Take the Drudgery out of Errands

Sixty percent of you say chores are your least favorite thing about the weekend. "Mine would be a lot nicer if I could hire a housekeeper and a personal shopper," jokes Terri Hartmann of Havre de Grace, MD, an engineer and mom of two boys, ages 3 and 1. While that's a wish for most families, there are ways to speed through your to-do list.

If you haven't already, start by enlisting your partner's help. Divide chores you'd each like to do rather than assign him ones he can't stand. And offer an incentive: "If we all pitch in, I won't be so stressed and we'll have more time for fun."

Children can help, even those as young as 3. They can match socks, pick up their stuffed animals, dust a table. "It's important for kids to understand early on that being part of a family is a responsibility as well as a privilege," says Kathy Peel, author of The Family Manager's Everyday Survival Guide.

Whenever possible, make cleaning fun: Put on peppy music. Have a race to see who can toss more blocks into the toy chest.

Next up: Rid your house of unnecessary junk and organize what you keep. Clutter's a time waster because:

     a) you have to clean around all of it

     b) you have to sift through it anytime you need to find things

     c) it's tough to put things away if they don't have a designated "home." So start by having a yard sale or throwing out or donating anything you haven't used in the past year. Then corral similar items  -- art supplies, holiday decorations, puzzles  -- in labeled storage bins.

A good habit to develop for weekdays: Whenever you have five free minutes  -- you're waiting for the pasta to boil, you're on hold with the telephone company  -- do something productive. "You may not be able to clean the entire refrigerator, but you can take a few moments to do one shelf," says Peel. You'll be surprised how many of your chores you can work your way through, which saves large amounts of weekend time for your family.

Before running errands on Saturday morning, make a mental map of where you need to go and create a plan so you don't end up crisscrossing town. Bring a list to avoid forgetting something, and call ahead to be sure the store has what you need. There's no sense in driving 20 minutes only to discover that the shoe store doesn't carry soccer cleats.

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