Household tasks – who does what?  It is never ending! 

It is something that requires constant attention – but does not need to be overwhelming.  Do you go by traditional husband & wife roles?  Husband does outside work, wife does inside work?  Or do you switch it up a bit. 

The traditional roles definitely didn’t work for me!  My issue with it was that I love to be outside.  So the outside yard work was right up my alley.  Especially these days while I am home with my little boys – it is a great escape to get outside with my iPod and cut the grass on a nice sunny day.  Not only am I getting ALONE time – but I am getting great exercise too!

So if I’d only known sooner…… there I was cleaning up after dinner on a Sunday night and realized it was trash night and mentioned this to Derek.  Thinking well I am doing the dishes – he should take care of the trash.  Time goes by, I am almost done loading the dishwasher – which felt like the umpteenth time that day – and the trash still hasn’t’ been taken out!  I get huffy, and instead of ask nicely, now I am complaining, “Derek I already told you about the trash – why are you dragging your feet?” Then a fight starts and we are both mad, and the trash still hasn’t been taken out.  We had several household issues like this – on both of our parts – both of us thinking that a chore needs to be done, so why isn’t my sweetie doing it?  And then getting mad. 

That why we started the See It – Do It chore system.  Here’s how it works – If you see a chore that needs to be done (that is normally done by your spouse) and you have noticed it several times and it’s still not getting done, and it’s starting to get you irritated – THEN DO IT YOURSELF!  And do so without complaining about it – OR making a BIG announcement that you finally did it.  Following this practice will lead to less tension and irritability and the task will get done!

After you keep that mindset, take the time to figure out what chores needs to be done – grass, trash, cooking, cleaning, etc. and see who wants to do what.  You both like them all (not likely), then share – take turns. 

I know what you are thinking.  “Yeah – right – I’ll see it and I’ll be the only one doing it!”  Of course you don’t want one spouse who ends up doing all the chores.  So that’s why you sit down and hash out the chore list.  Here’s an idea of things to put on the list:

• Yard work (grass, hedges, flowers, weed-wacking)
• Laundry
• Taking trash out
• Grocery shopping
• Cooking & dishes
• Inside house cleaning
• Exterior house maintenance
• Projects – Honey Do’s
• Picking up children’s toy messes
• Putting kids to bed/bathed

After assigning chores, you get a general sense of who is doing what, but again I stress – see something NOT done?  As Nike says – Just Do IT!  It takes a lot less time just to get the task done rather than complain, fight and still have to do the task.

-Wendy

Helping you achieve your Domestic success!