A family home is a busy place and the bigger your family, the longer your to-do list is likely to be. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone, but there are ways to lighten the load. Firstly, you probably need to take some pressure and expectation off yourself. Not every part of your house needs to be tended to every day, and some chores will be fine with a weekly or even a monthly routine. Trying to do too much will ultimately cause you to be stressed and tired, which will have a knock-on effect for the atmosphere in your home and your health.
Here are 6 ways to make running your home a little easier so you and your family can enjoy more quality time together.
Work as a Team
Depending on the age of your children, you don’t need to do everything by yourself. Work out which chores, tasks or responsibilities you can assign to your children and partner to take some of the pressure off with a family housework rota. You could do this via a rota to ensure no one is always doing the same tasks, or you can assign specific rooms of the house that each family member needs to keep tidy. It’s not only a great way to spread the workload but also teaches your children about responsibility and independence.
Create a Menu
There are lots of family cooking websites, TV programmes and books which suggest that we should all be cooking a different healthy meal every night of the month. The truth is that this rarely works in the real world and having a core list of favorite meals that you can rotate is a much more manageable approach. It will help when planning your shopping list and should keep costs down as you can buy in bulk and avoid having to buy small quantities of lots of different ingredients.
Take Advantage of Technology
The modern world is simply brimming with gadgets and technology designed to make running and cleaning a home easier than ever before. Smart technology can automate lights, security, heating systems, a range of electrical appliances. For example, robot vacuum cleaners will automatically travel around your floors cleaning up the dirt and dust. Sensors enable it to avoid your furniture so you can get on with something else or just sit back and relax. Wired Smart has reviewed some of the best robot vacuum cleaners on the market.
Break Chores Down into Chunks
Tackling a chore only becomes more intimidating if we put it off. A good habit to get into is doing a little bit at a time. For example, spend 5 or 10 minutes a day going around the house with a plastic bag and filling it with rubbish and clutter. When you’ve finished cooking, leave pans to soak straight away and try to clean each day’s dishes before you go to bed. Leaving piles of washing up overnight or longer quickly becomes a much harder problem to face.
Maximize Your Storage
Storage could be your best friend if you manage it correctly, and if possible, you should try and keep as much as possible off the floor. Shelves, cupboards and hanging nets are ideal as they make it easier to keep floors clear and uncluttered, making your cleaning quicker and your home safer.
Set Timed Challenges
A chore can often look worse than it is. If you have a mammoth pile of washing up to clear, give yourself 10 minutes on a timer and do as much as you can. Come back later and do another 10 minutes and so on until you’re done. Try setting your children timed challenges to speed things up. Give them 10 minutes to clear the lounge of toys. When you look at tasks in this way, they seem much more manageable and can even be fun if you introduce an element of friendly competition between siblings.
