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Discover the secrets of using to do lists effectively for tasks at home
Break up your chores at home into specific categories based on time taken to complete, before you attempt to create to do lists. For instance, quick tasks can be completed in half an hour or less (example - feeding your dog.) Medium tasks on to do lists may take between half an hour and one hour, large tasks can take between one and two hours (say, reorganizing the wardrobe). You could also have extra large tasks that take longer than two hours, for instance, cleaning the attic. This grouping will help you better organize your to do lists. Also group your chores by the place where you do them. For instance, you may have kitchen chores like scrubbing counters, cleaning cabinets, etc. You may have bathroom tasks like scrubbing the floor and so on. You could assign different days of the week to each location. Create a grid with the days of the month numbered from 1 to 31 along the top and the tasks down the left column. This is best if you have a large whiteboard to use; else you could use a spreadsheet on your computer or even a large sheet of paper. When you list the tasks down the left side, group them by the frequency with which they need to be done. Some tasks are daily (like feeding the dog), others can be done twice a week (cleaning the toilets), some may be weekly (laundry, etc), others once in two weeks and so on. Once you have the grid set up, you can track task completion by putting a check mark in the box corresponding to the day of the month and the task. Try to spread your load more or less evenly throughout the week. Don't jam all sorts of activities into Wednesday while Tuesday and Thursday are practically free! If possible, have one day of the week that you make as task-free as possible. You could order food from outside, use paper plates and so on. If once a week isn't possible, schedule a break at least once a month. Either way, schedule it in your grid. And stick to it! Be flexible. To do lists are not meant to be rigid taskmasters. You will slip up on scheduled items from time to time. Conversely, if you have extra time today, you might choose to do some of tomorrow's tasks today. No hard and fast rules here! You may find this task listing and scheduling to be quite a task in itself the first time you do it. But remember, it's hardest the first time. After that, you already have most of your to do lists readily available and the next time you do it, it a whole lot easier. If you stick with this for just one month, you will see the benefits. You will want to continue using to do lists to help organize your home!
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