HABITS OF A PRODUCTIVE HOMEMAKER

Do you feel overwhelmed every day as a homemaker? Keeping a tidy, organized and thriving home isn’t something that’s always come easily to me! I’ve learned that establishing habits can help me thrive as a homemaker!

HAVE A MORNING ROUTINE

I’m most definitely not an early riser. Nearly every productivity blog post or book I’ve ever read says to wake up early. But I rebuke that! I thrive going to bed around midnight and waking up around 8am. (And so far I’ve been able to get my baby on a sleeping schedule that allows this!). I did years of going to bed around 10 and waking up at 6 and I forever felt like a zombie the first 3 hours of the day.

But, I do agree with many productivity experts on the importance of a morning routine.

I’m not talking 7 specific tasks to do in the first hour. Because as a mom, that’s highly unrealistic most mornings. BUT having a loose routine and a few habits you prioritize each morning is helpful to jumpstart your day!

My low-key but productive morning routine:

Make my bed immediately
Open the curtains
Put away the clean dishes while waiting for the kettle to boil
Make myself a tea + breakfast to eat while nursing the baby
Get everyone dressed + ready for the day
Feed the animals
Look at my planner for the day!

TIDY AFTER EACH ACTIVITY / TASK

This is one that doesn’t come naturally to me! I’m a busy bee and love bouncing from task to task. But then I find myself with 78 unfinished tasks and a gigantic mess in my home.

I’ve learned to slow myself down and actually finish one task AND clean up before moving on to the next. This is a skill you can instil into your children right from the beginning!

By doing so, things never get out of control in the home and your tasks get completed 100% instead of 95%. You’ll be surprised that this only takes a few seconds!

KEEP A PLANNER

Whether you’re a paper planner or digital planner kinda girl – it doesn’t matter! I love a paper planner, a nice pen and assortment of highlighters.

Create a routine with your planner. I like to sit down on Sunday afternoon and plan out my week – meals (more on that in a minute), social events, cleaning routine, work priorities, etc.

Throughout the week my planner lives on the kitchen table where I can easily glance at it! I look at it every evening to see my plans for the next day, what meat to take out for dinner, etc. If your planner isn’t somewhere you’ll see it – you aren’t going to utilize it!

KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES

If you don’t know what your family’s priorities are, you’re going to go through life feeling overwhelmed, dissatisfied, and disappointed you can’t fit in everything.

The reality is that none of us can do all the things. We all have different priorities – which is okay!

The key is knowing what things are a priority in your life – in this season!

Do you love getting out of the house for an activity every day? Or do you feel obligated to do so but find it draining? Does a clean home bring you joy and make you feel accomplished? Or could you care less?

When you know your priorities, you can begin to say no to the things that aren’t important to you.

Learning to say no is essential if you want to thrive in your role as a homemaker!

I find when I’m not working outside of the home, others have the idea that I’m not busy! But homemaking is a job, just like nursing, teaching, or being an accountant is a job. It’s important to protect your time and set healthy boundaries around what you can and can’t do.

I love a clean home, homemade nourishing meals, and lots of time for rest + family time. But I don’t prioritize daily outings, lots of social engagements or extracurriculars. My schedule reflects the choices I’ve made and this ensures that my days are fulfilling.

FOLLOW A WEEKLY CLEANING SCHEDULE

I was SO resistant to a weekly cleaning schedule. But guess what? Now that I’ve committed to one – I LOVE IT. It simplifies my weeks, helps me feel like I don’t spend my entire day cleaning, and ensures that I stay on top of the housework!

Your weekly cleaning schedule should look different than mine! It should reflect your priorities, the time you have available, and how clean you need your home to be to stay sane!

PLAN YOUR MEALS

This is another homemaking habit that I was resistant to start that has completely changed the success of my days! There’s nothing worse than the 5 o’clock panic “what’s for dinner”. Everyone’s nearing hangry, you don’t have meat thawing, and NOTHING sounds good. I played this game for way too many years before finally caving and planning my meals.

I STILL feel resistant every Sunday when I sit down to plan my meals. But when I take the time to do so (literally ten minutes 🤦🏼‍♀️) my week runs so much smoother!

Some tips to simplify the meal planning process: