It might not surprise you that bickering over household chores is a top reason why people get divorced.
Ultimately, household chores can take up mounds of time. They can also cause a great deal of friction between partners.
Not only that, taking care of household chores can also decrease your overall level of happiness.
But here’s the thing about household chores, they have to get done. Somehow in some way, the laundry, the dishes, the vacuuming must be accomplished—it all keeps your family life orderly and sanitary. After all, we can’t all be like J.K. Rowling neglecting household chores while writing a best-selling fictional series.
Maybe it’s time to consider hiring out those household chores that cause you grief and invite calm into your relationship again.
Hiring out? – Here’s what I mean.
Surrender Your Perfectionism
If you’re like most people, then you like things done a certain way. Especially when it comes to household chores.
Whether it’s the way you fold your towels or how you mow your lawn, you have “your” way of doing things. And it might really drive you up the wall when your towels are wrinkled or your lawn is uneven, for example.
If you’re being honest, these things take up a lot of your energy and they’re probably also causing conflict in your marriage. So, the first step in improving your marriage is to surrender your need for things to be perfect 100% of the time.
In short, give up your perfectionism.
Let Go of the Guilt
In this day and age, many people feel the pressure to be “super.” Not only does social media drive home this new societal norm, but friends and family can, too.
Being the super wife or super husband or even a super parent can literally exhaust you in every conceivable way. And one huge element in this newly found pressure is household chores.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to do it all. You don’t have to be everything to everyone. And, you don’t have to feel guilty for not actually possessing superpowers. Once you wrap your mind around that notion, you’ll be able to embrace your self-worth aside from how well your house looks.
Keep in mind that Pinterest is for viewing, but imperfect houses are for actual living. And that is perfectly okay.
Deciding which Chores You Need to Give Up
Delegating some of your household chores means deciding which ones you can give up and which ones you need to hang on to.
This will come down to two things: 1) What domestic services are available in your area and 2) determining which household chores cause you the most grief.
It’s a matter of examining your daily, weekly, and monthly household responsibilities, then kissing a few of them goodbye. For instance, is there a cleaning service in your area that offers a weekly house cleaning? Or, can a professional lawn service take care of your yard?
Whittle your chores down to a certain few and then start hiring.
Keep Outsourcing Balanced
Although it might be tempting to outsource everything, try your best to avoid that. Why? Because hiring someone else to complete your household chores will undoubtedly cost you money. Even if you find a great deal, their help equates to money out of your pocket. And you know as well as I do that finances can be a hot topic within a marriage.
So, what it comes down to is protecting your marriage. On average, a marriage seems to flow the most smoothly when a couple spends around $100 to $200 on services for household chores.
In short, you have to balance your outsourcing or it will end up being just as stressful as the household chores themselves.
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If you’re ready to take back your life from the everyday stressors that might be getting you down, please contact me. Together, we can navigate through complex and even hidden emotions and problems to help you reclaim your calm.
