Necessary as they might be, most people struggle to find a healthy way to perform household chores without getting overworked, overwhelmed, or just stressed out. Family members, mainly your loved one, will be your main ally in this battle – but the work needs to be mutual.
The thing about house chores is that they can snowball out of control if you’re not careful, and that goes for our partner as well. But how to manage household chores? Are there any tips to make the daily battle a bit easier?
With that, let’s take a look at how to keep up with household chores and share them with your family without losing your mind!
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." – Judy Garland
Figure out a system that works
If one of the main issues is that no tasks are clearly delegated, then start from there. Maybe you don’t mind doing the laundry and your partner doesn’t mind doing the dishes. Maybe it’s the other way around. Find which tasks both of you are more aligned to and from there, figure out a system that works.
This can be as simple as “you do this, I do that. And it’s important that both are in agreement, so there’s no griefing over who gets to do what – talk, decide, and then commit.
House chores are more or less a job. Both of you have your responsibilities and as long as both of you stick to them, the system should work!
But there’s an important footnote here:
This delegation should never turn into reasons to point fingers. If one of you forgets to do a certain task, or if one of you is too tired on any given day, just communicate that to your partner. It’s not the end of the world. Both of you should be open to understand that it’s OK to take a break, take turns, or just have a lazy day together.
The plan is to make your life easier, so help each other out and be kind!
Find ways to make it fun
You know what I like to do when I’m folding laundry? I set up my phone in front of me with a YouTube video that I think fits how long it will take to finish the task. There are many channels out there you can just listen to without having to watch all the time and it saves my life.
Perhaps you’re comfortable doing the same but with Netflix shows. Or just some music to sing along to. It’s up to you!
Besides, I find that using this sort of “timer helps in making me realize there’s no reason to procrastinate certain tasks. I tend to watch a lot of 20-minute videos, and I’m almost always done before the video is over.
Switch things up
This more or less fits into the first topic, but it’s important to give it more emphasis: you shouldn’t feel like one of you is doing most of the work. If you’re constantly tired and overwhelmed with the amount of chores you have, then maybe it’s time to share some of them.
Obviously it’s not possible to divide everything one-for-one since different chores require different efforts, but if that’s the issue, consider rotating the chores on a daily or weekly basis. One week you do dishes, next week it’s your partner.
Get a calendar or planner and find a way to rotate chores so that neither of you are doing the same task over and over again. It helps in keeping things flowing!
Hire a cleaner
Everyone needs a break. Don’t feel like the both of you should always be exclusively responsible for everything – especially after a long week. If you feel like things might get out of control but you can’t find the time for a cleanup, consider hiring a local house cleaning company.
It’s fairly inexpensive and saves you both the hassle and the time. Many homeowners enjoy the idea of performing most chores themselves, but also hire a cleaner once a month for the more time consuming stuff.
It’s also a good alternative if you’re allergic to dust – leave the vacuuming and sweeping for a cleaner and you’ll never have to worry.
Declutter
The math I’m proposing is very simple: the less things you have, the less stuff you have to organize.
Now, I’m not suggesting you change your entire life to become a minimalist and never buy anything ever again. Of course not. I’m just suggesting it might be time for a full declutter – store away or get rid of all the unnecessary stuff.
For example, clothing. Maybe you still have shirts and pants that are too old, some don’t fit, some that are ripped… but they’re still piling up your closet and leaving you little space to store pieces you actually use. Give those away and free up your closet for good. Now you have way more space and less laundry to do as a result!
Need some help keeping the house clean? Get free quotes for house cleaners in your area today!
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