6 expert-approved chore and time management tips for a smooth-running home – these easy wins promise to ‘reduce mental load’

There never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done. Between vital daily commitments such as work, cooking, and trying to find some space for downtime, chores can often slip down the priority list.

If you constantly feel overwhelmed by your to-do lists, our home organizing experts say it's vital to implement smart time management strategies for a smoother-running home.

Promising to reduce stress and boost productivity without sacrificing your free time, these six expert tricks will instantly make you more organized daily and keep home management simple and efficient.

Time management tips for a smooth running home

1. Run through morning and evening checklists

Setting up simple opening shifts and closing shift routines will ease some of the time pressure in the middle of your day. Book-ending your day with tasks such as household cleaning, laundry, or gentle home organizing can help you feel more productive without chores getting in the way of other commitments or relaxation time.

Annie Linder, owner and organizing expert at Enchanting Nest says, ‘Have a morning and evening checklist to ensure you start every single day with a clean and tidy home, stay on top of daily household tasks, and keep everything organized.

‘Pro tip: include your kids! I give the three-month-old and the two-year-old a pass on this one, of course, but my older kids each have their own morning and evening checklists to complete each day, and they enjoy ticking off each items.’

2. Assign task ‘owners’

One of the best ways to think like a professional organizer at home is to assign household members task categories.

Silvia de Denaro Vieira, CEO and co-founder of home management app, Coexist explains, ‘Instead of breaking chores into disconnected pieces, try creating “departments” where each person owns a task from start to finish. The person who cooks also plans meals and does the grocery shopping. The person who cleans ensures cleaning supplies are always stocked. The person who takes out the trash also replaces the bags and keeps extras on hand.

‘This approach reduces mental load, prevents things from slipping through the cracks, and fosters accountability and a sense of ownership, making household tasks feel more intentional and rewarding.’

It is one of the best ways to make to-do lists less overwhelming. If you are living with chronic pain or fatigue, sharing chores and tasks with others in your household will help you successfully adaptive pace whilst cleaning.

3. Create drop zones

Although social media might have us believe that our homes can and should be completely organized down to the hidden corners and backs of closets, it is not sustainable when trying to clean a house when you’re too busy.

Instead, Jenny Dietsch, chief executive organizer at Getting It Done Organizing suggests, ‘Set up a drop zone in your entryway. It's essentially a dedicated space for each family member to place their things when they get home for the day, like backpacks, purses, and jackets. Install a few simple hooks and a small bench, and add baskets or bins underneath. This area prevents things from piling up around the house.’

This organizing system will help keep you sane while ensuring you have more ‘white space’ in your day to reduce stress.

4. Batch similar tasks together

One of the best habits of highly organized homeowners who manage their time effectively is task stacking.

A trick taught to me by my military father, task stacking groups similar tasks together to be completed all at once, saving me time throughout the day. For example, I will wash dishes while my dinner cooks so cleaning the kitchen after dinner is easier, or I will declutter a fridge when meal planning, reducing food waste while keeping my kitchen clean.

This time management tip also works with the one-tool cleaning method. When I get my best vacuum out, for example, I will vacuum every room before moving on to dusting every room. Batching these tasks together helps me to enter a ‘flow state’, reducing the mental energy it would usually take to work through my chores and giving me more time to relax afterward.

5. Meal prep a week in advance

Working out what to have for dinner can be a surprisingly draining task that chips away at the time you have available for your decluttering checklist, or spring cleaning checklist.

To reduce how long you spend pondering meal choices (only to end up ordering takeout), Dr. Jan Yager, adjunct associate professor at John Jay College and author of How To Finish Everything You Start, available at Amazon says, ‘Do Meal Prep for the week in advance.

'This is most important for Monday through Friday since weekends for most singles, couples, and/or families are more flexible. So go shopping and get enough vegetables, fresh fruits, and main courses that can last a few days, including frozen dishes so you can have your meals planned as much as possible for the work and/or school week.

‘You can use storage containers marked for each day or even just put the pre-made food into a dish and cover it with wrap such as saran wrap, from Walmart.’ Alternatively, invest in some sustainable beeswax wraps, from Target, to reduce plastic use in the kitchen.

Be sure to use freezer labels, also available at Walmart, so they stand up to moisture and stay stuck for accurate labeling.

6. Automate repetitive tasks

Smart home must-haves can do more than automate sound and security systems. Smart home cleaning tools can help to automate repetitive tasks such as vacuuming to reduce how much you need to do per week.

For example, Punteha Van Terheyden, head of Solved, has found her robot vacuum life-changing as someone who suffers from chronic pain. She says, ‘Having a robot vacuum has reduced our canister vacuum use by 90%. I no longer feel bad that either I am not well enough to vacuum when my house needs it, or I have to ask my husband to do it on top of everything else he does.'

It's been particularly handy for the van Terheyden household as they have two cats, and have found their best robot vacuums lifting fur and dander daily.

When setting up a smart home, you can also consider investing in appliances that have timers, such as the best washing machines and best clothes dryers, that you can set up to runovernight when energy tariffs are often cheaper. They'll be ready for you when you wake up.

Meet the experts

Annie Linder

As a busy mom of five, owner of two blogs, and a busy professional, Annie knows the struggles of managing a home when you're busy all too well. She founded Enchanting Nest to help others through similar situations, focusing on home organization and decluttering to make home management more simple.

Jenny Dietsch

Jenny is a busy mother of three teens, and and ex-project manager who understands the need for home organization. From a young age, she struggled with ADHD and eventually taught herself to be organized. Being organized gave her the structure and freedom to live life more fully. Today, Jenny has built a business that helps other people find systems that will work for them and simplify their lives. 

These time management tips for a smooth-running home will not be as effective if you do not set up a better work-life balance at home. Failing to protect your downtime will quickly lead to burnout, making everything more difficult to manage – not just your home.

Creating white-space in your day will help balance your mental need for rest, and finding the motivation to start or complete household chores.