9 Steps to Becoming an Efficient Homemaker

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How to be a good homemaker by organizing your schedule

When you become a homemaker, there’s no list of job requirements to follow. There’s no application or interview process, so you might not even know what to expect.

Homemaking is flexible for a reason, because every household functions a little differently. That’s a good thing!

However, it can be frustrating as a new homemaker when you’re trying to figure out what you’re supposed to be doing and how to organize your duties.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by housework and cooking, whether or not you have kids thrown into the mix.

You want to learn how to be a good homemaker, but there’s no policies & procedures manual.

Here are some tips to organize your daily life in order to become a happier and more efficient homemaker.

1. Get up early

The very first thing you can do to make your day better is to get up before everyone else.

Night owls may scoff at this, and say they function better when they get more sleep.

I get it. I love sleep too. But try it for a week, and see if you feel better.

I used to wake up around 5:45 a.m. without an alarm- before I had kids. Now it’s a chore to drag myself out of bed in the mornings, but the effort is worthwhile.

Granted, there are periods in life when you need lots of sleep. During pregnancy and postpartum when I’m up several times per night, I don’t worry about getting up early, and sleep as much as I can.

But in general, getting up early helps you to start the day on a positive note. You feel like you have a head start on the day, and quiet mornings allow you to focus on organizing your day before the noise and bustle begins.

It’s a wonderful time to pray, stretch, or exercise. You can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in peace before starting breakfast for the family.

Don’t make the excuse that you have children who wear you out. If your children demand your attention every minute of the day, it’s even more important to carve out some time for yourself when they’re in bed.

And morning is better than evening because you’re fresh and rested instead of exhausted and frustrated.

Getting up early is undoubtedly easier for some people, and harder for others. I find it especially difficult on cold, dark winter mornings.

But everyone can make the effort. Try setting your alarm half an hour earlier for a week, and see what a difference it can make.

2. Make a list

Now that you’re awake early and have some quiet time to think about your day, write out a list of tasks to accomplish.

Note any errands you need to run, appointments for yourself or family members, house cleaning, home maintenance tasks, and food prep that needs to be done today.

Writing everything down ensures that you don’t forget any major task, and also helps you to see what needs to be done so you can plan your day accordingly.

You wouldn’t want to go out to your dentist appointment, and then get home and remember you were supposed to stop at the grocery store as well!

(If you live right in town, I suppose this wouldn’t be such a big deal. Every time I go out, it takes over an hour.)

Anyway, making a list helps you to organize your day and make sure the important tasks actually get remembered.

Some people like to write out a list for the next day before they go to bed. That’s a great idea if your brain tends to be fuzzy before you eat breakfast!

3. Dress for your job

Have you ever noticed how your clothing impacts your emotions and mindset?

Putting on a special dress to go out for dinner evokes feelings of anticipation and excitement. Even normal acts seem more special when you’re all dressed up.

Putting on a uniform puts you in work mode. Your brain is ready to solve problems and meet the demands of the workplace.

Putting on yoga pants and a t-shirt might make you think about exercising, if that’s what you normally do in them.

But if you wear them around the house all day, they fall into the category of leisure wear. And what does that make you think of? Not an efficient homemaker!

If you want your day to be orderly and productive, dress in such a way that tells the world (and yourself) that you mean business.

I’m not saying you should wear a blazer to clean the house. But wear one when you run errands or balance your checkbook if that helps you feel more focused.

And wear an outfit around the house that would work with a blazer; or at any rate, wear something that makes you feel put together and ready to take on the day.

You don’t want to get your nice clothes dirty? Neither do I. That’s why I wear aprons.

This article of clothing is pretty and practical, perfectly suited to the job of a homemaker. You can think of it as your uniform, if you like.

Aren’t you glad you can customize your uniform however you like? I have five aprons, and one is reversible, so I always have one to match my outfit.

4. Make a weekly housekeeping schedule

Do you always forget to clean the microwave? Does the garbage or recycling pile up for weeks?

Nobody’s perfect, and we all have a chore or two that we just don’t like or can’t seem to remember. Making a schedule for those tasks that need to be done every week can help.

If you spread the chores out, then you won’t find yourself trying to tackle all the housework in one day and getting burned out, or constantly forgetting something in your daily duties.

It can help you organize tasks so they get done during the workweek, instead of being pushed to the weekend when your spouse is home. Isn’t it nicer to be able to relax together or go do something fun on the weekend, rather than being stuck at home catching up on chores?

Another benefit of making a housekeeping schedule is that it keeps you from feeling guilty or discouraged on busy days when you don’t have time for much housework.

Planning a light day of housework gives you the flexibility to adapt to unexpected changes or just enjoy the day without feeling like you should be working every minute.

Wednesdays are usually my busiest day, so I don’t plan much housework for that day. If another day is unexpectedly busy, I can always switch my schedule around to make up for it.

What should you include in a weekly housekeeping schedule?

The things that have to happen (or should happen!) every week to keep your house in good running order.

This includes four basic categories: cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and food preparation.

There are a lot of individual tasks that fall under cleaning, such as dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathroom.

Laundry and grocery shopping might each need to be done once or twice per week, or you might choose to do a load of laundry every day.

What types of food preparation should you include? If it’s something you do every day and you’re not likely to forget (like making supper), then you don’t have to include it on your weekly schedule.

But if you like to make a big batch of bread or tortillas or marinara sauce once a week, then that would be a good task to include on your weekly schedule. Sometimes I’ve had “Use Sourdough” on my schedule, just so it doesn’t sit abandoned in my fridge for a month!

Read more tips for creating your own weekly housekeeping schedule here!

5. Limit media consumption

This is the chief enemy of an efficient homemaker. How can you focus on a task if your phone or computer keeps buzzing with updates?

Turn off the TV while you’re working. You don’t need the distraction. Turn off email notifications and social media notifications, or just put your phone away until your housework is done.

You can even designate a particular place for your phone to sit when you’re not using it, as if it was a landline.

I’m not saying that social media and the Internet are bad. But they are distractions, and they can suck you in for hours if you’re not careful.

If you want to be an efficient homemaker, you will need to take an honest look at how much time you spend looking at a screen during the day.

What if you had spent that time on housework? Would your house be cleaner? Better yet, you could spend the extra time on relationships or creative projects. Would you be happier?

Making an effort to reduce screen time can have a huge impact on your satisfaction with your life.

6. Plan meals

I didn’t start out meal planning as a new homemaker. And there were many, many days when I didn’t know what supper would be until I started cooking.

The question would hang over me all day, as I skimmed Pinterest and cookbooks randomly for inspiration.

Now that I have a system of meal planning set up, I no longer dread the question of what’s for dinner. Of course there are still days when my schedule gets upset and I still have to come up with supper ideas on the fly, but these days are now the exception instead of the norm.

Now, when I find new recipes I want to try, I write them down on my meal plan and note the ingredients on my grocery list. I plan multiple meals around the produce and perishable goods on my list that week, so nothing goes to waste.

And if I find a really great deal at the store, I either plan it into my week or freeze it for later. I love having a plan that is flexible enough to work with my life!

If you’re curious about starting a meal plan but not sure if it will help you, read Why You Need a Simple Meal Plan. If you’re ready to dive right in, check out Easing into Meal Planning.

7. Keep up with laundry

I told myself I wasn’t going to talk about laundry here. I am not the queen of laundry.

However, laundry is an important part of any modern homemaker’s duties, so it’s only reasonable to mention it. Keeping up with the laundry is an essential part of keeping your family clothed.

Setting up a laundry schedule is also a great way to ease into a basic housekeeping schedule if you’re having trouble sticking to a chore list.

Just by organizing the one task of laundry throughout the week, you are making progress toward a more organized house.

That being said, there are many ways to do laundry. I think the important thing is that you have a schedule, or at least a general method. Here are some examples:

• Several seasoned homemakers recommend doing a load of laundry first thing every morning.

• When I was growing up, my mother did laundry two days per week.

• I usually wash our clothes only once per week, but I wash cloth diapers two or three days a week in addition to that.

Like I said, the important thing is that you have some sort of method. Having a system prevents laundry from taking over your life (or your house).

I prefer to do all my washing in one go (except for diapers), so I don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week.

However, I do see the benefits of washing a load of laundry every morning. For one thing, it would never pile up and become an unsightly mess.

Organize your washing however you wish- as long as its actually organized. You will see immediate benefits in adding a little more structure to your schedule, and you won’t constantly feel like you’re behind on the washing.

8. Organize your finances

You are the caretaker of your home and family. Part of that job is keeping the financial state of your household transparent- and apparent.

Do you know how much money comes in and goes out? It’s a really good idea to keep track of your spending: not to impose limits, just for the sake of your sanity!

You can use a simple spreadsheet to track income and expenditures, or try a budgeting app or printable worksheet.

I like the EveryDollar app because it’s free, simple, and you can customize it with your own categories of expenses. (So if you want to set up a pizza fund, go for it!) There’s also a website version, if you don’t fancy budgeting on your phone.

Beyond budgeting, I like to calculate our net worth every year. This gives you a bird’s-eye view of your financial situation.

It can get discouraging if you feel like you’re not saving much from month to month, but if your net worth is increasing, you know you’re on the right track.

9. Find your purpose

I wanted to end with this, not because it’s the least important, but because it completes the rest.

All the things we talked about earlier are tactics that help to streamline your tasks and organize your job as a homemaker. But if you don’t have an underlying purpose in homemaking, the tactics won’t help much.

Some people call this having a vision for what you want your life to look like. If you keep a concrete goal in mind, then you can apply different tactics to help you achieve it.

I prefer to find the meaning in homemaking itself, rather than just seeing it as the means to an end (an organized home, a peaceful sanctuary, a welcoming gathering place for family and friends).

When you find meaning in your work as a homemaker, then the tasks you have to do each day become worthwhile- even if you know you’ll have to repeat them over and over again.

Each individual task has a place in the overall mission or purpose of homemaking. Each becomes an opportunity to love your family.

When you can see that, setting up systems for your tasks makes sense, because organizing them lets you work with more clarity and serenity.

What next?

If you’re new to homemaking and want an overview of basic skills, check out Homemaking 101: The Basics. Or check out my Guide to Intentional Homemaking, which delves into the meaning and purpose of homemaking, as well as showing you how to find joy in this vocation.

Happy homemaking!

~Kimberly