My Mother Thinks I’m Lazy — I Call It Smart Living
My mother did not conceal her disapproval when I told her that I had engaged a professional house cleaning service. Why can you not clean your own home? You are young and healthy and I do not understand why you should not. Outsourcing the duties at home was a luxury to her or rather a feature of laziness. However, what she did not realize was that it is not a decision that would lead to evasion of duty. It was more of a time reclaiming, energy saving and time priority on mental clarity in a lifestyle that is more demanding than ever before.
With the modernization of our lives towards a digital-first, productivity-centric time, we also have to modernize our attitude towards domestic routines. This is not laziness this is balanced living.
The Reason Why More Young Malaysians Prefer a Professional House Cleaning Service
There is a subliminal movement in urban Malaysia and particularly in cities such as KL and Penang. Young workers, two-earner families and even a few parents are reconsidering the manner of running their homes. They are not seeking convenience, they are attempting to remain even minded.
With significant work schedules, uncertain commutes, side gigs and other family commitments, one has very little time to do a thorough clean-up session during the weekend. A recent 2023 report on lifestyle practices among Gen-Zs and millennials in Asia found that more than 64 percent of survey participants in Malaysia identified time insufficiency as their greatest domestic-related challenge, and almost half said they would consider bringing in cleaning assistance, even in the event that they had not done so thus far.
What used to be viewed as hedonistic is now deemed as efficient. As it happens, the most high-functioning families I know, the ones with clear spaces, chilled weekends, and clear-minded owners, also share at least one major similarity: they have paid someone to do their weekly or monthly chores so they could remain focused on their lives, not on doing laundry.
The Emotional Baggage that Nobody Speaks about
To be frank cleaning is not a mere physical work. It is a load of the mind. The unavoidable knowledge of dirty fans, dusty windowsills or dirt on dishes takes over your mind as much as your home.
And this straining of the mind is inordinately carried by women in traditional Malaysian households. Even in more liberal families where the men do contribute there is an unspoken pressure to keep spotless homes just in case visitors come over. But the truth? Such anticipation is old fashioned and, to be honest, unrealistic when it comes to the modern-day fast-paced lifestyle.
The act of hiring some kind of professional house cleaning service does not in anyway mean you are incompetent, it only means your done throwing all of your rest, creativity, and relationships down the drain in the hopes of having a perfect domestic situation.
It is Not Only Office Productivity
We are spending our money to get planners, automation tools, and productivity applications all to streamline our working lives. But why are we reluctant to use the same reasoning to our own homes?
I have saved time by sending cleaning out. That time is now spent on activities which truly do feed me, long walks, writing in a journal, or meeting spontaneously with friends. I also observed significant decrease of my stress levels. Vacuuming is no longer a 11PM affair. I do not feel guilty anymore when I prefer Netflix to a mop.
The interesting part is that the latter even enhanced the quality of my work performance. Having a clean home all the time kept me in touch with my grounded roots, and I did not feel distracted when working at home. My physical space started influencing my mental space which none of the self-help books that I had read could ever achieve.
Breaking the Cycle – Not Breaking Values
Naturally, the opinion of my mother was inspired by love and pride. She would clean and clean just so that we can grow up in good environment. To her, cleaning tiles was her sacrifice. That is why when I decided to delegate it, it seemed to her that I was denying her values.
But I do not look at it as such. I am proud to be following what she has started and keeping with it but not dropping it. I am still sensitive about keeping my home clean just not in a burnout-inducing way.
And now, slowly she is coming around. Just last week she tentatively inquired of me how to identify a trustworthy individual to get someone at her own place. To me that was like silent approval.
Conclusion
Are you ever ashamed of having hired help? You are not the only person. However, the reality is the following: the contemporary world needs contemporary systems. Deciding to hand over the responsibilities like cleaning isn’t a sign of a failure, it’s a choice for living a more intentional life.
There is no need to be tired in order to be productive. You do not have to buy rest via unlimited errands. And you absolutely do not have to be ashamed about making things easier so you can present yourself better, both to yourself and to the people you love.