How should we divide our chores?

Question: How should we divide our chores?

Our house is a big mess. There are wedding gifts and photos everywhere. The dishes quickly pile up in the sink and the laundry is strewn all over the bathroom. My new wife and I seem to both be waiting for the other one to clean and do the various household chores. We need to get our home in order, so our new marriage stays in order. What should we do?

Answer: The first thing you should do is clear out the clutter. Agree that the two of you will spend a couple hours together going through the things that have piled up -- wedding gifts and photos, for example -- to find a permanent home for everything. If there's no place for something, you have doubles, don't use or need it, or it's broken, you should trash it or give it to charity.

Once everything is in its place, you have to tackle the daily chores and cleaning. This can be a little more complicated. The best thing to do is to make a list of everything that needs to be done and the amount of time each chore takes per week. Then, start taking on tasks you think you can accomplish and have your spouse do the same. Try to evenly divide the tasks so neither of you is doing way more than the other. After two or three weeks check in with each other to make sure everything is getting done, and neither of you is having too much trouble handling the list of chores assigned to you.

If you're too busy and can afford it, you can always both pitch in for a housekeeper to come once a week to do the basics and keep the house in order. An organized house will help you achieve an orderly marriage and keep your sanity.