What's important?
I was doing home visits one sunny Sunday morning on a large estate in middle England, and was struck by the large numbers of people washing their cars. This in itself was no surprise, but I had driven around the same estate at dawn that day and so remembered some of the cars. A few had been dirty, but just as many had looked pristine and in no need of cleaning. Yet they were being dutifully washed once more. Driving home I reflected on how chores can eat into our leisure time if we let them, with the Sunday car-wash being a prime example. If we are spending all our time on jobs that need not be done we will have precious little left to spend on the important things in life.
You may think routine chores do not affect you, but ask yourself:

..Personal Development
and many jobs must be done, but as the family grows up there is more room for flexibility and choosing which jobs can wait.
Look hard at the jobs you do around the house, and ask yourself why you do them. Most will be done out of necessity -clothes do not iron themselves and bathrooms are not self-cleaning — but you will be surprised at how much time you spend on non-essential chores. These can be eliminated and time spent on more productive things that you want to do, even if this means simply sitting and relaxing.
A friend of mine loves relaxing in his garden but hates gardening. He therefore works harder in the week to earn "more to pay for a gardener to look after it. He has worked out that the pleasure he gets from the garden outweighs the extra time he spends at work in the week. Whereas he used to resent what he saw as gardening chores - and some people find these relaxing - he now has more time for his relationship and feels better about himself as a result.

. Do family, friends and hobbies get put to one side regularly because of routine tasks you choose to do?
Before you start a chore, do you ask yourself if it really needs doing? If not, is it simply being done from habit?
Do you promise to do something with your partner only to have to cancel it because the day's jobs have used up too much time?

Does it matter if the car has not been washed by the end of the weekend or the windows not cleaned? Are you doing chores because they need to be done or out of habit? Is it more important to wash the car or spend that time playing with your children?

Chores are a form of work, and working in your leisure time should be kept to a minimum. You cannot relax properly if you are thinking about the next job that needs doing, or are looking at the clock because meals are always served at a certain time. With a young family, compromises may have to be made, since routine is important

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