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 Chore
Chart
From
a family home to a college apartment, a good chore chart can save a lot
of hassle and work for a lot of different people. Most of us
remember the chore chart from the days of our youth, posted on the
refrigerator or in the kitchen and outlining everyone’s
chores for the week or for a particular day. A lot of people dreaded
the chore chart since it meant that Mom would be on their cases about
not washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. Now older and
(hopefully) wiser, groups of people are starting to realize that chore
charts aren’t all that bad after all.
I’ve yet to live in a house or an apartment where all of the
cooking and cleaning duties are handled quickly and evenly, with
everyone pulling their weight and nobody slacking off or being forced
to do more than their share of the work. There’s
almost always a disproportionate balance, even if you’re just
living with one other person, since one of you is inevitably the clean
person who gets sick of dirt and grime sooner than the other, and then
the clean person usually ends up doing most of the cleaning.
More variables usually work into the equation if you’re
living in a big house with more people, but the general dynamic of the
situation is usually pretty much the same.
If you put up a chore chart with a rotation of duties between the
roommates, things get a lot easier. You can hold people
accountable for slacking off without feeling like you’re
being mean about it. Everyone’s duties are clearly
outlined so you know what you’re responsible for and what
you’re not. If you also delegate out cooking
duties, everyone in the house can be treated to large, home-style meals
every night of the week (or at least having good leftovers every night
of the week) without having to cook all the time. Not only
that, one person making a big meal for everyone results in fewer dishes
than if every housemate would make his or her own meal every
evening.
Just like when you were a kid, if everyone pitches in when taking care
of cooking and cleaning, then everyone can be held accountable and
things can be done faster and more efficiently than if you adapt an
ad-hoc cleaning regimen. Though a few people may grumble
about the chore chart, it’s usually only those who
weren’t doing anything to begin with.
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