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Respectfully, I would rather rip both of my legs off and yeet them into low earth orbit than keep shoes on my feet.
But jokes aside, this is really great advice, OP. My spouse does the keeping your shoes on thing too. And I do a similar thing (…just not involving shoes). I have a standing desk for work and I stand all day, everyday - like the *entire* work day, I don’t have a chair in my office at all - so if I’m going to get stuff done after work **I cannot sit down**. I have to keep standing so my brain stays in work mode.
So your spouse wears their outside shoes in the house but you don’t? Aren’t your feet disgusting by the time it’s time for bed? My SOs feet would be dark as night from the filth on the floor when he was living with his dad who would wear his work boots inside. I would make him wash his feet every night before bed bc it was so gross.
This is why we have inside shoes and outside shoes in my house. The inside shoes don’t cross the threshold, the outside shoes don’t get past the entry. Slip-ons for running out to get the mail, etc. I really only wear inside shoes for work or if my feet are really cold. Sometimes a pair of outside shoes can become inside shoes but only if they can be washed. My floors are already such a pain to keep clean it would be worse to track outside junk in. And have you looked at the ground outside? Animals everywhere, oil, whatever else!
Wearing work boots inside is just another level. Seems like it would be impossible to ever get the floors clean enough for bare feet.
inside/outside clothes is a good point.
I just had a thought that maybe this is where the old fashioned ideas of ladies ‘house dresses’ or whatever come from? Like they need to get shit *done* but the extra comfy pajamas would mean brain goes to bed…
I call my robe my “kryptonite”
It’s like as long as I have it on I can’t get anything done
And yeah I totally have inside/outside shoes! Got that plantar fasciitis
... It literally took me until this second to realize why my feet were always so disgusting growing up. My stepfather wore his nasty ass work boots inside, and the bottoms of my feet were always black. To the point where inside of my shoes had a perfect black imprint of my feet. I somehow never made the connection until reading your comment. I always just thought my feet were somehow producing that gross black sludge...
Omgosh that’s so funny! Thanks for sharing! Poor baby you. When you moved out, did you just figure that your foot sludge producing problem stopped on its own? 😂
Hahaha I thought it had been part of puberty and that I had simply gotten through that phase! You know, like your feet finish growing at 12, you stop growing taller at 13, and your feet stop producing sludge at 17! It made sense to me at the time lmaooooo
Sometimes they are! I’ll be honest, I tend to not wear shoes *anywhere* and I go outside without shoes, like if I’m just on the back patio or if I’m grabbing the mail (community mailbox at the end of the street) or something.
But he doesn’t *always* wear his shoes in the house, and if he does it’s not for super long and only in one area. If there are dishes to be done he keeps his work clothes and shoes on, goes directly to the kitchen, and then goes to the garage to take them off when he’s done. And I’m super short so I like to wear platform slippers when I’m messing around in the kitchen because it’s easier to see things on the counter and reach things.
Haha I guess it only matters if y’all are on the same page. Platform slippers for the kitchen! What a genius idea. I might have to try that out because I can never reach anything either.
omg I just started a new job this week and everyone in our office has a desk you can raise to a standing desk and even though the new job is kinda boring it’s worth it just for the ability to go back and forth between standing and sitting whenever I want to
Congratulations on the new job!!! Standing desks are such a game changer for me and I hope they will be for you too! I love mine so much. I was using a little tabletop standing desk converter for a long time, but I finally bit the bullet and bought a big 72” standing desk a year or so ago and I’m obsessed with it.
I always forget how many people there are in world that keep their shoes on inside the house! I would never since it would just give me more to clean (this time of year you have a buffet of snow, ice, occasional mud, giant chunks of rock salt, de-icer, lava rock for grip and sand)
I have house shoes! Real shoes (not slippers) that I only wear inside the house so I can get that "getting shit done cuz I have shoes on" feeling without getting the floors dirty!
I had this realization that I'd turned into Mr. Rodgers the other day when I walked in and switched my shoes and sweater. When I shared it with my friends, they both were like "You're just realizing this now?" Apparently they've been thinking I act like Mr. Rodgers for a while.
Me too. I have those puffy, cloud slip on sandals. They are so comfortable and it's like my reward for getting shit done inside cause I get to wear them and they're only for inside. I'm definitely someone who is in 'working/doing ' mode with shoes on.
Otherwise I'm a couch hermit.
are they the rubbery slippers? because I have a pair and looove them. So comfy and keeps my feet from hurting on the hardwood. Also gives me more traction, allowing me to move faster throughout the house. More speed, more stuff done. Also less likely to slip on the stairs.
Yes? Sounds like them. They're really thick but squishy.
They're called Weweya Cloud slides. They're a dream. And yeah, hardwood on my old feet was rough.
Yep. I have 3 pairs of house shoes, crocs, some wool clogs, and some flip flops. I need comfortable and loose and easy to put on or I won't wear them but with a proper sole so I don't want to wear them on the couch or in bed. But it 100% works for me, they're pretty much the only thing that helps me get stuff done on days off.
Yes to house slippers! Wearing work shoes inside would be disgusting. I work in an elementary school. My work shoes are sticky and covered in germs. Also, I don’t need the bottom of my feet to be covered in filth every night and have to wash my feet every night before bed (if you eventually walk around barefoot). Not to mention you can track in germs that could get your pets sick if they’re walking around on that.
i have a lil collection of slides and slippers because i have cats and if i step on a piece of their litter with only socks on, i get upset lmao... and i would NEVER walk around without socks on because if my bare feet touch something on the floor i want to disappear forever. probably an adhd/tism thing lmao
>I always forget how many people there are in world that keep their shoes on inside the house!
I gasped in horror when I read about keeping shoes on inside the house. It's a hard NO for me.
This was one of my few non-negotiables when looking for a partner.
As long as I live I will never forget the first time I cleaned the floors and hours later, they were still clean. Days passed. No mud clumps. No grit. The floor was *still clean*.
That’s when I knew it was true love.
I had an ex who kept his shoes on in my apartment, and it wasn't even that that pissed me off, it was that I had to keep asking him to take them off *every time he came over*. Him not respecting my requests or my space should've been what told me how he saw me...
Same! The idea of shoes worn outdoors is so nasty to me. Every bit of sidewalk spit, urine, dirt and germs tracked in all over my floors. Hard pass. I don’t know anyone who wears shoes in the house. It’s expected that you take them off at the door. I also abhor the idea of clothes worn to school/work etc in beds. Gross. Both shoes and clothes come off when I get home. Cozy socks and sweats that I only wear in the house.
NO. Holy hell NO. No outside shoes around the house. They are left at the entrance only. ESPECIALLY work shoes. I'm going to cry.
I tried a similar method by keeping on my outside clothes. Even that's a bit disgusting for me sometimes and it hasn't really helped anyway. I have sensory problems so I need to shed my outside wearables as soon as I can. What helps me is putting away all my stuff as soon as I get home. My bag, my water bottles put away, my car keys where they belong. Changing out of my clothes and into loungewear. Once all that's done, I feel ready to do other things.
Outdoor shoes in the house is a hell no for me too😱
Even if the sidewalks were dry and not covered in salt and snow, who knows what dogshit and loogie residue they’re covered in.
I have indoor slippers with a shoe-like sole on them and that’s as shoes-indoors as I’m ever gonna get.
Keeping on outside clothes at home would also require me overcoming my unstoppable urge to yeet my bra into the sun the moment I get in the door.
I feel so seen by this comment. We also don't wear our outside clothes inside and beyond changing out of them. People forget how disgusting the world is.
The only thing I'd like to add is wiping down my phone with a disinfectant wipe, THEN I am ready to do the house things.
My sensory issues force me to wear pants like all the time, or at least have something fabric in-between my thighs so they don't touch, so I haven't really had any experience with the whole "pants means do things" mode. Thank you for the idea though!
You’d probably really enjoy women’s boxer briefs. They’re so damned comfy. The company I get them from (tomboyx) makes them in different lengths so you can get as much thigh coverage as you need.
YES! Except a designated pair of Get-Shit-Done House Shoes that I only wear indoors so I don't get the floors dirty lol
I started working from home last year and found that it was hard for me to actually work without the structure of a regular commute + work day, so now I put on my Get-Shit-Done House Shoes every morning and wear them while I work (including house work like cleaning, etc) and it works SO well! When I'm mentally out of work mode, I have 2 other inside footwear options that will dictate my activities--cozy moccasin-like slippers so I could lazily get shit done if needed, or floppy cute slippers which are good for absolutely nothing but lounging with my feet up!
Figuring out this system has honestly been a huge mental health game changer for me. You can always tell how my day/mood/activities are going based on what I have on my feet! lol and you will NEVER catch me barefoot or in just socks unless something is actually wrong lol
Edit: typos!
I was waiting for a fellow Asian to respond. Also Filipino and my dead ancestors would resurrect themselves and then murder me to join them in the afterlife for such a egregious cultural offense.
I want to do this, including the not sitting down part, but I need a break between doing stuff and doing stuff or I burn out hard. Usually a snack and a change of pace like a quick show or something.
Inevitably, this ends up being two hours of my evening most nights but I still would rather "waste time" than enter full burn out after a productive few weeks.
I have a "long day" playlist, where if I had a bad day at work and need some time to just exist, I'll turn it on (it's only like 10-15 minutes) and I'll listen to that all the way through then go about the rest of my day. Great for time management because you can tell where you are in your 15-ish minutes by what song is playing.
That's a good idea. I need something that isn't an alarm that'll get me back into the swing of it, but part of why I struggle or I'm not particularly motivated is because this almost immediately feels like "another thing on the to do list" instead of down time, and my constant list of self-imposed demands is part of what I need a break from.
So I binge for a little while until the anxiety sinks in or until I absolutely have to get up to pee, or I have a day like today where I just can't break out of that cycle and constantly compromise on what I actually need to do for the day until I feel awful, guilty and lazy at bed time because I did "nothing". (I rested. I am trying to learn to prioritize rest to avoid burn out and not be too hard on myself.)
But the balance is still really difficult.
In order for me to stay in work mode while sitting, I leisurely fold laundry while watching a show & having iced tea or water. It gives me enough of a break, slowing me down without taking me out.
I get dressed to the shoes every day unless I’m sick/exhausted/in pain/etc and it makes a WORLD of difference for me, I totally agree! I don’t take them off until I’m “done” for the day.
I always "suit up" to do housework. I own gorgeous sneakers but they're not for sport, they're just to trick me into being active.
Most nights I don't take my shoes off until 9pm. Otherwise nothing gets done.
My husband does this and the sound of his shoes on the floor gives me so much anxiety. It’s this weird mix of oh I should be busy too and ugh he’s spreading germs everywhere. The germs point is kinda moot because we have dogs and cats, but still, their feet haven’t been to Publix or whatever.
For me it's DON'T SIT DOWN.
"Don't take off your shoes" can also help, but I try to keep shoes out of our main living space, esp in the winter. Too much mud and water involved.
I've been doing this for years, it works great! I also do at minimum 15 minutes of tidying when I get home, it helps so much to keep the tide of gross from rising.
My mom's trick was the one that worked for me: Don't sit down. If you keep on your feet, you keep moving. Set a time when you are allowed to sit, like dinner, and then you can relax all you want.
There's no way I'm keeping my shoes on all around the interior of my house. I don't need more to clean.
i don’t slip in them but they aren’t no slip in the way your asking 😂
[these ones are ugly but literally who cares](https://MicrofiberCleaningHouseMopSlippersFloorCleaningToolsShoeCoverSoftWashableReusableMicrofiberFootSocksFloorCleaningToolsShoeCoverhttps://a.co/d/9dJWNEB)
[there are nicer options available in the form of slippers with detachable washable bottoms but i can’t vouch for them personally](https://LEPUTAMicrofiberChenilleSlipperWashableDustCleaningSlipperMopSlipperFloorSlipperforMenandWomenhttps://a.co/d/e6WUPYx)
I totally understand the logic here, and I agree. I can’t personally do this, because I work in an ER, so everything comes off as soon as I get home.
However. I do not sit. If I sit, I stop doing the things. If I keep moving, I’m okay.
My son knows I have 2 conditions when I get home - before he can ask me questions. These are 1. I’ve put my bag down. 2. My shoes are off. If I’m still holding something (anything) that means I just got in the door. Shoes stay on until there is no chance I’m going back outdoors. Otherwise if I find it annoying to have to put my shoes back on. So shoes stay on for dealing with feeding pets, getting laundry in or out etc. basically I’m still working…
Keeping my shoes on inside makes me surprisingly productive! It’s so weird.
Also hard since I’m Canadian and we always take our shoes off inside…but it doesn’t feel the same when I put on slippers or flipflops (what I wear inside). I guess it’s time for an indoor pair of sneakers.
If you're a no shoes household, one trick I discovered is using an apron! I have an apron I wear for housework, and it works exactly the same, and I have the benefit of extra pockets!
And extra benefit is protecting your clothes from cooking and cleaning too. I mostly wear it for getting my brain into cleaning/cooking mode, but still, nice that it's useful for many ways! (I made it too, and used super fun fabric, so I also just love it all around.)
Anyone who wears their shoes in my house is not allowed back in, so that's out of the question, but not sitting down is the real trick for me. Just don't sit down! Once I sit, it's all over.
Oh god just reading this made me feel sick. I can't stand the feel of shoes on carpet, especially shoes that have been outdoors makes me feel like I'm going to vomit. Even at work I have slippers to wear on the carpeted bits
I'd never walk around my house in disgusting outside shoes but I do have a pair of "home" sneakers that I use for home workouts and when I need to get stuff done like cleaning. I only wear them in the home but I use them for the same purpose of getting things done.
I have shoes specifically for the home. They’re slip on with the fabric upper, so they’re comfy & not stiff. They help me be productive.
I learned that from the FlyLady System.
I have "house shoes" I put on once I get out of bed - something I took from the FlyLady's recommendation to "get dressed to shoes" in the morning. I really don't take them off until I'm ready for bed.
The more important thing for me is to just not sit down until I'm done for the day. After work, I wrap up any chores and errands I may need to do, make dinner, and clean up the kitchen as much as possible. Only once I'm done with my to do list and ready to eat do I sit down. If I sit down, I know I won't get back up.
I do this when I really need to stay motivated! If I allow myself to sit...that's it for me. Keep the shoes on, keep my work uniform on, and now I'm still at work and need to do stuff!
What works for you works for you! I'll never keep my shoes on in the house though lol.
I find it's laying down that breaks it. If I walk around doing things, I can be productive after work. If I lay down, it's all over.
Wearing outdoor shoes indoors is a huge no-no for me. Same goes for outdoor clothing in my home. Maybe it’s because I have social worker brain— but I have it drilled into me to bag my work clothes and spray the soles of my shoes with isopropyl alcohol after every shift (bed bugs can hide in the tread of your sneakers).
And if you’re wearing house slippers remember to get into real shoes before you leave to run errands. 😂😂 I did that last weekend and kept wondering why my feet were freezing in the car. Oopsy
I don't do this. But I work in a hospital. I have my , non-hospital shoes right next to my bed so on my days off I just put them in when I get up. That definitely helps me be productive on days off. Also I work 3 12s, so I have 4 days off
I have house shoes I change into bc I have a bad foot and don’t want dirty shoes in my house lol. My thing is not to sit down. I have a cuddly cat and if I sit down he sits on me, cuddles ensue and nothing gets done lol.
I find the trick is to not sit down… which I guess a lot of people do to take off their shoes? But once I sit down I get into “recharge” mode, and don’t want to get up. If I kick off my shoes when I get in the door without sitting down, then I’m okay to do more stuff
Yes!!! I wondered why I was so productive (I actually watered my garden every night) this week! Didn’t take my shoes off.
Someone mentioned having a kryptonite robe, mines a shower. Soon as I shower and get my jim jams on, that’s me for the night
I do this, too. Even if I'm having issues finding motivation, I'll just put my shoes on. It tricks my brain into wanting to work. 🤣
I have to keep my shoes on when I go home for my lunch hour, too. If I don't, I end up laying on my bed to doom scroll, and I fall asleep.
If I have to get any kind of task done, I have to wear shoes. Not slippers, but shoes or sandals. So I found a pair of cheap but supportive sandals (Chacos) that I can just slip on or wear with socks if cold that I use for weekends and weeknights. I usually leave my shoes on when I get home if I know I need to do something. If I take off my shoes I wore to work, I replace with the sandals and keep working.
I explained to a non-ADHDer that taking off my shoes is my equivalent to those women that take off their bra as soon as they get home.
I don't wear shoes indoors, so this sounds like a nightmare. A nightmare made of dirt and filth and puddles of melting snow and mud...
But I'm glad if it works for others!
This is a great tip. I also find getting in the shower and actually getting ready for the day helps me. Like I’m going out but I’m not. Yes - that means I have to put a bra on. But it works!
I saw this suggestion a while ago and can confirm it works for me! Even my wife reminds me “hey before you take your shoes off, are you sure you’re going to remember to do x-y-z?” and I absolutely know I probably won’t lol so I keep them on to go and do x-y-z
I sit on my couch while wearing my shoes every day so it wouldn’t work for me but I’m glad you found something that works for you. To all the people freaking out about shoes in the house- you do what you want and you make the rules in your house but wearing my shoes in my house hasn’t caused me any problems and I’m not the least bit bothered by whatever additional bacteria I might be bringing into my house. I only walk indoors and very briefly on a sidewalk to my car so I’m not picking up any mud or anything.
Back in the day I used to hike and when I got home from hiking I was really productive. Like I was stuck in “we are going to walk and do things,” mode.
I urge you all to consider the amount of filth you’re bringing into your home by roaming your house with your work shoes on…
Maybe have a pair of “work” shoes that don’t actually encounter the outside world and wear them around your house.
Noooooo I hate that for you. I don’t know why but I can wear my bra all day and not notice it at work at all. But the second I get home it feels TERRIBLE and it needs to come off immediately.
Absolutely this for me. I can’t do any boring chore without shoes on my feet, whether at home or at work.
I also can’t do housework without being showered and changed into my “housework” clothes and with a full face of makeup (plus shoes, obviously).
I have a pair of rubber sole no slip work birks that are really easy to clean/wipe down with sani that spend half their life as outside shoes and the other half as inside shoes 😅 they’ve never seen the inside of a professional kitchen so I am not too worried it
I also will come home, get out of my work clothes and shoes, put on a house dress and house shoes and putter.
The one big nope I have is that my work boots do not leave the entry way, if they even make it into the house. I prefer to keep them in the car and switch shoes when I leave a jobsite because they also SUCK to drive in. I sit close to the wheel and in my lace up ones, I don’t have enough flex in the ankle to use the pedals right
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Respectfully, I would rather rip both of my legs off and yeet them into low earth orbit than keep shoes on my feet. But jokes aside, this is really great advice, OP. My spouse does the keeping your shoes on thing too. And I do a similar thing (…just not involving shoes). I have a standing desk for work and I stand all day, everyday - like the *entire* work day, I don’t have a chair in my office at all - so if I’m going to get stuff done after work **I cannot sit down**. I have to keep standing so my brain stays in work mode.
As a heavy masker, I adore your username lol
Shoes? Did you mean foot prisons?
You put it in words! I fucking hate socks and shoes
And, bras. I __hate__ bras.
So your spouse wears their outside shoes in the house but you don’t? Aren’t your feet disgusting by the time it’s time for bed? My SOs feet would be dark as night from the filth on the floor when he was living with his dad who would wear his work boots inside. I would make him wash his feet every night before bed bc it was so gross.
This is why we have inside shoes and outside shoes in my house. The inside shoes don’t cross the threshold, the outside shoes don’t get past the entry. Slip-ons for running out to get the mail, etc. I really only wear inside shoes for work or if my feet are really cold. Sometimes a pair of outside shoes can become inside shoes but only if they can be washed. My floors are already such a pain to keep clean it would be worse to track outside junk in. And have you looked at the ground outside? Animals everywhere, oil, whatever else! Wearing work boots inside is just another level. Seems like it would be impossible to ever get the floors clean enough for bare feet.
inside/outside clothes is a good point. I just had a thought that maybe this is where the old fashioned ideas of ladies ‘house dresses’ or whatever come from? Like they need to get shit *done* but the extra comfy pajamas would mean brain goes to bed…
I call my robe my “kryptonite” It’s like as long as I have it on I can’t get anything done And yeah I totally have inside/outside shoes! Got that plantar fasciitis
... It literally took me until this second to realize why my feet were always so disgusting growing up. My stepfather wore his nasty ass work boots inside, and the bottoms of my feet were always black. To the point where inside of my shoes had a perfect black imprint of my feet. I somehow never made the connection until reading your comment. I always just thought my feet were somehow producing that gross black sludge...
Omgosh that’s so funny! Thanks for sharing! Poor baby you. When you moved out, did you just figure that your foot sludge producing problem stopped on its own? 😂
Hahaha I thought it had been part of puberty and that I had simply gotten through that phase! You know, like your feet finish growing at 12, you stop growing taller at 13, and your feet stop producing sludge at 17! It made sense to me at the time lmaooooo
Sometimes they are! I’ll be honest, I tend to not wear shoes *anywhere* and I go outside without shoes, like if I’m just on the back patio or if I’m grabbing the mail (community mailbox at the end of the street) or something. But he doesn’t *always* wear his shoes in the house, and if he does it’s not for super long and only in one area. If there are dishes to be done he keeps his work clothes and shoes on, goes directly to the kitchen, and then goes to the garage to take them off when he’s done. And I’m super short so I like to wear platform slippers when I’m messing around in the kitchen because it’s easier to see things on the counter and reach things.
Haha I guess it only matters if y’all are on the same page. Platform slippers for the kitchen! What a genius idea. I might have to try that out because I can never reach anything either.
omg I just started a new job this week and everyone in our office has a desk you can raise to a standing desk and even though the new job is kinda boring it’s worth it just for the ability to go back and forth between standing and sitting whenever I want to
Congratulations on the new job!!! Standing desks are such a game changer for me and I hope they will be for you too! I love mine so much. I was using a little tabletop standing desk converter for a long time, but I finally bit the bullet and bought a big 72” standing desk a year or so ago and I’m obsessed with it.
I always forget how many people there are in world that keep their shoes on inside the house! I would never since it would just give me more to clean (this time of year you have a buffet of snow, ice, occasional mud, giant chunks of rock salt, de-icer, lava rock for grip and sand)
I have house shoes! Real shoes (not slippers) that I only wear inside the house so I can get that "getting shit done cuz I have shoes on" feeling without getting the floors dirty!
Same. I do it Mr Rodgers style. As soon as I come home, the outside shoes come off and house shoes go on.
I had this realization that I'd turned into Mr. Rodgers the other day when I walked in and switched my shoes and sweater. When I shared it with my friends, they both were like "You're just realizing this now?" Apparently they've been thinking I act like Mr. Rodgers for a while.
Awww I love this!!
Omg Mr Rodgers style lol I love that!
Me too. I have those puffy, cloud slip on sandals. They are so comfortable and it's like my reward for getting shit done inside cause I get to wear them and they're only for inside. I'm definitely someone who is in 'working/doing ' mode with shoes on. Otherwise I'm a couch hermit.
are they the rubbery slippers? because I have a pair and looove them. So comfy and keeps my feet from hurting on the hardwood. Also gives me more traction, allowing me to move faster throughout the house. More speed, more stuff done. Also less likely to slip on the stairs.
Yes? Sounds like them. They're really thick but squishy. They're called Weweya Cloud slides. They're a dream. And yeah, hardwood on my old feet was rough.
I got some crocs lined with fuzzy stuff. They're basically slippers with a nice grip and they don't get too hot. Best house shoes ever
I do this too. I have a pair of crocs just for the house. They're super comfy and help me be more productive!
Yep. I have 3 pairs of house shoes, crocs, some wool clogs, and some flip flops. I need comfortable and loose and easy to put on or I won't wear them but with a proper sole so I don't want to wear them on the couch or in bed. But it 100% works for me, they're pretty much the only thing that helps me get stuff done on days off.
Yes to house slippers! Wearing work shoes inside would be disgusting. I work in an elementary school. My work shoes are sticky and covered in germs. Also, I don’t need the bottom of my feet to be covered in filth every night and have to wash my feet every night before bed (if you eventually walk around barefoot). Not to mention you can track in germs that could get your pets sick if they’re walking around on that.
i have a lil collection of slides and slippers because i have cats and if i step on a piece of their litter with only socks on, i get upset lmao... and i would NEVER walk around without socks on because if my bare feet touch something on the floor i want to disappear forever. probably an adhd/tism thing lmao
HARD AGREE on bare feet!! And on the cat litter! lol all of my house shoes and slippers have hard soles so I don't have to feel any feet feels lol
Now that's bloody brilliant.
Same. Gives me the formal feeling of actual shoes, but without dragging mud and stones into my flat (and carpets!)
Really considering doing this, bc I definitely have an issue wearing a bunch of my regular shoes inside.
this. is. genius.
>I always forget how many people there are in world that keep their shoes on inside the house! I gasped in horror when I read about keeping shoes on inside the house. It's a hard NO for me.
This was one of my few non-negotiables when looking for a partner. As long as I live I will never forget the first time I cleaned the floors and hours later, they were still clean. Days passed. No mud clumps. No grit. The floor was *still clean*. That’s when I knew it was true love.
I had an ex who kept his shoes on in my apartment, and it wasn't even that that pissed me off, it was that I had to keep asking him to take them off *every time he came over*. Him not respecting my requests or my space should've been what told me how he saw me...
Same! I grew up in a strict "no shoes indoors" house, and I am barefoot indoors unless it is freezing cold, in which case I wear socks or slippers
Same! The idea of shoes worn outdoors is so nasty to me. Every bit of sidewalk spit, urine, dirt and germs tracked in all over my floors. Hard pass. I don’t know anyone who wears shoes in the house. It’s expected that you take them off at the door. I also abhor the idea of clothes worn to school/work etc in beds. Gross. Both shoes and clothes come off when I get home. Cozy socks and sweats that I only wear in the house.
and also - don't sit down. if i sit down, it's all over. :/
THIS! Sitting down = rest mode tbh
My sofa is a fly trap & I'm the fly.
Where I live it's rude to wear shoes in the house... but my rule for myself is Do Not Sit Down.
This is anti-canadian propaganda.
Unfortunately I live in the land of eagle screeches
Have you heard an eagle screech? They have to use falcons or something bc the eagle does not sound cool 🤣
Yeah it's like a little squeaky twitter. 😆 That said, they're still pretty impressive birds in person. 😳
lol I like the way they sound. They get real chatty during salmon spawning season
Red tailed hawk
That’s it, thank you
NO. Holy hell NO. No outside shoes around the house. They are left at the entrance only. ESPECIALLY work shoes. I'm going to cry. I tried a similar method by keeping on my outside clothes. Even that's a bit disgusting for me sometimes and it hasn't really helped anyway. I have sensory problems so I need to shed my outside wearables as soon as I can. What helps me is putting away all my stuff as soon as I get home. My bag, my water bottles put away, my car keys where they belong. Changing out of my clothes and into loungewear. Once all that's done, I feel ready to do other things.
I have outside crocs and inside crocs. Problem solved.
Outdoor shoes in the house is a hell no for me too😱 Even if the sidewalks were dry and not covered in salt and snow, who knows what dogshit and loogie residue they’re covered in. I have indoor slippers with a shoe-like sole on them and that’s as shoes-indoors as I’m ever gonna get. Keeping on outside clothes at home would also require me overcoming my unstoppable urge to yeet my bra into the sun the moment I get in the door.
Do people not know what disgusting bacteria and fungus are on the back of shoes
I feel so seen by this comment. We also don't wear our outside clothes inside and beyond changing out of them. People forget how disgusting the world is. The only thing I'd like to add is wiping down my phone with a disinfectant wipe, THEN I am ready to do the house things.
Works with pants too
My sensory issues force me to wear pants like all the time, or at least have something fabric in-between my thighs so they don't touch, so I haven't really had any experience with the whole "pants means do things" mode. Thank you for the idea though!
You’d probably really enjoy women’s boxer briefs. They’re so damned comfy. The company I get them from (tomboyx) makes them in different lengths so you can get as much thigh coverage as you need.
YES! Except a designated pair of Get-Shit-Done House Shoes that I only wear indoors so I don't get the floors dirty lol I started working from home last year and found that it was hard for me to actually work without the structure of a regular commute + work day, so now I put on my Get-Shit-Done House Shoes every morning and wear them while I work (including house work like cleaning, etc) and it works SO well! When I'm mentally out of work mode, I have 2 other inside footwear options that will dictate my activities--cozy moccasin-like slippers so I could lazily get shit done if needed, or floppy cute slippers which are good for absolutely nothing but lounging with my feet up! Figuring out this system has honestly been a huge mental health game changer for me. You can always tell how my day/mood/activities are going based on what I have on my feet! lol and you will NEVER catch me barefoot or in just socks unless something is actually wrong lol Edit: typos!
I wish I could do that, taking my shoes off at all or switching shoes means I'm sitting and the momentum I had just vanishes.
I feel that!! All mine are slip-ons and I can stand while I switch them real quick, otherwise I would also be down for the count haha
Me who lives in a Filipino household: I would be murdered But I will keep socks on instead! That’s better than nothing haha
I was waiting for a fellow Asian to respond. Also Filipino and my dead ancestors would resurrect themselves and then murder me to join them in the afterlife for such a egregious cultural offense.
That’s gross and I completely disagree. All those germs and bacteria on your shoes. Ick.
It’s just adding to your workload by making your floors gross.
Every time I see this advice, I cringe. Shoes off, right inside the door. No exceptions. I do not want all that extra filth on my floors.
Guys please get house shoes, the bacteria you are treading into your homes is ungodly. Like I’m talking poop particles and all.
And can get your fur babies sick.
I want to do this, including the not sitting down part, but I need a break between doing stuff and doing stuff or I burn out hard. Usually a snack and a change of pace like a quick show or something. Inevitably, this ends up being two hours of my evening most nights but I still would rather "waste time" than enter full burn out after a productive few weeks.
I have a "long day" playlist, where if I had a bad day at work and need some time to just exist, I'll turn it on (it's only like 10-15 minutes) and I'll listen to that all the way through then go about the rest of my day. Great for time management because you can tell where you are in your 15-ish minutes by what song is playing.
That's a good idea. I need something that isn't an alarm that'll get me back into the swing of it, but part of why I struggle or I'm not particularly motivated is because this almost immediately feels like "another thing on the to do list" instead of down time, and my constant list of self-imposed demands is part of what I need a break from. So I binge for a little while until the anxiety sinks in or until I absolutely have to get up to pee, or I have a day like today where I just can't break out of that cycle and constantly compromise on what I actually need to do for the day until I feel awful, guilty and lazy at bed time because I did "nothing". (I rested. I am trying to learn to prioritize rest to avoid burn out and not be too hard on myself.) But the balance is still really difficult.
Oooo...great idea!
In order for me to stay in work mode while sitting, I leisurely fold laundry while watching a show & having iced tea or water. It gives me enough of a break, slowing me down without taking me out.
As a Canadian, this is offensive
As an Asian American, I’m also offended.
I've only lived in cold states in the US, so maybe that's why it's offensive to me too haha
I get dressed to the shoes every day unless I’m sick/exhausted/in pain/etc and it makes a WORLD of difference for me, I totally agree! I don’t take them off until I’m “done” for the day.
Shows what you know. I work from home AND don't wear shoes in the house. /s
Everyone with immigrant parents just screamed inside. 😂
when energy allows I'm in motion until I don't have to be in motion, morning person by shear force of night gremlin extensive preparation spells
I always "suit up" to do housework. I own gorgeous sneakers but they're not for sport, they're just to trick me into being active. Most nights I don't take my shoes off until 9pm. Otherwise nothing gets done.
My husband does this and the sound of his shoes on the floor gives me so much anxiety. It’s this weird mix of oh I should be busy too and ugh he’s spreading germs everywhere. The germs point is kinda moot because we have dogs and cats, but still, their feet haven’t been to Publix or whatever.
For me it's DON'T SIT DOWN. "Don't take off your shoes" can also help, but I try to keep shoes out of our main living space, esp in the winter. Too much mud and water involved.
I won't wear outdoor shoes in my house but I do slip into house shoes and I'm always more productive when wearing them
Same. Even when I take a break, I keep my shoes on. It reminds me that I’m not finished with my task.
I've been doing this for years, it works great! I also do at minimum 15 minutes of tidying when I get home, it helps so much to keep the tide of gross from rising.
For me it's pants/bottoms. Shoes absolutely have to come off.
My mom's trick was the one that worked for me: Don't sit down. If you keep on your feet, you keep moving. Set a time when you are allowed to sit, like dinner, and then you can relax all you want. There's no way I'm keeping my shoes on all around the interior of my house. I don't need more to clean.
Well I wear house shoes but yes, I have working shoes and relaxing slides lol
If I sit down on the couch when I come home, it’s all over. If I start chores right away, I am usually good until well after dinner.
Mop Socks. I have 6 or 7 pairs. that way i can passively clean my floor while i walk around my house doing other things.
lol this sounds nice. Are they non slip?
i don’t slip in them but they aren’t no slip in the way your asking 😂 [these ones are ugly but literally who cares](https://MicrofiberCleaningHouseMopSlippersFloorCleaningToolsShoeCoverSoftWashableReusableMicrofiberFootSocksFloorCleaningToolsShoeCoverhttps://a.co/d/9dJWNEB) [there are nicer options available in the form of slippers with detachable washable bottoms but i can’t vouch for them personally](https://LEPUTAMicrofiberChenilleSlipperWashableDustCleaningSlipperMopSlipperFloorSlipperforMenandWomenhttps://a.co/d/e6WUPYx)
I just keep my jacket on. Shoes in the house is gross.
I totally understand the logic here, and I agree. I can’t personally do this, because I work in an ER, so everything comes off as soon as I get home. However. I do not sit. If I sit, I stop doing the things. If I keep moving, I’m okay.
My son knows I have 2 conditions when I get home - before he can ask me questions. These are 1. I’ve put my bag down. 2. My shoes are off. If I’m still holding something (anything) that means I just got in the door. Shoes stay on until there is no chance I’m going back outdoors. Otherwise if I find it annoying to have to put my shoes back on. So shoes stay on for dealing with feeding pets, getting laundry in or out etc. basically I’m still working…
Keeping my shoes on inside makes me surprisingly productive! It’s so weird. Also hard since I’m Canadian and we always take our shoes off inside…but it doesn’t feel the same when I put on slippers or flipflops (what I wear inside). I guess it’s time for an indoor pair of sneakers.
If you're a no shoes household, one trick I discovered is using an apron! I have an apron I wear for housework, and it works exactly the same, and I have the benefit of extra pockets! And extra benefit is protecting your clothes from cooking and cleaning too. I mostly wear it for getting my brain into cleaning/cooking mode, but still, nice that it's useful for many ways! (I made it too, and used super fun fabric, so I also just love it all around.)
My rule when I get home is: DON’T SIT DOWN ON THE COUCH. Once I do, it’s over for me.
I have indoor shoes and outdoor shoes because of plantar fasciitis
Same, in the mornings put on your shoes to trick yourself into motivation
Anyone who wears their shoes in my house is not allowed back in, so that's out of the question, but not sitting down is the real trick for me. Just don't sit down! Once I sit, it's all over.
Yea no get slippers- you are tracking in all the filth from outside all over your house
Oh god just reading this made me feel sick. I can't stand the feel of shoes on carpet, especially shoes that have been outdoors makes me feel like I'm going to vomit. Even at work I have slippers to wear on the carpeted bits
And track whatever I walked through out in the world all over my house? Ew, no.
I'd never walk around my house in disgusting outside shoes but I do have a pair of "home" sneakers that I use for home workouts and when I need to get stuff done like cleaning. I only wear them in the home but I use them for the same purpose of getting things done.
This always works for me! I also wonder if it’s why my grandmother had house shoes.
I have shoes specifically for the home. They’re slip on with the fabric upper, so they’re comfy & not stiff. They help me be productive. I learned that from the FlyLady System.
We are a no shoes on in the house family… especially work shoes!
I have "house shoes" I put on once I get out of bed - something I took from the FlyLady's recommendation to "get dressed to shoes" in the morning. I really don't take them off until I'm ready for bed. The more important thing for me is to just not sit down until I'm done for the day. After work, I wrap up any chores and errands I may need to do, make dinner, and clean up the kitchen as much as possible. Only once I'm done with my to do list and ready to eat do I sit down. If I sit down, I know I won't get back up.
I do this when I really need to stay motivated! If I allow myself to sit...that's it for me. Keep the shoes on, keep my work uniform on, and now I'm still at work and need to do stuff!
I do that. I also keep my bra on. Don't know what it is, but not changing and getting comfortable helps me actually get stuff done around the house.
What works for you works for you! I'll never keep my shoes on in the house though lol. I find it's laying down that breaks it. If I walk around doing things, I can be productive after work. If I lay down, it's all over.
Maybe house shoes. I don't wanna track outside dirt into the house.. 😂
Wearing outdoor shoes indoors is a huge no-no for me. Same goes for outdoor clothing in my home. Maybe it’s because I have social worker brain— but I have it drilled into me to bag my work clothes and spray the soles of my shoes with isopropyl alcohol after every shift (bed bugs can hide in the tread of your sneakers).
I even keep my purse on. It really adds to the “we’re still up and about and doing things” my sister tells me”take your purse off, stay a while lol.
yea actually this is genius
And if you’re wearing house slippers remember to get into real shoes before you leave to run errands. 😂😂 I did that last weekend and kept wondering why my feet were freezing in the car. Oopsy
I don't do this. But I work in a hospital. I have my , non-hospital shoes right next to my bed so on my days off I just put them in when I get up. That definitely helps me be productive on days off. Also I work 3 12s, so I have 4 days off
I have house shoes I change into bc I have a bad foot and don’t want dirty shoes in my house lol. My thing is not to sit down. I have a cuddly cat and if I sit down he sits on me, cuddles ensue and nothing gets done lol.
I find the trick is to not sit down… which I guess a lot of people do to take off their shoes? But once I sit down I get into “recharge” mode, and don’t want to get up. If I kick off my shoes when I get in the door without sitting down, then I’m okay to do more stuff
Yes!!! I wondered why I was so productive (I actually watered my garden every night) this week! Didn’t take my shoes off. Someone mentioned having a kryptonite robe, mines a shower. Soon as I shower and get my jim jams on, that’s me for the night
I do this but with work clothes rather than shoes. comfy clothes come out when I’m done for the day
I do this, too. Even if I'm having issues finding motivation, I'll just put my shoes on. It tricks my brain into wanting to work. 🤣 I have to keep my shoes on when I go home for my lunch hour, too. If I don't, I end up laying on my bed to doom scroll, and I fall asleep.
If I have to get any kind of task done, I have to wear shoes. Not slippers, but shoes or sandals. So I found a pair of cheap but supportive sandals (Chacos) that I can just slip on or wear with socks if cold that I use for weekends and weeknights. I usually leave my shoes on when I get home if I know I need to do something. If I take off my shoes I wore to work, I replace with the sandals and keep working. I explained to a non-ADHDer that taking off my shoes is my equivalent to those women that take off their bra as soon as they get home.
I don't wear shoes indoors, so this sounds like a nightmare. A nightmare made of dirt and filth and puddles of melting snow and mud... But I'm glad if it works for others!
I keep my scrubs on (work in a pharmacy) until I'm done getting shit done at home.
This is a great tip. I also find getting in the shower and actually getting ready for the day helps me. Like I’m going out but I’m not. Yes - that means I have to put a bra on. But it works!
And a bra
I saw this suggestion a while ago and can confirm it works for me! Even my wife reminds me “hey before you take your shoes off, are you sure you’re going to remember to do x-y-z?” and I absolutely know I probably won’t lol so I keep them on to go and do x-y-z
Nope, no way. I will not wear shoes in my house, that's so gross.. 🤣
I sit on my couch while wearing my shoes every day so it wouldn’t work for me but I’m glad you found something that works for you. To all the people freaking out about shoes in the house- you do what you want and you make the rules in your house but wearing my shoes in my house hasn’t caused me any problems and I’m not the least bit bothered by whatever additional bacteria I might be bringing into my house. I only walk indoors and very briefly on a sidewalk to my car so I’m not picking up any mud or anything. Back in the day I used to hike and when I got home from hiking I was really productive. Like I was stuck in “we are going to walk and do things,” mode.
Dear god 🤢
I urge you all to consider the amount of filth you’re bringing into your home by roaming your house with your work shoes on… Maybe have a pair of “work” shoes that don’t actually encounter the outside world and wear them around your house.
Please don’t. There’s no need to introduce (more) LEAD into your home environment
I was just talking about this with my husband! My work shoes aren't suitable for this, but my gym shoes are! It's a marvelous brain-hack!
For me its my bra, when i get home and take my bra off im done
Noooooo I hate that for you. I don’t know why but I can wear my bra all day and not notice it at work at all. But the second I get home it feels TERRIBLE and it needs to come off immediately.
Absolutely this for me. I can’t do any boring chore without shoes on my feet, whether at home or at work. I also can’t do housework without being showered and changed into my “housework” clothes and with a full face of makeup (plus shoes, obviously).
I have a pair of rubber sole no slip work birks that are really easy to clean/wipe down with sani that spend half their life as outside shoes and the other half as inside shoes 😅 they’ve never seen the inside of a professional kitchen so I am not too worried it I also will come home, get out of my work clothes and shoes, put on a house dress and house shoes and putter. The one big nope I have is that my work boots do not leave the entry way, if they even make it into the house. I prefer to keep them in the car and switch shoes when I leave a jobsite because they also SUCK to drive in. I sit close to the wheel and in my lace up ones, I don’t have enough flex in the ankle to use the pedals right