How keep up with home maintenance when you’re just too busy

We’ve all seen the run-down houses that result from homeowner neglect. Nobody wants to live in that house, and it certainly won’t sell for much on the market. Unfortunately, busy adult schedules filled with work, kids, pets, hobbies and social engagements can make it hard to find time for the home maintenance required to keep a house in ideal shape. Here are some tips for keeping up with your growing home improvement to-do list.

Schedule your projects. Pencil your home improvement projects in like they’re meetings. Lawn mowing might be a non-negotiable Saturday morning chore, or you might schedule fixing the toilet for a few hours on your day off before someone else asks for your time.

Get the family involved. If you’ve been taking on the home maintenance responsibility yourself, maybe it’s time to take a step back and start involving others. Teach your kids or spouse to do the job. Not only will it help you, but it’ll teach them valuable life skills.

Create a yearly calendar. If you choose April and October as the months you’ll change your smoke detector batteries every year, you’re less likely to forget. Create a rotating calendar for your home maintenance projects so nothing gets left behind.

Wake up earlier. If you’re truly feeling crunched for time, pull your tools out a bit earlier in the morning. This is an especially good solution during the summer: Get your projects done before the sun has time to heat up your yard.

Do it piece by piece. Home maintenance projects can be overwhelming because they can require multiple steps. If there’s a project that’s been intimidating you for its time commitment, remember that you generally don’t have to do it all at once. If you need to replace all the sealant on your bathtubs, take it one tub at a time. Mow just the front lawn and leave the back lawn for another day.

When in doubt, hire it out. If you just can’t seem to find the time, there’s no shame in hiring someone to do the work for you. Paying someone to clean out your gutters is better than having to replace a damaged roof later. You’ll thank yourself for getting help.