Time Required to Complete Housework Tasks a Hundred Years Ago
17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, November 5, 1912: I must excuse myself for this day.
Data Source: “Time Required to Complete Certain Tasks” in the October, 1912 issue of Ladies Home Journal. (Click on graph to enlarge.)
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll tell you how long it took to complete several household tasks in 1912.
Factory managers in the 1910s believed that workers should be timed doing various tasks to determine how long it took to complete each one.
There also was a movement toward the scientific management of households. Homemakers were encouraged to time how long it took to complete common tasks so that they could better plan their daily schedule.
LOL I think I need to start brushing up my home on a more regular basis. It’s way too much trouble when neglected for blogging for…not going to say how long!
A Hundred Years Ago 
Makes me think of the book Cheaper by the Dozen. The father was an efficiency expert.
that is what I thought of too!! 🙂
Interesting. . . I don’t think that I’ve ever read Cheaper by the Dozen. I’ll have to get it out of the library.
Hi. I like the idea of ‘brushing up’ a room. Lots of cooking and baking going on! Jane
I need to do some “brushing up” of my house as I prepare for Thanksgiving. 🙂
And probably all done without any conveniances we have today. We should have a bunch of spare time to enjoy…what happened?
We don’t have any spare time because we’re too busy blogging. 🙂
LOL, Sheryl you’re are so right. 😀
LOL I think I need to start brushing up my home on a more regular basis. It’s way too much trouble when neglected for blogging for…not going to say how long!
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I need to start thinking about meting my house brushed up. 🙂