Be honest: how much of your brain space is currently taken up by your to-do list? Do you fall asleep at night thinking about meal prep or the online shopping return you still haven’t organised? Or are your thoughts constantly interrupted by a never-ending inventory of household tasks: unloading the dishwasher, making sure your clothes are clean or getting around to deep-scrubbing the bathroom?

If you often find yourself stressed about when you’ll get time to wash the floors, you’re not alone. According to new research by Samsung Electronics, Brits are spending 76% as much time thinking about tackling housework tasks as actually doing them – and it’s creating an ‘invisible load’. 

The study found that the average person is responsible for at least eight tasks in their home, often totaling more than 30 hours a week, almost equating to a full-time job. This becomes particularly relevant for women: the 2023 British Social Attitudes survey confirmed that women are still doing the biggest share of housework, even though three-quarters of respondents said domestic labour should be split equally.

The research revealed that, despite the increased availability of advanced smart home technology, many people are still spending almost as much time – and in some cases more – mentally preparing to undertake regular household tasks as the time they spend doing them. According to Samsung, Brits spend 98% as much time thinking about washing the dishes as they do carrying out the task itself,  86% as much time thinking about home security as they do taking action to prevent household threats and 84% as much time thinking about cooking meals as cooking the meal itself.

And this pressure to maintain a pristine, CleanTok-worthy space is having an adverse effect, with 50% of respondents admitting to feeling stressed at least half of the time and almost half (46%) regularly struggling to focus on everyday tasks. Heightened by the cost of living crisis, three in five (59%) of respondents confirm that the cost of energy has affected household tasks, making them more stressful and difficult to manage.

To help redress the balance, Samsung has launched the Invisible Load Index, developed in partnership with happiness expert Mo Gawdat. Using a clever formula (Invisible Load = Intensity x Time x Frequency) it enables anyone to calculate their own Invisible Load by examining the physical load of the household tasks they are responsible for, as well as the mental burden associated with them. 

Intrigued? You can have a go at calculating your personal Invisible Load score here. 

Images: Getty