HouseWork: How to Make it Easier

It isn't easy to find the time to keep up on housework. Unfortunately, that means the dishes, trash, the kids' toys, and laundry, pile up and somehow get scattered around the house. The weekend arrives and you have an enormous mess on your hands. Now, you are left with three options.

1. Stand there immobilized, and stress over how daunting the task is

2. Pack up the family and go out for the day so you don't have to face the mess.

3. Make the process easier and get the job done quicker by breaking it down into manageable steps, and still have time to enjoy the weekend

Of course, you can choose any option you'd like, but let me explain why choice one and two are not the most effective approaches.

Option 1 is a waste of your time and energy. You stare at the mess, angry, frustrated, stressed out, and defeated. How are you going to get it all done? Why do you always have to spend your weekends cleaning? With this approach, nothing gets done and your energy is depleted.

Option 2 is a little better than option 1. At least you are spending your time doing something enjoyable with your family. The only problem is, when you get home the fun comes to a screeching halt because, guess what! The mess is still there.

Now that we've covered why options 1 and 2 are not the best choices, let me explain why number 3 is.

With the third option, you skip the stressing and complaining and get right to work. You have a simple and effective plan of action. The job gets done quicker and is a lot easier.

If you are ready to give option 3 a go, and take the unnecessary pain out of cleaning your home, the following steps will show you how.

1. Begin by writing down every room in the home that needs to be cleaned. Then, pick a room to start with; for instance the kitchen.

2. Next, make a list of tiny steps for cleaning the kitchen. Here is and example of what that list might include:

a. gather and throw away all trash

b. Put any items left out on the counters in their appropriate place

c. Unload the dishwasher

d. Load the dishwasher

Make the steps simple; it makes the work feel a lot easier. I like checking things off the list; even if they are small things like, throwing away the trash. I feel like I am making a lot of progress.

3. Continue this process for every room. Focus on one room at a time, completing only the steps written down for that room. Once you have finished the room, move onto the next one on your list.

4. Do not look at the whole list. If you concern yourself with one-step at a time, you will not feel overwhelmed. Before you know it, you'll have completed everything on your list.

I use this approach when I clean my house, and I can honestly say it takes me about half as long to get the work done. Another great thing about this is that, I actually have fun doing it.

If you are tired of feeling defeated and stressed about all of the housework, try breaking it down into small manageable steps and see how much easier it becomes. Maybe you won't have as much fun with it as I do, but at least you'll be able to get it done in less time and have more time left over to do the things you enjoy on your weekends.

Note: For more helpful tips for around the house, see the links on the left listed under resources.