Checklists

I'm finishing up my preparations for tomorrow's school and the last thing I do each night is print up the next day's check lists. Each child, with the exception of our two-year old, has a half-sheet clipboard that hangs on a nail next to the kid bathroom. Every night I reload the clipboard with five half-sheet checklists that specify the jobs they must accomplish at certain times of the day. The first sheet is basically, get out of bed, make the bed, get dressed, and do your basic grooming. The next sheet is their first family chore of the day, which is different for each child and keyed to their age and abilities. One child sorts laundry, another cleans the breakfast dishes, etc. I did decide to move their Quiet School time to the morning, and it does work much better. Each child has a checklist with the different subjects and the amounts of work they are to do in each subject. Next to last is the after-dinner checklist which is more family chores. Everyone must clean their room and tackle another support chore--the other bathroom, tidying the living room, etc. Finally there is a checklist for all those bedtime basics, pjs, tooth brushing, washing up.
The checklists save a lot of time because I no longer have to explain what done looks like. What needs to be done is right there in black and white. I used to waste endless time arguing through the rather skillful defenses my children had for half done work, but now I simply point to the portion of the checklist that is incomplete. The children seem to like it as well. They are certain that they are done and that I'll be satisfied with what they've accomplished. All they have to do is very clearly laid out for them as well as the amount of time they have to accomplish it.
All in all, this has been an excellent improvement in our family's quality of life. If you are in need of something to smooth out the pressure of chores and individual responsibilities you might consider adopting out ideas to your own needs.