4 Tips to Create a Homemaking Routine That Works for You

Guest post from Leigh Ann Dutton

The alarm goes off every morning at the same time, and every morning, the battle to rise or not rise ensues. Then, I remember the words of William Barclay:

“Nothing was ever achieved without discipline; and many an athlete and many a man has been ruined because he abandoned discipline and let himself grow slack.”

As homemakers, we can all do one thing well, but it takes discipline and planning in order to do many things well. Every day, we work to prepare meals, change diapers, mop floors, wash clothes, kiss boo-boos, organize cabinets, and ________ (you fill in the blank).  For some of us, whether we have a business of our own, work for another company, or in my case, manage a blog, part of our homemaking tasks include incorporating this additional work load into our daily routines. Therefore, we must train ourselves to be intentional homemakers, so that we can accomplish what we have been called to do.

One way I have found to be most effective in maximizing my daily output is through creating a daily routine.

Here are 4 tips to help you create a homemaking routine that works for you (even as a working mom):

1. Make a list.

In order to create a routine, you have to know what you want to include. To help you get started, your list could include the following:

• Bible time
• Exercise
• Laundry
• Declutter
• Check email
• Network

Be sure to make a list of everything that you do on any given day, and don’t worry about organizing it right now. We’ll get to that.

2.  Determine priorities.

Our daily tasks will always consist of those things that have to get done (i.e., feed children) and those things that are just an ideal (i.e., wipe down bathroom counter). You must determine the season of life you are in, and then, realistically prioritize your daily tasks accordingly.

For example, I have a one year old who explores everything and turns up in unexpected places if I’m not paying attention. Therefore, deep cleaning often gets bumped from the list, as I seek to care for a little one. I cannot scrub my cabinets or baseboards regularly right now. Therefore, my goal is maintenance, and  I made my routine based on this goal.

3. Assign the task.

Once you have a list of your daily tasks and have determined the priority, you should then assign the task to a time of day.

For example, I have a morning, afternoon, and evening routine. There are some tasks that are best done in the morning when I am most alert (i.e., writing). Then, there are tasks that are best done in the evening (i.e., running the dishwasher).

4. Allow for flexibility

For me, a detailed morning, afternoon, and evening routine ensures that I am staying on task. For you, it might be too constricting. The goal is to find what works for you. Then, when you find what works, remember that every day is a different day and things don’t always go as planned. Therefore, allow for margin in your routines, and embrace the unexpected when it inevitably shows up.

Here is my daily routine that includes my blogging schedule.

 

 Homemaking Routine – Print Version

Homemaking Routine 2 – Print Version

As you can see, my day is fully mapped out by routines. My husband and I were both skeptical when we created these routines. Neither of us thought it would bring peace and structure that we needed. We were afraid it would be “too constricting.”

However, just the opposite happened. By creating a pattern for our daily tasks, we found freedom! We no longer have the feeling of guilt that weighed us down before. Should I really be doing this task when that task needs my attention? Now, I know that I can give myself wholly to the task of playing with my son because this afternoon I know I will spend time vacuuming.

What about you? Do you have a daily routine?