condition, are you watching out for that condition yourself?

This week's theme is your body, your health.

I'll think about that tomorrow

Does thinking about your health upset or agitate you? Do you avoid going to doctors because you don't want to face thinking about your health?

This week's theme is your body, your health.

Gym day!

What do you do on a daily basis for your general health? What do you do every week for your health? What do you do every month for your health? What do you do every year for your health?

This week's theme is your body, your health.

Your body, your health

How healthy are you? Are you comfortable with your general level of health? Or are there some aspects of your body's condition that you should change, or that need care and attention?

This week's theme is your body, your health.

Oh, my aching (fill in the blank)!

How do you feel right now? What, if anything, hurts? What acute health issue are you avoiding — a trip to the dentist to get that broken tooth capped? Knee surgery? Having your carpal tunnel syndrome looked at? What's the last acute health issue you had treated? If you routinely avoid taking care of acute conditions, why? Do you make jokes, or create funny stories about your acute conditions? Are your acute medical conditions your main topic of conversation with friends and family?

(Acute health issues are things that come up suddenly, like an injury. Things like your weight, your eyesight, diabetes, and arthritis are chronic — or longterm — conditions.)

Clean Count

How many different of kinds of cleaning did you do yesterday? Don't forget to include things like flossing your teeth, doing dishes, laundry, cat litter, emptying your e-mail's trash, and any realm where you scrubbed, straightened, or polished.