Jul

23

How to get more work done




I work at home, and I constantly struggle with getting everything done. The housework is often the first thing to get ignored.

Last summer I finally found a solution to this problem. I hired house cleaners. Not  your typical house cleaners though. These are very flexible, reasonably priced cleaners. One is 13 and one is 11. Yes, I hired my sons to clean. And it worked out wonderfully.

My kids get bored when I’m working from home, and after a few weeks of summer bliss, they’re sick of electronics and it’s too hot to be outside in the middle of the day. Instead of nagging at them to help me out, I hired them. And I let them do more than just pick up or dust. They actually like having more responsibility.

Here’s a list of things that my boys do:

  • Vacuum
  • Clean bathrooms
  • Put away dishes from the dishwasher
  • Mow the yard
  • Wipe down blinds
  • Windows

And whatever else I come up with for them to do. They are paid a very minimal wage, but they’re happy with it. We started this last summer, and my house never looked better. In fact I really missed my house cleaners when school started up again. Then they were back to doing their regular chores and I was on my own again with the cleaning.

This works great for me, but it’s also good for them. You know those nights where at 9pm someone says “Mom where’s my favorite blue shorts, I need them washed tonight”? Once my sons started doing the laundry, I never had that problem again. Having the boys mow the yard frees up time for my husband on the weekend, which is nice for him. And it also teaches them to pick up after themselves as they go along, so the mess doesn’t accumulate. It’s a great lesson, and I look forward to summer knowing my house will be cleaner.

You can check out more great Works for Me Wednesday tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

 

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    Filed Under Family, Giveaways | 8 Comments 

    8 Responses to “How to get more work done”

      1
        Wani on July 23rd, 2008 9:48 am

        Thanks for sharing!! I can’t wait until my boys are big enough to really help out. Now the big one “helps”… and makes more work for me!
        C’mon by Wani’s World and check out my WFMW post!

      2
        Sheri on July 23rd, 2008 10:31 am

        I remember those days, when it was quicker and more efficient to just do it yourself. But the little guys love to “help”.

      3
        Ann Kroeker on July 23rd, 2008 2:46 pm

        My kids are doing it once a week (without pay…shhhhh…don’t tell them they could be raking in some dough!).

        Actually, there’s the list of chores, and then there are bonus things they can do to earn extra cash.

        Thanks for reminding me to utilize my in-house cleaning service even more!

      4
        Forgetfulone on July 23rd, 2008 4:27 pm

        The same thing works for me! And I keep a chart showing them who has to do what “chore.”

      5
        Sheri on July 23rd, 2008 4:55 pm

        I love the chart idea, I need to get more organized and do that.

        Don’t think that they are raking it in, it’s a very small amount of pay. And they only earn money for the extra cleaning that they do for me, they get nothing for cleaning their rooms and clearing the kitchen after meals. But they still do pretty good work, for a couple of guys with little pay,lol.

      6
        Mari Ickes on July 23rd, 2008 7:42 pm

        I can’t wait till my kids get older! I guess being able to REACH the washing machine might be a requirement in my application for hire…

      7
        Scrapper Mom on July 24th, 2008 12:32 pm

        Sounds like that is really workin’ for ya. I have a 10 yo daughter that I am paying right now as we speak to wipe down cabinets and baseboards for me!

        Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday. Hope you will come again!

      8
        Sheri on July 24th, 2008 1:29 pm

        I forgot about baseboards. Oh boys…. lol. That’s another great job for them. Thanks for stopping by here.