Running a household can quickly become overwhelming. Satisfaction can be difficult when attempting to manage your household, and you must recognize what is important and let go of the rest.

If you hope to ever find the time to do the important things, like activities with your children or pursuing new interests, it is critical to discover how to efficiently do what is necessary. Once your household becomes organized, the days of never-ending chore lists disappear. Gaining control of household chores will give you much needed time and a feeling of accomplishment. Now that we have isolated the problem, where do you start?

1.	List your priorities
	With such a busy schedule, you must decide just how much housework is necessary. Is it necessary to clean the house from top to bottom every week, or is time spent alone or with family more important? Identify all tasks at hand and prioritize your time.
2.	Set goals
	Working toward short-term and long-term goals increases your sense of accomplishment. Focus on what you have done rather than on what is still left to be done. Your long-term goal may be to put all of your winter clothes away by Easter. Short-term goals may be to pick up the dry cleaning on your way to the dentist. Make a list of your goals each day so that you can have the satisfaction of checking off each completed task.
3.	Schedule chores
	Write up a schedule for household activities. Following a schedule increases efficiency. Planning an order of how jobs are to be completed is more efficient than going from room to room, trying to get it all done at once.
4.	Delegate
	Assign, or have children choose, chores that are appropriate to their age level. Toddlers can help by keeping their toys in the proper toy receptacles. Preschoolers are great dusters. Older children can vacuum or take out the trash. Rotate chores periodically, perhaps on a monthly basis. Insist that all family members, including your spouse, do as much as they can for themselves. It sets a good example for your children to see everyone in the family participate in home maintenance.
5.	Have a laundry basket available for each member of the family
	Each person is responsible for putting dirty clothes in their own basket and taking it to the laundry room on wash day. When the laundry is done, fold the clothes, place them in their assigned laundry basket and return them to their owner. Do not despair if the clothes never make it out of the basket and into the closet. They are at least clean, folded and out of the family room!
6.	Plan ahead
	Take time each night to plan for the next day. This will help you to organize your day and keep you from lying awake at night trying to remember what you promised yourself you wouldn't forget. Laying out clothes and items for the car for work or school will take the pressure off.
7.	Meal planning
	Eliminate those time-wasting extra trips for one or two things. Plan weekly menus and shop for all of the ingredients at once. That should limit grocery shopping to once a week.
8.	Clean as you go
	It is much more difficult and time consuming to let work pile up. It takes less time to put away one load of laundry than to face a week's worth. It takes no time at all to clean up after a snack, but the thought of facing a sink full of dirty dishes can be overwhelming.
9.	Doing two things at once
	Iron clothes, do laundry, or clean out your junk drawer while watching TV. Make those phone calls that are guaranteed to place you on hold while you work in the kitchen. You can clean up after breakfast, unload the dishwasher and put away groceries in the time it takes for "a customer service representative to join you shortly." Portable phones are a great time saving investment.
10.	Just say NO!
	It's great to be flexible, but sometimes you just can't do it all. Just when you've set your priorities and organized your day, always count on some unexpected crisis to demand your time and attention. When you are continually faced with things you don't want to do, you will no longer have the time or energy for the things that are most important. Once you've identified what is most important to you, stand firm. Rehearse saying "no" if you need to. A simple, "No, that won't work for me today. Maybe another time," is all that is required. You cannot take care of everyone's problems without cheating yourself. Remember your time is valuable too!