Finally, it can be helpful to agree what it means to be accountable for doing what you've promised to do. This needs to be handled sensitively. Ask your wife how she wants to handle a situation in which one of you does not complete a chore on time. Be sure you're clear about what she considers to be an adequate completion of a task. When her standards are too low for you to live with, explain (briefly) what you want. Realize that you're not always going to be completely happy with the way she does the laundry or the dishes or the cooking. Bite your tongue. The quickest way to get someone to stop doing a chore is to criticize the way they do it.