First I'd write a list of all the tasks and responsibilities needed to keep the business afloat: cleaning, tidying, making meals, disciplining, shopping, schooling, home repairs, gardening, finances, and planning outings, vacations, and celebrations. Did I miss anything?
Then I'd delegate these tasks to all my employees. I myself would do the jobs that needed the most precision or the ones that brought me joy. If none of my employees were able to do the others, I'd outsource, especially with things that weren't that important to me.
If I was too picky about how things were done and didn't delegate or outsource, I'd probably exhaust myself very quickly.
Next I'd explain to my employees what I expected them to do and how to do it. We'd discuss salaries and benefits. In my home I'd expect my employees to do some housework, take care of their own stuff, and respect me in exchange for room, board, healthcare, and socials. Yes, there's also some bonus story time and desserts in there too.
Finally, I would schedule weekly business meetings with all my employees to discuss their progress, the condition of the company, and further training.
Doing these things would eliminate a number of difficulties.
1) It would put unpleasant tasks in their proper place. Either I would delegate them to someone else or schedule them into my own week with the understanding that every job has its unpleasant bits and these are simply mine. If I don't like doing the finances and it's impossible for someone else to do it, then I might find a way to make the best of it.
2) Regular meetings would ensure accountability in the completion of tasks for all parties involved, including myself. If my children knew we were going to meet every Saturday morning to go over their chore charts and pay them for their work, there might be more consistency with the marking of their charts. Likewise, if I discussed systems with my husband every week, he'd be less out of the loop when it came to the fluid household procedures.
3) I would create a better separation between work and play. No employee works the hours I do. In fact, I think it's illegal in California for an employee to work the hours I do without a break. If scheduling my own breaks, days off, and vacations was simply another part of my job, then I would just do it and have no reason to complain. As it is, I often work late hours and then resent my family for it as if they made me do it. This is ridiculous. It's like those workaholics who do work when it's family time or vacation time.
4) It might clarify my husband and my roles. I can say very little on this point because I haven't really thought this through much, but I think there'd be some benefit in likening our roles to those in a business. Is he the CEO? Am I? Is he more like a stock holder? Do we have equal power here? If he's the CEO but I basically run the business, how do we work together on projects? I have no answers.
In case you're wondering, I don't run my household like a business. I run my household more like a circus. It's a haphazard, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sort of way with some structure here and there when I have the oomph to plan something. But I think if I were to be more business-like, I'd eliminate a number of problems. Having said that, I'm going to now go round up the monkeys and feed them their bananas.
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