How to Divide Household Chores With Your Spouse

Make the list. All the chores that have to be done should be included into a list. By the way, include every little thing, even changing the toilet paper. It's very important to include everything, because you and your spouse (and even children, if you want to make them do something to help you) have the right of choice.

Sit and negotiate. The next step is negotiation over the chores. Talk about the things that both of you like, don't mind, reluctant or hate doing. Why do you need it? It's because you shouldn't make your spouse do things that they hate. In case both of you can't stand cleaning the toilet, then try to find the way out of this situation, for instance, you can do it as a team or hire someone, who can do it for you.

Set the time. There isn't a single family, where spouses live in a perfect sync. Everyone needs certain amount of time for doing the same chore. For instance, it would take you about five minutes to do the dishes, while your spouse will be doing it for ten minutes. Don't nag, if your spouse can't do as many chores as you do or has to leave something undone. They have their own tempo, that is also should be taken into account.

Set the frequency. Some people are crazy about keeping the house clean, while others never notice the mess around. If you're the first kind of person, well, you have to understand, that the roof of the house won't fall down, if you stop cooking three dishes every night or won't scrub the kitchen floor every day. At the same time if you're a messy person, find some chores, that you can make more often than it's required. You do it just to make your spouse happy, nothing else.

Divide. Now it's time to divide the chores and make it effectively. You can do it according to the results of your negotiation or use another technique, that requires flipping the coin. It's very good, when you set one day of the weekend for cleaning your house. The technique is very simple: the winner chooses the chore that they would like to do. If you're dividing the chores with your kids, then it's better to let them first do it. The next chores can be picked, only when the first one is completed. Remember about setting the time, otherwise watering flowers will last all day long.

Keep it fair. Once all chores are distributed among everyone, see if everyone is happy. If you feel some resentment about the chores that you have to do (for instance, you've got the most difficult or messy chores), then talk about it. It's much easier to move the chores on paper, then fighting, because someone isn't playing fair.