Getting A Routine, Part 2 – Delegating and Imperfection

So the to-do list is made and I know my priorities. But before I let all this enthusiasm sweep me away, I have to be realistic. In a few days (maybe a week) I won't be nearly so excited about doing housework. Time to make things reasonable.

I certainly didn't make this entire mess by myself. Why should I clean it all by myself? It may sound childish, but I really am going to need help to get this house the way I want it (and keep it there) without becoming a slave to it. I need to delegate.

First up are the kids. The worst offenders. The older ones should be able to handle some basic chores, and even the toddler can “help” until she's bigger. I've put off assigning chores because of my oldest's (suspected) Asperger's, but he should be able to handle it now. And with summer vacation only a few weeks away, it'll help fill some of their free time (so they'll have less time to fight with each other).

The kids already are expected to pick up their own toys, put their clothes in the hamper, etc, but it's definitely time to tack on things like putting their laundry away, wiping the table and counters... things that will actually help me. After all, they live here too!

If you're looking for chores for your kiddos, this post has great ideas for young children. They can handle more than you would think.

Along with this delegation (especially the chores delegated to the kids) comes the other part of staying sane: dealing with imperfection.

The kids are not going to do things perfectly. Their clothes will get rumpled a bit when they put them away. That's okay. They're kids. Their beds will not be perfectly made. That's okay. They're kids. It'll take a while for them to get the hang of things.

The harder part of dealing with imperfection is dealing with it in myself. I can tell you right now I am not going to finish all the chores on my list today. That's okay. As long as I get at least the 2 mandatory ones done (meds and litter box), we will survive to clean another day. I feel sorry for anyone who appears at my door today, but they'll live too.

The chore list I created isn't meant to start me off doing every single thing on it. It's a priority list. The things that need doing the most are at the top. If I don't get to the bottom, that's okay. If I can do at least one lower priority chore (lower than Weekly) every few days, then I'll slowly shrink the list. If I can do more than that, wonderful! I'll shrink it even faster. And without feeling like I have a mountain to demolish every day.


So now the list is made, chores have been delegated, and I'm prepared to deal with things not being done "perfectly" every time. It's finally time to start my routine!


The next little series of posts will be tips and tricks for the daily chores on my list. Anything to make a chore easier!