During these incredibly busy times, it becomes hard to keep up with all household demands. The piles of laundry start to overflow, the mail pile takes over all flat surfaces, and the chores seem endless.

In order to prevent too much of a backlog, Organizedhome.com recommends implementing the Magic Minimum in your home.

Every family has different needs. However, for the most part, we all need to get to:

- the bills and deposits

- the laundry

- food, groceries, and dishes

- daily pickup

- bathroom and kitchen cleanup

To make your own Magic Minimum plan,"list the rock-bottom essential maintenance chores necessary to keep the household clean, fed and on time." (Organizedhome.com)

Create a simple daily and weekly chart or plan. For example,

Every day:

Load and run dishwasher

Tidy kitchen

Run one load of laundry, fold and put away

Family pick-up time

Every week:

Review checkbook and pay bills

Shop for groceries

Clean bathrooms

Make sure to delegate tasks and post the chore lists in a central location so everyone knows what they need to do.

I hope it is a relief to know that there is indeed a way to "get away with" doing a minimum amount of housework. When you do finally get a break from the intensity of the busy time, you can get to the other chores! (I can hear your enthusiasm :)