What menial tasks do you enjoy?

[FPLOON]

Walking and cleaning, of course...

I rarely drive anywhere that I can easily just walk to most of the time, anyway... Add a walkman (or, I guess, my PSP) and some headphones and I might start dance-walking from place to place...

In terms of cleaning, it's usually if it involves dusting in general or if it involves cleaning the bathroom in general... Add some music from a boombox (or in this case my Laptop + mini-speakers with headphone jack) and I might start dance-cleaning all over the place...

Other than that... Dancing in general? That what my body keeps telling me, even when there's no music to be found...

Edit: Dammit! How could I forget about de-weeding the yard?! I could do that for HOURS on end, despite my allergies and asthma...

 

[someonehairy-ish]

Plenty of stuff. De-weeding the garden, hoovering, cooking, driving. I'm not necessarily good at any of those things, but they're all enjoyable in their own way.

 

[Zhukov]

Splitting firewood.

That.... that's just badass.

I have no idea what you look like, but all I can picture you now is as some dude with a red denim button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a big beard, and an axe over your shoulders. Please tell me this description holds some truth.

Mmm... only about 40% accurate I'm afraid.

Dude - yes
Red denim shirt - no
Sleeves rolled up - yes, usually
Big beard - occasionally
Axe over shoulder - occasionally

 

[solemnwar]

Do menial tasks in video games count? Because I find clearing out a large area for building in Minecraft strangely calming.

 

[War Penguin]

Splitting firewood.

That.... that's just badass.

I have no idea what you look like, but all I can picture you now is as some dude with a red denim button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a big beard, and an axe over your shoulders. Please tell me this description holds some truth.

Mmm... only about 40% accurate I'm afraid.

Dude - yes
Red denim shirt - no
Sleeves rolled up - yes, usually
Big beard - occasionally
Axe over shoulder - occasionally

I'll go to a thrift store and buy you one. I just need to have this be a thing. It honestly will help me sleep better at night knowing this is a thing.

 

[DementedSheep]

I like walking if that counts. People get confused when they offer me a lift but I'd rather walk.

In general fixing simple things. Like when a small statue broke. I liked glueing back together and repainting it. I once got sent to councillors for fixing a book during my break but that teacher was weird and seem to think ever little thing was a sign of depression with me.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

Biking to work over the airfield?

Someone else who works on an airfield, high five!

LOL, i dont work on the airfield, i am a carpenter, it is just nice to have flat roads on the way to work

Anyway

 

[Eamar]

I really enjoy deadheading roses (cutting off all the flowers that are dead or looking past their best to encourage more to take their place). Also mowing lawns, and clearing duckweed out of the pond. I never, ever thought I'd get into gardening in any way, but since moving back in with my parents (temporarily) and not having a job yet, it's been nice to take pride in keeping the garden looking tidy.

I also enjoy most of the (many, many) menial tasks involved in owning horses, be it mucking out fields and stables, filling haynets, checking their hooves, or anything else. It's nice to have to get out of the house a couple of times a day whatever the weather, and I love being around the animals too, even if I'm just scrubbing the algae out of a water bucket rather than actually riding.

EDIT: Oh, nearly forgot one of the best ones: routine computer maintenance stuff. I really enjoy cleaning up my family's laptops when they've been abused for a while, both literally (taking them apart and cleaning) and figuratively (installing updates, defragging, removing unnecessary stuff, diagnosing problems, etc etc). Similarly, I love tweaking a new computer/laptop to get all the settings and programmes just the way you like them. But then again, I also enjoy grinding in WoW, so I may just be a bit odd like that.

 

[Ambitiousmould]

Trimming the hedge. There is really nothing quite so satisfying as scything easily through a mass of untidy, sticky-outy twigs and leaves to reveal a neat, tidy, straight face of hedge. It is more satisfying the more you have to cut it back, something about going through a thick soft mass of leaves like that feels stupidly satisfying. Picking up the leaves afterwards is shit though.

Also, burning unwanted bits of wood or breaking unwanted stuff down either for burning or to take to the dump. Both feeding the hapless splinters to a roaring fire and smashing things to pieces are beautifully primal ways to get rid of things that are just in the way, and it is really stress-relieving, especially when that stress is in the form anger about my brother being a dick and this way I can pretend I am smashing his face in without actually doing so. (Just to be clear, I understand that what I get so severely pissed of about in regards to him is very minor, but even though I am not that easily pissed off, he just somehow makes me want to punch him in the throat with almost every other thing he does).

 

[PapaGreg096]

Cutting the grass, great exercise and I do like the smell of freshly cut grass

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Can I count my film reviews as a "menial task"? 'Cause I sometimes enjoy doing them.

Otherwise, editing papers is something I like doing. And I've come to quite enjoy driving.

The love and care you put into your articles suggests there's nothing menial about it. But I could be wrong. Seriously though I do look forward to your reviews.

OT: Grinding in MMO's and most JRPGs. Something about the repetitious slaying of mobs to become way OP for the upcoming boss fights/instances just gives me a charge. Also looking up actors I recognize in movies/TV Shows on IMDB for no other reason than just recognizing them.

 

[Twintix]

I actually kinda like doing dishes. Whether I just remove and insert dishes in the dishwasher or do it by hand (which I tend to do, since our dishwasher kinda sucks and some stains remain), it distracts me from other stuff, and it gets me sort of relaxed. I like working with my hands, so I guess that's why.

Speaking of working with my hands, I like taking care of my garden, too. Mowing the lawn gives you a little bit of exercise. (Though not to the extent of actual exercise) I grow strawberries, radishes and squash, among other things, and I enjoy watering them and clearing them of weeds. It makes me feel productive, and home-grown berries and veggies taste the best.

I would say cooking, but I don't find that a menial task, so...

 

[Lynx]

Ironing shirts. Something about straightening out wrinkles on fabric is very satisfying... I vaguely remember hanging out with an old friend at his house a few years ago, and I actually ironed all of his shirts while we were talking. Simply because he kept moaning about being too tired/lazy to do it himself, and I sort of went "GIMME!"

 

[Dango]

I suppose it's not exactly menial but it feels great to get to a cross-walk that's normally busy and having no cars coming from either direction, feels like you have all the time in the world.

 

[Pickled]

I looked at the title of the topic before looking at any posts, and had read it completely wrong... Instead of "What menial tasks do you enjoy?", I read it as "What MENTAL tasks do you enjoy?"... LOL

Anyway, the menial task I definitely enjoy the most is driving.

 

[Artina89]

I really like washing the dishes and straightening my room. It just gives me time to wander off mentally. It is quite satisfying, and I get a clean environment on top of that. Its a win-win in my book.

 

[L. Declis]

Cleaning my room is always fun.

Cleaning up someone else's room is fun.

Organising things around a house is fun.

Putting books or Warhammer figures or games or whatever in some kind of order is fun.

Cooking, but only for my family or my girlfriend, is fun

Lawnmowering with some music in my headphones is fun

Going shopping with my girlfriend is fun

Doing laundry is fun.

I once told my girlfriend that if our roles were reversed, I'd totally be a housewife.

 

[Batou667]

Dishes, walking, driving. Many years ago my first job was patrolling a supermarket carpark and returning the abandoned shopping trollies/carts, and it was such a damn satisfying job that my boss would occasionally have to come out at the end of the night and sternly tell me to stop working. I'd come in, clock out, change, and finish up the job anyway because, haha, fuck the law.

It's not exactly "menial work" but if we're talking about routines in general, I love lifting weights.

 

[Genocidicles]

Cutting the grass, as long as I'm using a petrol mower.

Hell, pushing anything around, providing it doesn't have an annoying wire that gets in the way.