Sharing household chores is among the top three issues associated with a successful marriage. Husbands can help foster a supportive home environment by taking charge of chores and working with their spouses to set clear expectations about chore distribution, preferences, and timelines.
Chores List Preview
Free Interactive Chores List for Couples
Note: You can convert the Sheets version of the chores list to Excel
Related: Do you and your spouse lose track of what needs to be picked up at the grocery? Use the Coexist mobile app grocery template for seamless communication and tracking.
Three easy tips to help you and your spouse get started dividing the household tasks:
Discuss and identify what you enjoy and are good at doing.
Be honest about what you hate to do or the chores you don't feel the most confident doing yourself.
Whatever tasks remain, divide them up fairly.
Many household chores are actually cognitive labor, not physical tasks, and are often invisible to both cognitive laborers and their partners. Women most frequently shoulder such invisible labor, which leads to resentment. This is why managing the home as a team is particularly important if you want to be a great husband.
Using a list to divide up the chores is not enough for married couples. There's more to it.
Many husbands want to shine as active partners and fathers. The challenge for many married couples is understanding how to work together to juggle the caregiving and home management details. These tasks come with varying degrees of responsibility.
Without a system in place that allows for ownership, boundaries, and communication, couples will ultimately experience frustration around what it takes to manage the home. To avoid such frustration, we recommend the Fair Play System.
6 Articles that Dive Deeper Into Managing the Home as a Team
Housework List
The housework list below was extracted from the interactive downloadable household chores list.
Budgeting
Check expired foods
Clean backsplash
Clean baseboards
Clean blinds and curtains
Clean fridge shelves
Clean mirrors
Clean shower heads
Clean sink and countertops
Clean the inside of the cabinets
Clean toilet bowls and seats
Clean up after breakfast
Clean up after dinner
Clean up after lunch
Clean up breakfast
Clean up dinner
Clean up lunch
Clean washer and dryer
Clean/dust blinds
Clean/wash curtains
Deep clean appliances
Deep clean drains
Deep clean refrigerator
Deep clean the microwave
Deep clean the stove and oven
Deep clean toilet bowls and seats
Degrease stove and oven
Disinfect faucets and doorknobs
Doing the dishes
Doing the laundry
Dust
Dust light fixtures
Dusting surfaces
Empty trash bins
Filing tax returns
Folding the laundry
Grocery shopping
Ironing clothes
Laundering and replacing dish and hand towels
Managing bank accounts
Managing credit cards
Managing disability insurance
Managing health insurance
Managing investment accounts
Managing life insurance
Managing vehicle insurance
Meal prep: breakfast
Meal prep: dinner
Meal prep: lunch
Misc. insurance (i.e., pet insurance)
Misc. personal finance management
Mop floors
Ordering meal delivery
Overseeing financial goals (e.g., savings goals)
Paying online bills (e.g., vehicle loans, mortgage)
Paying paper bills (e.g., vehicle loans, mortgage)
Putting the laundry away
Scrub shower/tub
Setting financial goals
Sweep floors/floors
Sweeping the kitchen floor
Taking out the trash
Taking trash to the curb
Touchup paint on the walls
Vacuum floors
Vacuum rugs
Vacuum rugs
Wash floors
Wash windows
Weekly meal planning
Windexing mirrors
Wipe computer
Wipe shower screens
Wipe sinks and countertops
Wipe tub and shower
Wiping down kitchen appliances
Wiping down the countertops
Yard work
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