Sharing the Load

Getting everyone in your household onboard

2 minute read

In an ideal world, everyone in the household would work together without complaint, cheerfully completing tasks, tidying, clearing up and ensuring that the daily running of the house runs smoothly. In reality, this often isn’t the case and when not everyone is onboard, this can cause upset and resentment. With that in mind, APDO member Jennie Smith shares her top ten tips to encourage everyone to work together, when it comes to completing those sometimes boring household chores.

1. Firstly, you’ll need to decide which household jobs need doing and who will do what. Plan a convenient time for everyone to sit down together. Make it somewhere comfortable in your home and bring a pad and pen for notes. Ensure that there are no distractions, such as phones pinging, as you’ll want everyone to be focussed. 
2. Together, draw up a list of jobs to be done and list them in frequency, such as daily/weekly/monthly. Allocate jobs fairly, ensuring that you ask each household member if they have a preference before asking them to do a task – you may find that someone loves taking out the bin and organising the recycling, whilst someone else enjoys cleaning the bathroom!
3. It’s crucial that everyone is clear about exactly what they’re expected to do, to avoid confusion down the line. For that person looking after the laundry, does this mean just washing, or the drying and folding as well?
4. Make sure that jobs are age appropriate. For example, younger children could make sure that the toys are tidied away at the end of each day.
5. Encourage the ‘one touch’ rule, whereby everyone puts an item away immediately, rather than leave it until later. This will help to keep the house tidy and stop the clutter building up.
6. If children are involved, get them to create a visual reminder, such as on a whiteboard in the kitchen, or a written list stuck up on the fridge. Perhaps they could decorate it with coloured pens and stickers, so that it’s fun to look at, and not just a list of boring instructions.
7. Set aside time, weekly or fortnightly, when you can gather together to discuss how the plan is going. Are chores being done as agreed, or do you need a reset and change around? Allow plenty of time to talk so that everyone can put forward their thoughts and ideas. 
8. Be flexible and, if necessary, rewrite the plan, so that household members are happy. If everyone feels they’ve had a part to play in the coordination, they’ll take more pride and have a sense of satisfaction in being part of a team.
9. You might want to download a household management app, such as Tody or Sweepy which are helpful for letting you know when a job was last done and when it needs doing again. There is also a home organisation app, Flatastic. This is especially good for flatmates, as it features a shared cleaning schedule, expense tracking to split bills and a synchronised shopping list.
10. Create incentives to encourage that sense of achievement. Arrange a monthly outing or treat that everyone can enjoy: you will all deserve it for working so well together! 

Above all, keep communicating and make sure you show your appreciation to each other for creating an ordered and cohesive household. These are valuable lessons for the future and you’re setting a great example to take forward in life. An organised and well-run home will certainly help create a happy household!

And if you need a little extra help from a professional organiser, take a look at our member's directory.