No matter how many people are involved in it, running a household can quickly get very complicated. Nobody wants to spend a large portion of their free time doing chores, keeping up with piles of laundry, or staying on top of yard work and gardening, but not staying on top of the household tasks means that they eventually pile up and become overwhelming.
The good news is that there are many simple changes that you can make around the home to help yourself and any other people in your household when it comes to staying on top of the necessary home tasks without spending all of your time on them. Then you can get back to being fun and productive at whatever else you really want to be spending your time doing.
#1. Daily Decluttering:
Adopting a simple ‘one bag a day’ decluttering habit is a great idea to keep stuff in your space from piling up and getting in the way. Simply keep a small stash of plastic bags on hand – supermarket bags work quite well – or any other kind of small bag or box depending on what you prefer to use. Once a day, take a few minutes to walk through your house or apartment and take out clutter that you do not need any more. Aim to fill a bag every day; you may find it easier than you expected, as many of us have more excess, unnecessary stuff than we realize.
Some of what you pick up may only be good enough for the trash, but bear in mind that much of your clutter can also be given away and donated. It’s a good idea to keep a donation box somewhere in your house like at your door, in a closet, or even in your car where you can store any items to be donated. Stop by a thrift store or donation center once the box is full.
#2. Keep on Top of Maintenance:
When everything around the home is working well, looking after things will be much easier. The last thing that you need is to have to put up with broken appliances and faulty systems on top of the housework and chores that you already have to do. Your home’s heating and air conditioning units are some of the most important appliances that you have, so it’s a good idea to make sure that they are scheduled for regular HVAC maintenance with a professional. This will not only ensure that your units are running smoothly, but it will also help you avoid any issues around the home such as damp, which could occur as a result of problems.
Be sure to schedule heating and air conditioning repair as soon as it is needed, and if your units are getting on now, look at upgrading them to the best heating and air conditioning units from a reputable company like Semper Solaris. Not only will this make the home more pleasant to live in, it’ll also be more economical for you. Semper Solaris offers a wide range of HVAC services, including maintenance, repair and installation.
#3. Assign Tasks or Areas to Different People:
Unless you live on your own, there’s no reason why you should be doing all of the housework and chores on your own. But, it’s not uncommon for one person to end up taking on all or at least most of the responsibility around the home, which can lead to them ending up getting worn-out and run-down trying to get everything done. You can put an end to this by assigning specific tasks or certain areas of the house to the other people living in it, whether you’re living with family or friends. So, one person can be in charge of the living room, another the bathroom, and everybody does their own laundry and takes turn with washing up. There are several ways in which you can assign household tasks to different people; play around with different methods until you find one that works well for your home.
#4. Come Up with a Simple Meal Plan:
The internet is a great resource for all kinds of recipes and meal ideas, with thousands of food-dedicated websites and blogs to choose from if you’re looking for cooking ideas and inspiration. But, with so many options available, it’s all too easy to end up feeling like you’re meant to use them all when it comes to planning a menu. The truth is that most people are more than happy to repeat a few favorite dishes and meals and try something new out every now and again. Repeating favorites is a great idea because it can save a lot of money, time and stress for whoever’s doing the meal planning and cooking. Make a list of the meals and snacks that you know work well for you and your household, and keep the main ingredients on hand. Then, you can take it further if you like by shopping and preparing your favorite meals in bulk; these can then be refrigerated or frozen ready to warm up and eat throughout the week.
#5. Do the Dishes Before Bed:
Nobody’s the biggest fan of doing the dishes – but that being said, there’s not much worse than waking up to a kitchen full of dirty dishes and pots that have been waiting for you all night. Making sure that the dishes are done before bed might be the last thing that you want to do when you’re tired at the end of a long day, but they’re not going to disappear overnight. It’s so easy for a small pile of dishes to grow into a large one, and the bigger it gets, the less and less you are going to want to tackle it. Instead, have everyone in the household take turns on spending ten minutes each night getting the dishes cleared before bed; it’s a small task that can have a large impact on the energy in your household.
#6. Divide Household Tasks into Daily and Weekly Chores:
Certain household tasks, like washing the dishes and sweeping the kitchen floor, need to be done every day, while others like mopping, emptying the trash, cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming the entire house can be done on a less regular basis. Of course, this will depend on your household – if you have young children, you might find that tasks like mopping and vacuuming need to be done daily as well. Go through all the chores in your home and decide which ones are daily and which are weekly chores. Keep your daily chore list somewhere that’s easy for you to see. When it comes to your weekly list, choose a day like a Sunday where you’ve got some time to tackle them all in one go, or spread them out through the week if that’s easier. The weekly task list is also a good one to assign to other members of your household – have everyone choose their tasks off the list and decide on which day of the week they are going to complete them.
Finally, it’s worth taking some time to research cleaning tips, techniques and tricks that can help you get things done more efficiently. And, make sure that your home is stocked up on the supplies that you will need to get everything done.
