How to effectively schedule your house chores

Schedule your housework to get things done in a timely fashion and to ensure they get done each and every week.

A daily cleaning schedule

One of the most efficient ways to break up the household chores is to have a daily chore schedule. If you are not afraid of monotony and would rather get a little bit done at a time — or if your work or school schedule only allows you to accomplish small amounts of housework at a time — this is a perfect option. A daily schedule can also work to schedule chores for older children and to help encourage younger children to help with the housework. It can help keep family members accountable, creates a steady routine and gets the house clean on a weekly basis.

Here’s a perfect example of a daily schedule that gives you one day off as a reward for all your hard work.

• Monday: Dishes and kitchen
• Tuesday: Bathrooms
• Wednesday: Surface clean and organizing
• Thursday: Dusting and vacuuming
• Friday: Trash and start laundry
• Saturday: Finish laundry, fold and put away
• Sunday: Take the day off

How to start a family chore chart >>

A weekend cleaning schedule

Maybe a schedule or daily routine doesn’t sound appealing or doesn’t work for your situation. A weekend schedule might be a better fit and is often easier for working parents, people who travel for work or would rather enjoy a clean house — and for people who prefer more days off from cleaning house. There are many ways to arrange a weekly schedule, but it’s usually best to take one to two days to really focus on your chores and spend a little more time in sections of the house, instead of separate rooms.

20 age-appropriate chores >>

Designating specific chores to family members is a good way to take the pressure off of yourself, get children involved and keep your house clean. An easy way to delegate — and ensure everyone is happier with his or her chores instead of feeling forced — is to do a trial run.

• Do a trial run for two to three weeks, alternating chores between you and your family members.
• At the end of the trial run, list out all of the chores your family must do to keep the house in clean running order.
• Divide up the chores based on the number of people.
• Ask each family member to pick his or her top favorites from the list.
• Assign each family member chores based on their favorites and what’s available.
• You can also go a step further and assign days (especially to work around school, sports, work and other activities).

More on getting organized

Organizing tips: De-clutter for a healthy home
How to organize your kitchen pantry
How to teach your kids to be organized