We call them household chores – not household fun activities – for a reason. They often feel like the main obstacle standing between us and what we really want to be doing. Plus, they’re constant. As soon as you finish one round of chores it’s time to start up another. If it feels like you and your spouse can never get ahead, you’re not alone. Not only do they add work to your individual plates, but when you’re not aligned on how to handle them, it can strain your marriage as well. If you need to breath some new life into this area, keep reading. We’re sharing four fresh ways to approach household chores.
1. Focus on your current needs.
You probably feel the pressure to do it all, and there’s always something to be done. But that is overwhelming, unsustainable, and frankly not very realistic. Instead, figure out which chores are most crucial and make the most sense for the season of life you’re in right now. Prioritize those. Everything else can wait, or they can be bonus tasks to complete when you have a little extra time or capacity. For example, if you’ve got a newborn or toddlers at home, keeping a spotless home isn’t going to be the best use of your time and energy. Instead, you might focus on keeping up with laundry, or only scrubbing the high traffic areas. If you’re able, consider paying for services to take care of certain chores for you, even just for a short time. This option can be just the reprieve you need to prevent burnout. It can also give you breathing room to get yourself in a better position to take the responsibilities back on yourself.
2. Stick to a schedule.
If a large part of your struggle is managing what to do and when, create a schedule. (If you need an example or template, the internet is chockfull of them.) Tailor the schedule to meet your needs and preferences. The beauty of a set schedule is you don’t have to devote mental energy to remembering what you need to do each week – it’s all planned out for you. Once it’s established, you can make it part of your routine, and plan your day accordingly. For example, if you know you clean all the floors on Saturday mornings, you and your spouse can incorporate this into your plan for the day without much effort.
3. Get the whole family involved.
If you’ve got children who are old enough to take on some household responsibilities, then make it a family affair. You can get creative with how you assign tasks each week – maybe drawing from a chore jar, creating a rotation, or even tying it to the results of your family game night. Not only is it a great way to model responsibility and teamwork for the kids, more hands means less work for you and your spouse and faster completion overall. Consider combining this option with a schedule and fun weekly tradition. For example, everyone does their chores Saturday morning, and then you all head out for family brunch afterward.
4. Work smarter, not harder.
We typically think of chores as separate tasks we have to get done outside of (or in addition to) the more enjoyable things we actually want to do – and that’s what makes them feel like such a drag! So what if you found ways to incorporate chores into the things you’re already doing? For example, if you’re outside playing with the kids in the evening, you might as well take out the trash bins for tomorrow’s pickup while you’re at it. Lounging on the couch and listening to a podcast? Maybe fold that basket of laundry while you listen. Cooking dinner? Why not pack the kids lunches while the kitchen is already a mess? These are small add-ons, but they can have a cumulative effect of increasing your efficiency while saving you time – it just takes a little forethought.
While these things might not all be brand new concepts to everyone, hopefully one of these ideas will spark a wave of motivation to tackle those chores in a new way. After all, they’re not going anywhere – but switching things up might be the energizing boost you need when they’re weighing you down.
