Division of labor - household tasks

[kristenk]

I've really let things in the house slip. A lot. I have definite pack-rat tendencies and clutter follows me everywhere and I know that I need to get better about that. We had a housekeeper who came in every 2 weeks, but she stopped working in October b/c she was expecting her first child. The house was in a better general state back then because we had to make sure things were picked up/put away every 2 weeks so she could clean. Clutter and stuff has piled up since then (with general overhauls for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but a lot of stuff ended up in the master bedroom). We just don't do a good job staying on top of it. That's what I'd like to change!

We don't have a specific division of tasks for DH, DD and me. DH works full-time. DD is almost 11 years old. I'm a SAHM who doesn't seem to actually have too much time AT home. I know that I should have the majority of the tasks since I have the most available time, but I'd like to come up with a list of tasks each family member is responsible for. If you have one, what's on it?

We've been remiss in establishing good habits for DD and I really want to get going with that. I can see her turning into me when she's older and I'd like to save her from that fate!

[niccig]

Our division is loose and not everything gets done as often as we should

I do bathrooms and kitchen - I'm more picky about these and can do them faster than DH. Kitchen I do as I cook, and bathroom is every 2 weeks. I cook and do most of grocery shopping though I'm about to start home delivery as very busy for next 3 months.

DH does the laundry, dishes after dinner, and vacuums (doesn't vacuum as often as should).

DS does his laundry, towels and sheets.

We're all supposed to dust.

We're all supposed to pick up.

We fall down on the dusting, vacuuming and picking up. The house isn't as clean as it should be...oh well.

[123LuckyMom]

Have you tried setting a timer for 15 minutes each day and doing what you can accomplish in that time? It's pretty incredible how much you can get done, and because it's such a discrete and brief period of time, it doesn't feel at all overwhelming.

DH and I don't have much household chore sharing. I pretty much do everything. He cleans the kids' tub and has started doing the dishes after dinner. Sometimes he'll sweep or mop, because mopping is my least favorite activity in all the world. Otherwise, I pretty much do everything.

[emily]

Really, DH takes care of loading dishes after dinner and I do everything else. I'm okay with this because DH has really long commute and I work PT from home. the kids are expected to pick up after themselves and older DC (6,5) also clean their rooms and playroom. I give myself 15-30 minutes in the AM after drop off and 15-30 min in the PM while DH gets kids ready for bed to do household chores. Anything more is difficult and unrealistic. I've actually made myself a monthly schedule. Some tasks are weekly, others biweekly and others monthly. Our house is never sparkling but it's generally clean enough that I'm not embarrassed if we get unexpected visitors. For me it's more about maintaining and not getting to the point where I have to take a day off to clean the house because I've let it go too much.