Woman splits chores with husband using spreadsheet and says it has made their sex life better

A woman who splits the household chores with her husband via a colour-coded spreadsheet says it has made their sex life better.

Tara Blair Ball, 38, from Memphis, Tennessee, created the spreadsheet with her husband Brian, 46, after the birth of their youngest daughter in October 2020.

While the couple always had a verbal agreement over who did what around the house, they wanted to be extra organised.

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Now, they use a spreadsheet to split up the chores, stating who is doing it, how often and the standard it should be done to - and colour-code to illustrate whether it's something that needs to be done daily or weekly.

Regular tasks include food shopping, hoovering, taking the bins out, organising plans with friends and picking up the kids.

Tara and Brian each take on the jobs they prefer and say it's made them more appreciative of one another.

Tara, a relationship coach, says: “The spreadsheet really helps us split up the chores and it’s left us each with more energy and improved our sex life.

“I’ve never liked the laundry, so Brian does that and I’m on dishwasher duty. We have a weekly check-in on a Sunday evening about our relationship.

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“We share what’s bothering us, what’s gone well and what we’ve appreciated that week. It also gives us opportunity to tweak the spreadsheet for that list depending on what’s going on that week.”

The couple chose to become more organised when their youngest daughter, Brienne was born.

“I can live in a degree of filth,” Tara says.

“But Brian hated having the floors cluttered and mucky. I was struggling with more of the mental tasks - like setting appointments.

“So we sat down and went through everything we each do and how we can split it up or make it more manageable between us.

“It made me so much more appreciative of the stuff he does.”

Tara even credits the method with boosting their relationship.

“It’s what works for you in your relationship but it’s important to remember that you deserve a break if you are the one at home often doing all the housework,” she said.

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“Sitting down and dividing up the tasks for what works for you helps a lot of couples I work with.

“A lot of my clients say it’s made their sex lives better as it gives them more energy as they are not so tired after being bogged down my tasks.

“Dividing labour between partners is crucial for a healthy relationship.”

Brian adds: "We each have daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks we are responsible for. This way we feel like equal partners and are accountable for completing our tasks so neither of us feel undervalue or unappreciated."

Topics: Life, Home, Sex and Relationships

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot.

@lucedevine