by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: March 14, 2007   Last Updated: April 28, 2007

Domestic chores can often become overwhelming; especially in instances where family members do not input equal amounts of effort in completing their individual tasks. Often, many of us find that we simply do not have the time required to maintain our homes in appropriate order. As chores slide down the list of priorities, laundry may go unwashed for weeks, dishes may pile in the sink, and no one remembers when the trash gets picked up. In order to avoid having your home slowly decline into chaos, follow the following tips to get your chores done in half the time.

1. Make a list: It may sound like making a list will take up more of your time than actually doing your chores, but this is not the case. Making a list will allow you to get a feel for exactly what needs to be done. Although most tasks (laundry, trash, etc) are typically repeated on a regular basis, there are often things to be done which have been put off. Having a list reminds you of these little jobs and prevent you from living in a house with no light bulbs in the closets because you've forgotten to change them, again. In addition, being able to cross off things you've already done will give you a sense of accomplishment and further motivate you to get through your list of duties.

2. Prioritize: Having a set list of things to do will also help you prioritize the tasks with more importance. Doing larger, more involved jobs first and getting them out of the way as early as possible in your chore-completing routine will give you the freedom to accomplish the not-so-important tasks accordingly.

3. Multitask: While the laundry is in the wash, take care of the dishes. Don't wait around or procrastinate and try to do things "one at a time." Doing more than one thing at once cuts down the amount of time you actually spend sulking over what needs to be done and increases your time to relax later.

4. Get into a routine: Getting into a routine with your chores helps cut down the time you spend ten fold. The more you work at perfecting your routine, the easier it will be to identify time consuming tasks and with time, your efficiency will undoubtedly increase.

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