Creating a homemaking schedule can sound overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you thrive on hourly schedules, prefer power hour blocks, or shy away from schedules completely, it can be done. You CAN create a schedule that works for your lifestyle!
When I first transitioned to staying home 4.5 years ago, I struggled. Mothering was an entirely new concept to me, and homemaking felt even more foreign. I could barely manage feeding myself between nursing sessions, let alone tackling a schedule for chores, household projects, and meal planning. Every day, I felt like I scraped by with the bare minimum of survival.
Interestingly enough, while much of that period in my life was spent laying around with my newborn and toddler, I’d never felt more worthless. This isn’t to say that anyone should ever search for meaning or identity in their works, which is unbiblical in and of itself. I truly enjoyed and soaked up the baby snuggles without regret. But as my children grew, I ran out of reasons for why my daily schedule stayed the same.
I think deep down, I knew I could do better, which in turn would make me feel better. Because who doesn’t feel better when they’ve actually been productive?
Now, I don’t want to sound like I’m minimizing the difficulties of new motherhood whatsoever. The new mom struggle is real. I know how physically and mentally exhausting those early days are. This post is not directed towards new moms, whose only to-do lists should include constant baby snuggles and sleeping whenever possible.
But as everyone knows, babies don’t keep. And as time went on, mine didn’t either. Before I knew it, I suddenly found myself able to cook a meal, organize the pantry, clean the floors and fold laundry all in a day’s work. But figuring out a schedule was challenging. The hourly planners overwhelmed me, yet I knew I needed some sort of schedule to help me stay on track.
So one day a year ago I sat down, collected my thoughts and drew up an efficient homemaking schedule that actually works for me.
Listen, I’m not here to promise you that there won’t be days where your only accomplishment is feeding yourself and your kids, because I would be lying. Being human means we all inevitably fail at some point, and we moms have a lot of responsibilities that fall on our shoulders.
But I am here to tell you that finding the right homemaking schedule can empower you to feel confident, motivated, and less overwhelmed when the tides turn. And when the hard days pass, you can dust yourself off and continue right where you left off.
Here are four tips to creating an efficient homemaking schedule:
GET DRESSED FOR THE DAY
No, you don’t need to put on a full face of makeup or wear your best dress every day. But have you ever noticed how much more productive you feel once you’ve swapped the pj’s for a real outfit? It can be as simple as washing your face, brushing your hair, and putting on clean leggings and a t-shirt. Personally, I like to go through my skincare routine before doing a quick makeup application, throwing my hair into a bun, and grabbing comfy clothes for busy days. On slower days, I’ll take more time doing makeup, and reach for my favorite pair of Levi’s. Whatever your go-to outfit is, ditch the jammies and just get dressed. You might be pleasantly surprised at the boost in motivation!
WRITE DOWN YOUR DAILY PRIORITIES IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
This sounds simple, but it’s a biggie. Ask yourself, what things make you feel GOOD in a day? Personally, I appreciate a quiet start to my morning with Scripture, music and a hot cup of coffee. But, I also have a hard time going to sleep and waking up early. So quiet time and sleep are very high on the “personal” priority list for me. I also enjoy writing, playing the piano, and reading, so those also go under the “personal” priorities bucket.
Having a clean home is also nonnegotiable for me. It makes me feel accomplished and relaxed. I start with writing out all cleaning tasks, then organizing them into daily, weekly and monthly tasks. From there, I prioritize daily tasks, and group weekly tasks into pairs that I tackle on set days of the week. The monthly task list is smaller, so that gets delegated on days with less household chores. Ex: on Tuesdays I clean the bathrooms (weekly task), and on the first Friday of every month I clean out the refrigerator (no weekly tasks). Sound overwhelming? Check out my free, customizable cleaning printable below!
LEARN TO MULTI-TASK WITH A PURPOSE
What does multi-tasking with a purpose mean? For me, that means getting as many things as I need to get done simultaneously, so that I can work more efficiently. You could do this by unloading the dishwasher while the kids are eating breakfast, or folding towels at the bathroom counter as the kids play in the bathtub next to you (supervised!). The key is training your brain to work smarter, not harder. Look for patterns in the way you do things, then group similar things together.
SCHEDULE IN PERIODS OF REST
Something I learned along my procrastination recovery journey is that scheduling rest is just as important as scheduling tasks. It’s easy to look at your to-do list and let feelings of overwhelm take over and prohibit you from getting started. By scheduling in rest periods, you are giving your brain an end point to the work ahead. And rest is much sweeter when you know you’ve earned it!
Don’t have time to make your own homemaking schedule? I’ve created a free, customizable prioritization list and cleaning schedule for you here!
Plus, it’s editable, so you can easily alter it to work for homeschooling, budgeting, meal planning, and any other homemaking tasks.
With love & grace,
Natalie
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