How to Organize Household Chores
- 1). Have a plan in place when it is time to do some serious housework, and that plan is E-V-A-C-U-A-T-I-O-N. That is, if a person isn’t part of the cleaning team, they need to get out of the race. This is the perfect opportunity for dad, grandma or auntie to take the babes and split rather trying to dust around or sweep under them. There’s nothing worse than getting one room completely picked up when the kids’ descend on it with their Legos, crayons and stuffed animals to begin the entropy process anew. You’ll find that you can cut your housecleaning time in half when you aren’t stopping to make snacks, settle squabbles or pick up something that someone just left behind seconds ago. In fact, unplug the phone and put on your favorite CD. The uninterrupted time puttering around one room at a time can actually be quite soothing. Get into a rhythm and stay with one room until it’s done, and then move onto the next. A few hours later, you’ll have something to show for it--end to end. Bottom line: insist on an empty house for a few hours and give yourself a break--even while you clean.
- 2). Divide and conquer. If the issue coming between you and your chores is your busy life away from home, a different strategy is in order. Working moms must do certain chores on certain days. For example, make Friday vacuuming and mopping day (visitors are likelier to come over on the weekends); try setting your alarm an hour earlier on Fridays and knock it out early. If you choose to do them in the evening, before or after dinner, make Fridays take-out nights--and definitely not homemade lasagna night. In other words, set yourself up for success. Choose other nights of the week for tasks like laundry, such as Sundays, so that everyone has a full closet on Monday morning; dusting can be bundled with vacuuming, which leaves windows. Saturday or Sunday mornings are a great time to get outside, away from the noise of cartoons or football, and work on windows. Try using the products that attach to your garden hose to eliminate the need for ladders. Put your headphones on and wash away your cares, and the dirt. Bottom line: carve up the week’s chore list and designate logical days for the various tasks your house requires.
- 3). Get help. That's right, you must get the help you need to get the job done. This doesn't mean that you need to hire a housekeeper; many people have help right under their noses, but are afraid to ask. Any child older than 7 can unload the silverware or maybe some other non-breakable items from the dishwasher. Same goes for dusting--it doesn't take a lot of coordination to dust a coffee table or clean an inside window that is within reach. Get your kids moving and make sure the older kids are doing their share. If you think all the whining isn't worth the trouble, set down firm consequences for that old ploy. A day or two without a phone for most teenagers is enough to stop whining dead in its cellular tracks.
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