Consider this: You oversee no less than 1,095 meals per year -- snacks and parties not included -- which means you've got to think about, shop for and prepare a whole lot of food -- a full plate for anyone. Attending to the seemingly endless details of running a home and family can tax the brain of even the most adept homemaker, so it's important to have a good strategy.

Fortunately, there's more than one way to manage the facilities in a home -- which is a good thing since few moms I know have large blocks of time to accomplish all the work it takes to keep things running smoothly. If you can't see a free day in the next few years, try getting into the "Power of 10" mindset. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish in 10 minutes, and how many "free" 10-minute snippets of time you can grab here and there.

Granted, you won't finish tasks like unloading the basement of five year's worth of clutter or preparing a month of meals in advance, but you'll make progress a little bit at the time -- enabling you to stay on top of housework and meals.

Here's a sample list of tasks you can do in 10 minutes:

• Clean kitchen countertops; wipe off canisters and small appliances.

• Sponge the front of the refrigerator and wipe out crisper drawers. (Line drawers with paper towels so next time you can just toss the dirty paper towel and replace with a clean one.)

• Chip away at a larger project you've been putting off, such as cleaning out kitchen cabinets and drawers. Use the Power of 10 method one cabinet and drawer at a time, and watch your dream of having tidy, clean storage spaces materialize before your very eyes.

• Dust part of your bedroom, or at least get the dust bunnies under the bed, and spot clean picture frames.

• Straighten a shelf or two in the linen closet.