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If you have "time on your hands," you’re very lucky indeed. For most of us, time is short, and making time for keeping our house clean can require creative thinking.
Organizing your family is priority one, for why should you have to do all the work yourself? Your personal time is important too.
First, make a visible schedule for the entire crew. Buy a big calendar at your office supply store or a "quick-erase" board. Write pertinent "to-do" lists on it and make sure that all family members "stop by" once a day to assess their duties. This is also a great place to list appointments or events that the kids must attend: doctor, school, sports, and so on. If everyone is computer-literate, and especially if your computers are networked, create this form there, and ask all involved to read it once daily.
Once other "priority" activities are out of the way, it’s time to assign house maintenance responsibilities. Certain tasks need to be done daily, like washing dishes, wiping down the kitchen and bath counters and tidying bedrooms. Laundry is probably a weekly or twice-weekly chore. Why not meet with the family and ask everyone what duties they see as most important (do daily), not so important (twice weekly) and so on? Invite kids to choose what they like to do; then assign as appropriate what’s left on the list.
If you’re a parent, know that turning your attention to your children first will then allow you to relax when it’s time to attend to your own needs. For youngsters, in the evenings you’ll want to make school lunches, and choose clothes for Susie’s next school day. If the older kids have scheduled activities, coordinate tomorrow’s transportation before it's crunch time. Develop a weekend agenda, so the family knows ahead of time that they’re expected to mow the lawn, or clean the garage as a team. A bit of preparation and advance notice will allow everyone to be aware and will prevent any surprises.
