We have come up with some top tips to manage your housework when you both work full time.
Relationships on Female First
If you both work a 40 hour minimum week, it should not be down to one person to do the household chores, so here is how you can have housework harmony with your partner.
Forget about traditional roles- Times have changed- women work just as many hours as men do so you need to both let go of this preconceived notion that household jobs should be done by the ladies because this is no longer the case.
Make a list- If your cleaning habits are haphazard at best, then come up with a day where you can set aside a few hours to clean your shared home. It might be a Sunday where you have little else on or if you both have a half day from work. Work through the list and each take half of the jobs taking into consideration how big they are.
Change it up- Don't do the same job every week- if you are always assigned cleaning the toilet, you will dread merely walking past it. Mix up the jobs so you aren't saddled with monotony every week.
Make it fun- Stick on some music or a DVD you've seen a hundred times while you work- its needs doing so try and jazz it up as much as you can.
Have rewards- Once your done- have sex, go to the movies or have a meal out- give yourselves an incentive to get it done and go out and have some fun knowing you can come back to an organised space.
Spread it out- If you can't manage your home all in one day, do a little bit and often. Each take one job and do something small every night of the week so you're spacing out the tasks and not wiping out a day of your weekend for cleaning.
Cook alternatively- Plan your meals a week before and who's going to cook them. If you each take care of half the meals a week and do them on alternate days you won't feel the pressure to be the bringer of the food every night. Or better yet, make it together.
Something is better than nothing- If you have both had a really busy week, do something rather than nothing. A messy environment can bring you down if you're already feeling negative about things in your professional life. Even if it's putting your clutter in a box or basket so it's in once place and you can go back to it later.
Share washing duties- One of you can wash and dry the clothes while the other one irons. And again swap it up if you feel that you are tiring of your side of the washing cycle. Ironing is much more appealing when you have the TV or a DVD on in the background too!
Thank each other- Even if you are doing everything 50/50 it's important to recognise that you have both contributed to keeping your shared space tidy. Thank each other for all your hard work and be smug in the knowledge that you work well as a team.
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