Like another person said, I learned it from my mom. Usually new sheets (so they don't have to be changed right away since laundry ends up on a different schedule), kitchen, bathrooms, and floors.
I got a little lazy last summer. I was in three different cities for three different weekends and my DH was home with us, so he'd rather be "playing." Plus the house didn't get all that messy again in between trips. But I think I actually went away at some point with a dish in the sink (on the drying/clean side) but still, I didn't like it.
Plus it's something to do in those last fifteen minutes that you're ready before your ride to the airport comes (no matter who that is).