There is. It's called family management. No doubt, love is the basis for a happy family. But a little management will go a long way in keeping that institution running smoothly.

Family Management ought to be taught in school. These days, there are some schools offering programs on family management, and that's a good thing. Most of us have never even thought of the term even though we may deal with the issues every day. Some of us are probably even good family managers!

If you take a step back and think about everyday life, it offers some of the same challenges any team of unconnected individuals will come to face if they need to live in close quarters and work towards some common goals. In other words, workgroups everywhere face almost exactly the same set of challenges that a family faces. Workgroups spend a lot of time and resources towards managing teamwork. Families generally don't, and they should.

The UCLA Center for Everyday Living noted in a recently concluded study that between two careers and parenting, there are three jobs, but only two people to run them. I'd add that there's a fourth job - household management. Keeping all these things running smoothly and retaining your sanity requires efficient management.

Whether you're running a busy household or managing a small team, what you need do to keep things running smoothly are the same:

• Make daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists for everyone
• Set expectations
• Monitor progress and provide frequent feedback
• Continually educate, motivate, and inspire

Get yourself a good family organizer. The

Family Management ought to be taught in school. These days, there are some schools offering programs on family management, and that's a good thing. Most of us have never even thought of the term even though we may deal with the issues every day. Some of us are probably even good family managers!

If you take a step back and think about everyday life, it offers some of the same challenges any team of unconnected individuals will come to face if they need to live in close quarters and work towards some common goals. In other words, workgroups everywhere face almost exactly the same set of challenges that a family faces. Workgroups spend a lot of time and resources towards managing teamwork. Families generally don't, and they should.

The UCLA Center for Everyday Living noted in a recently concluded study that between two careers and parenting, there are three jobs, but only two people to run them. I'd add that there's a fourth job - household management. Keeping all these things running smoothly and retaining your sanity requires efficient management.

Whether you're running a busy household or managing a small team, what you need do to keep things running smoothly are the same:

• Make daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists for everyone
• Set expectations
• Monitor progress and provide frequent feedback
• Continually educate, motivate, and inspire

Get yourself a good family organizer. The

The UCLA Center for Everyday Living noted in a recently concluded study that between two careers and parenting, there are three jobs, but only two people to run them. I'd add that there's a fourth job - household management. Keeping all these things running smoothly and retaining your sanity requires efficient management.

Whether you're running a busy household or managing a small team, what you need do to keep things running smoothly are the same:

• Make daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists for everyone
• Set expectations
• Monitor progress and provide frequent feedback
• Continually educate, motivate, and inspire

Get yourself a good family organizer. The

Whether you're running a busy household or managing a small team, what you need do to keep things running smoothly are the same:

• Make daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists for everyone
• Set expectations
• Monitor progress and provide frequent feedback
• Continually educate, motivate, and inspire

Get yourself a good family organizer. There are several available. There are paper-based solutions and software-based solutions (like the one my company, Mediabee, makes). Whichever solution you pick, be sure that it meets all of the requirements above.

But before you implement the solution, remember, you must get your family's buy-in first. Not doing so would be to set yourself up for failure. It is human nature to concentrate on your own priorities, and your spouse and kids are human. (So are you as a matter of fact.) The other, often overlooked, fact is, men, women, and children are differently constructed and their priorities tend to be dramatically different. Hence the need for everyone to get on the same page as you start to put this solution into practice.

Here are the things to discuss as put this system in place:

• Why the system is needed. Emphasize the positive aspects of what you're trying to achieve: to be a healthy and happy family. You'd think this should be obvious, but, as I said, people think differently, even if they're your own family. Each family's situation is unique, so you'll have to discuss the situation appropriately. Bottomline: everybody has to do their part of the required chores, whether or not they think it is a priority for them, or the "family" isn't going to be happy. For example, the kids probably love take-out meals, but you're not happy when you can't give them healthy home-cooked meals. Everyone's basic needs have to be met for the family to be happy and healthy.
• What are the rewards for following the system. This is the neat part. If everyone pitches in even for things they don't consider a priority, then they're likely to get more time for what they'd rather be doing (within limits, of course).
• What is required of each person. This is the actual mechanics of splitting the tasks between people.

Your family organizer should allow you to easily delegate routine tasks to each member of your household. They should have a mechanism to indicate