Can Chores Really Be Meditation?
Washing dishes. Tidying up. Folding laundry.
At first glance, these activities seem far removed from meditation. Yet many mindfulness teachers recommend them.
What does science say?
What Research Exists and What It Does Not
There are currently few controlled trials that study mindfulness during chores directly. This is important to say clearly.
However, strong indirect evidence comes from three research areas:
- Mindful walking and movement meditation
- Embodied attention and sensory grounding
- Ecological validity of mindfulness practice
Together, these suggest that attention anchored in simple, repetitive actions can support mindfulness in the same way as formal practices.
Supporting Evidence from Mindful Action Research
A frequently cited paper by Hanley and Garland emphasizes that mindfulness is best understood as how attention is deployed, not where.
Link to the paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-014-0360-9
Their work supports the idea that:
- Any activity can become a mindfulness practice
- Repetition stabilizes attention
- Sensory engagement reduces rumination
Why Chores Are Especially Effective
Daily chores have unique advantages:
- They are repetitive
- They are already part of daily routines
- They involve touch, movement, and sequencing
These features make them ideal anchors for attention.
How intuno Uses This Insight Responsibly
intuno does not claim that chores magically replace all meditation.
Instead, it uses chores as entry points:
- Short guidance aligned with the activity
- Sensory-focused attention prompts
- No expectation of silence or perfection
This makes meditation accessible in moments that would otherwise be lost.
Practical Takeaway
You do not need extra time to practice mindfulness. You can practice inside the moments you already have.