How to Share Household Duties

Delegating specific chores and setting deadlines will help the household share responsibility.

Dividing and sharing household chores and duties among all family members can be difficult to do amicably. Often, one person feels he or she is taking on the brunt of the work, or another feels that chores aren't done up to par. Consider what needs to be done, when it needs to be completed and what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are; then delegate chores accordingly. It is helpful if everyone plays a part both in deciding what he or she will be responsible for and in outlining the deadline for task completion.

Instructions

1. Make a list of everything that needs to be done. Write this as specifically as possible. Instead of simply saying "cook dinner," list all the details -- someone needs to wash the vegetables, to chop, to make a note of what staple ingredients such as soy sauce and ketchup are starting to run low, to store leftovers.

2. Include on your list household duties that involve special skills or involve the external world. Some duties do not fall under the traditional boundary of "chores" but are duties that benefit the household nonetheless, such as tracking and paying the utility and property tax bills or arranging for an exterminator to fumigate the house.

3. Call a meeting of all members in your household who will be sharing up duties. Assign specific tasks to specific people. Ensure these tasks meet people's schedules. For example, the last person to leave the house in the morning should be in charge of ensuring the windows are locked, and the first person home in the afternoon should be in charge of thawing the chicken that's in the freezer.

4. Rotate certain tasks that anyone can do, such as dropping off clothes at the dry cleaners.

5. Keep certain tasks the permanent responsibility of the people who are the most invested in the outcome, For example, the picky eater or the bargain hunter should be always in charge of buying groceries.

6. Spell out all the details of tasks for young children, breaking the task apart into smaller pieces. For example, tell a young child to gather all the newspapers, then put them in the recycling bin and then put the lid on the bin.

7. Consider offering children an allowance that directly awards completion of certain and specific tasks, such as 50 cents each time the dog is fed or 1 dollar every time the dishes are washed. Remind your children of this when they ask you to buy them something, and encourage them to do more duties for more money.

References

• Complete Well-Being: Sharing Household Chores
• Disney Family: Giving Chores to Your School Age Child