Emotional Labor - It’s A Real Thing!
10 Tips To Run Your Home Like A CEO
I was inspired to write this blog by my LA-based colleague, Regina Lark, Phd, who recently did a TEDX talk. You can watch that here and well worth the listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJLawgDbn_E
I guess I’ve been lucky in my past domestic relationships regarding the division of labor. We all worked in the same field of aircraft maintenance, so there was no underestimation of the weight of our work. I’m a self-professed bossy perfectionist, so mowing over me is difficult. But there was always this invisible weight hanging over me of what needed to be done and the sense of urgency that went with it.
As a professional organizer who has been in hundreds of homes, I often see the imbalance in managing a household. In a household, emotional labor refers to the mental and emotional efforts invested in managing relationships, household chores, and family responsibilities - also known as ‘woman’s work.’ At the same time, radical delegation entails empowering all family members in decision-making and task distribution. So how do we strike a balance to create a harmonious and empowering home environment?
Gender-based roles - AKA, women’s work. This also applies to men, as there’s such a thing as the honey-do list because we often find ourselves pigeonholing specific tasks as better performed by men. As someone who bought her first single-family home at 26 and lived paycheck to paycheck, I’d quickly embraced these tasks that couldn’t be delegated. Are we modeling this mindset for our children to grow into that some tasks are vagina/penis specific?
Radical Delegation - Running the home like a business. Have you ever heard people say if businesses ran themselves like the federal government, they’d all be bankrupt? The same goes for our households. Radical delegation can be a transformative approach within the family setting. By distributing tasks and decision-making power among all family members, radical delegation empowers everyone to participate and actively contribute to the household's functioning. When each member has a say and shares responsibilities, a sense of ownership and pride in the home emerges. Check out the 10 Tips below to streamline for success.
10 Tips for Running Your Home Like a CEO
Communication - Discuss the importance of sharing responsibilities and how it contributes to a smoother-running household.
Create a Chore List - Make a comprehensive list of all the household chores and their schedules.
Assign chores based on skill set. This promotes a sense of competency and avoids setting people up for failure.
Rotate Chores - Not only does this cross-train members on household management, but it also keeps chores from becoming monotonous.
Set Clear Expectations - What may be obvious to you isn’t necessarily apparent to others.
Use a Chore Chart - People are more accountable when things are visible. Post charts in children’s rooms to check off the morning and evening routines.
Assign Chores According to Availablity - There are days when people have more going on than others, which will help avoid dropping the ball or overwhelming family members.
Use a Shared Calendar - This will help make tracking and updating schedules easier.
Avoid Perfectionism - A satisfactory outcome is more realistic than a perfect one.
Have Family Meetings - This will keep open lines and communication and use that time to celebrate the wins.
Not only will this foster better household relationships, but these skills will transcend into work and other environments for a lifetime of improved relationships.