Do You Want to Break Free?
There are two articles in Issue 17 (help to finance a reprint here) about domestic labour, a type of work often overlooked when discussing the post-work future.
One piece — a review of Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek’s After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time — looks into the possibilities of freeing us from home-based servitude forever.
The other — an essay by self-described housewife Matilda Bennett — suggests it might be possible to escape into domestic labour, freeing yourself of the horrors of professional toil.
Which do you most relate to? Read Issue 17 to see the two positions write large.
About Robert Wringham
Robert Wringham is the editor of New Escapologist. He also writes books and articles. Read more at wringham.co.uk
There can be a lot of joy in simple domestic tasks: cleaning the kitchen, sweeping the floors, pottering in the garage. They have a definitive end, and the tangible reward of a clean and tidy living space. I think the key to enjoying housework, for me, is a small home. In a smaller living space cleaning takes less time. Half an hour of vacuuming can be fun. Half a day, however, feels suspiciously like work.
Absolutely, couldn’t agree more.
Have you read a book called A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind?
I haven’t, but it sounds good. I’ll give it a read!