Motivated

I hope this doesn't jinx things (by writing about it) but my family's been really great lately with tidying up after themselves, and contributing to household chores.

I've tried all kinds of systems, and lists, and checklists, and challenges, and dozens of other gimmicky things, but nothing really clicked with people. Now we've finally got one that works.

Maybe it's also because I've redefined, and clearly defined, what constitutes a "task". Maybe it's because it engages our competitive spirits. Maybe it's because it looks fun and most tasks won't take longer than 15 minutes to complete. Maybe it's because they're older and have a better understanding of things. Whatever the reason, I'm loving it.

Everyone's picking up after themselves and looking after their own messes. They get no credit for this, and occasionally need reminders (hey - we all do sometimes), but it gets done, and this alone helps to keep things tidy.

Then, for each "task" that contributes to the household, not just the individual, they get to move a square along the chore board. When you reach the end, you get your reward (different for each of us, depending on what each person likes).

I don't know how long it will last, but I'll enjoy it while everyone's as motivated as I am, to keep our house looking it's best.