One load of laundry washed, dried and put away daily. This routine works well for us because if I leave it all to do in one day, it doesn't get all the way to the bedrooms.
Wash your dishes everyday. I use to let them pile up until I had time to do them, but now I make a conscious effort to do a load everyday. This keeps my kitchen more organized and tidy.
Sweep your main living space daily. A task that can take all of 10 minutes to do and is worth it.
Spray down your kitchen counter and tables.
Clean the darn thing!
At least one a month, get in there and clean it properly. Remove the filter (if you have never done this, be prepared with a bucket if you have a weak stomach) Spray down the entire inside and rubber seals. Wipe clean.
Our dishwasher cleans our dishes, if its dirty and filled with food build up, it's not going to do it's job properly.