• Housecleaning doesn't have to be an overwhelming task.cleaning image by Pavel Vlasov from Fotolia.com
  
  Busy lives create debris. The longer you let it go, the more the debris builds up in your house until cleaning up the wreckage seems like it could take a lifetime. "We say we don't have the time to clean because perfectionism takes over," Marla Cilley, founder of FlyLady.net, tells Parenting magazine. By implementing a few methods, you can change your attitude about housecleaning and keep your living space livable consistently.
  
  

Prioritize

• If you try to tackle the whole house in one fell swoop, you're likely to wear yourself out before the task is complete. Identify the high-traffic areas, like the kitchen, bathrooms and entryways, that are most visible, most messy and most likely to embarrass you if visitors stop by. Tackle those areas first and focus on them most. If they're really bad, just do a room at at time. If you feel you've made progress, you're less likely to get discouraged.
  
  

Big Stuff First

• Whatever else in your kitchen may be in disarray, keep your sink empty and sparkling clean, Cilley advises. The same goes for the two most visible fixtures in your bathroom--the sink and the toilet. Don't let the sofa in the living room or the table in the dining room get buried in clutter. If these highly visible furnishings are kept clean, it's easier to break other areas up into small, manageable bits.
  
  

Delegate

• Get all the members of your household together and figure out who's responsible for what. If you're willing to compromise, you might take the jobs you know everyone else will balk at, like cleaning the bathroom, in the interest of making sure that the delegated jobs actually get done. Doing this could also shame the others into compliance. If they see that you're scrubbing the toilet and washing the windows on a regular basis, they may feel more motivated to keep the dishes clean and the toys picked up.