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Is this one of the best chore charts ever? It took Chantal Hubert, an Ottawa-area mom with four kids, about half a dozen tries to get it right. She tried the ones parents can download from websites, but they couldn't be edited enough to reflect her family. So she started to design her own. (It certainly helped that as an issues manager with Public Works and Government Services Canada, it’s her job to solve problems.) After a few archetypes, she produced this: a flow chart that breaks down each chore into stages, identifying who needs to do what, and when. So far, she says, it works the majority of the time, by requiring everyone to work as a team and dividing jobs into manageable chunks that can be done quickly. There’s nothing like knowing you have to do the entire load of laundry to turn you off even starting it. Of course, Ms. Hubert has four sets of helping hands. But what’s particularly clever about her chart is it stresses that chores are a family effort, and if everyone does their small part, the load is lightened across the board. Also, Ms. Hubert points out, there’s a lot less yelling. She’s even thinking of creating an app.

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A chores chart and schedule is posted on the fridge at the Hubert's home May 15, 2013, in Almote, Ont.The Globe and Mail

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Open this photo in gallery:

A chores chart and schedule is posted on the fridge at the Hubert's home May 15, 2013, in Almote, Ont.The Globe and Mail

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