FAMILY CLEANING SCHEDULE IDEAS
Are you tired of your family procrastinating, bickering and fighting over who has to do which chores? Here are some ideas to make things more fair and equal, along with incentives and rewards for a job well done. Not only will your chores be handled more efficiently, but your family will have more fun doing them.
Divide and Conquer
If there are jobs that no one wants to do, have a drawing each week. You can write down the worst chores that no one likes onto little slips of paper. Have the family each draw a chore so that everyone has equal responsibility in the chores that are less desirable or more time consuming. You can make a rule that no one can have the same "bad" chore two weeks in a row. If they draw the same chore, they have the option of putting it back and drawing again.
Create a Reward System
Another way to get people to do the chores that they don't want to is to start up a points or rewards system. Jobs that everyone hates can be worth the most points and their completion will be the fastest way to the reward. You can tailor the rewards to each individual so that there is lots of incentive to make it to a certain number of points. You can also add on stipulations, such as, "If the list of regular chores in your name is not complete, then you may not participate in the bonus competition."
Positive Reinforcement
There is no greater motivator than hearing that you are doing a good job. Refrain from helping other family members by telling them what they are doing wrong or how to do it your way. The idea behind only using positive statements is that if will motivate your family members into doing the jobs and they begin to take pride in those jobs, then they will figure out how to do them better. You can give generic demonstrations at a weekly family chore meeting as to how you would like something to be done before you will consider it complete if you need to.
Make it Easier on Everyone
Instead of saving everything in the house for one day, make bonus points available to family members that can demonstrate that they spent either 5 or 10 minutes straightening up the main problem areas of the house. Points can be given for doing your own laundry (which includes putting it away) or for doing the dishes after the family meals. Be creative with your rewards, support your family with positive statements, and making chores fair will help your family to keep the house clean without all of the fuss.
About the Author: Jo Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online retailer of well made clothing hangers in a wide variety of styles and size.