The New Chore Wheel is a Waffle Chart
5 steps for solving our division of chores, visualized
Chore wheels are basically equal slice pie charts. Chore wheels assume that all chores:
- take an equal amount of effort
- need to be done on equal frequency
- are clear from their name
- fit on the wheel
The problem
These assumptions are broken if you’re trying coordinate upkeep of a household with multiple people. Cleaning the windows (a task that takes a lot of time, but happens infrequently) is not the same as taking out the trash and recycling (which doesn’t take much time, but happens many times a week). Poorly defined tasks like “clean kitchen” don’t lead to a desirable outcome when people define that task differently. Does cleaning the kitchen also involve cleaning under the fridge and a deep clean of the oven?
My spouse and I needed a more robust and detailed system that accounted for the differing frequency, intensity, and duration of each task, a well as what it means to accomplish that task.
The impetus
COVID-19 threw off our household balance. We were home more often, and decided against having outside help come into our house that we normally had the privilege of befitting from.
But, let’s face it, our household system wasn’t working well anyways. Having a stay at home order just exposed the flaws and increased the frequency of our household responsibilities argument, the same disagreement we’d been having since we started living together.
The solution
As two data people, we knew there had to be a better solution than an equal-slice pie chart of chores. We calmly sat down together on a weekend afternoon and planned out a path forward. We took some inspiration from the agile methodology, like point value, and continuous improvement, and put together a system that’s flexible and works for us.
Step 1 — Figure out tasks
Both my husband and I spent the previous week writing down the household tasks we did (like the quick bathroom wipe down), or knew needed to get done at some point in the year (like changing the HVAC filter).
Step 2 — Put together a spreadsheet
Every task includes a description of the steps needed to complete it and the definition of done. This helped us align our standard of “clean” so we were on the same page. It also included how frequently the task needs to be accomplished.
Step 3 — Chore draft
Each of us alternated self-assigning a chore/task. We had a running total of calculated “hours per month” for each person, and attempted to have an equal amount for each of us. Sometimes that meant picking up a few smaller chores per turn. We weren’t strict about the system, and casually worked it out to be roughly equal, with neither of us doing things that we absolutely hated, because we love and respect each other.
Step 4 — Implement the system
We are both independently responsible for the items on our lists. And we both do things differently. I made reoccurring calendar events for chores that happen less often. That drives my spouse nuts, so he did not do the same for his, rather he tries to knock most of his big ones out in a several hour block. However, we do have a weekend shared time to do a general de-cluttering. And because we had some say over the items we were assigned, chore division feels more amenable.
Step 5 — Revise regularly
As we work through this new division of labor, we will occasionally sit down to reflect on the process and update our tasks to more accurately access the actual time investment. As new things come up and our environment and life changes, we will have to revisit this system to add new things or to update responsibilities. At some point, we might outsource some of this labor, but having done it makes us value it more.
What it looks like in practice
Disclaimer: this did not account for all of our tasks (notably missing are laundry, cooking, daily kitchen cleaning, shopping, and large seasonal outdoor maintenance), but it created a framework for us to talk about things, and it feels more accountable and equitable. In general, my husband cooks and I do the dishes. I do the household shopping, he runs errands and does pickups. We work together on large outdoor seasonal maintenance, and are still working on finding an equitable balance of laundry duties.
Printing out and coloring the chore charts helped us physically connect to the routine. They are framed and on the wall so we can cross off tasks as we accomplish them!
Want to do something similar for yourself?
Here’s the template for the spreadsheet.You’re welcome to make a copy of the sheet and fill it in for yourself.
Amy Cesal is a data visualization designer and instructor. She is a co-founder and board member of the Data Visualization Society. Amy is a 3 time Information is Beautiful award winner and enjoys creating unusual data visualizations. She holds a Master’s Degree in Information Visualization from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she is an adjunct professor.
