What does a homemaker do all day, anyway?
Have you ever been asked this question, and not known what to reply? Or maybe you’re not even sure what you’re supposed to be doing all day as a homemaker!
Homemaking doesn’t come with a job description, so it’s up to you and me to create one. As homemakers, we run our households. We make up the rules about how our days will flow. We make priorities for our time, and work toward goals. We are responsible for keeping our families fed and clothed, our houses ship-shape, and our homes peaceful, life-giving havens.
This is beginning to sound like a tall order, isn’t it? How does one woman do all of these things?
Let me tell you a secret: it will never be “done,” and never “perfect.”
That’s the nature of keeping a home. But that’s also part of its beauty: we get to start fresh every day, even if the previous day was a miserable failure.
How can I be a productive homemaker?
This is a question we all ask ourselves at some time or another. Some days, it feels like I don’t get anything done besides cooking supper.
While we can’t completely avoid the disappointments, there are some practical things we can do to ensure that most days are not failures.
In general, this means setting up some kind of framework. It’s the job description and responsibilities of your position, if you like to think of it that way.
If you prefer to see homemaking as a vocation instead of an occupation, you might think of this framework as a quilting frame or embroidery hoop which holds the fabric in place while you work at different parts.
The frame is important because it allows you to see the whole piece, but focus on one small area at a time.
So what is this framework for homemaking? What kind of structure helps us to make the best use of our time every day?
I like lists, but sometimes these aren’t very effective. I find myself writing tasks on the list that I’ve already accomplished, just so I can check them off! Or the list gets too long, and I feel behind before the day is fairly started!
Enter the daily schedule. It’s flexible enough to meet each day’s individual needs, yet structured enough to help you accomplish the things you need to do on a daily or weekly basis.
Benefits of a daily schedule
What makes a daily schedule so helpful for homemakers?
Hint: it’s not just about getting the maximum amount done each day, though schedules do help you to be more productive!
Writing tasks down gets them out of your head.
This means you won’t be constantly trying to remember everything you need to do!
If you forget, you can just look at the schedule. Oftentimes, though, I don’t even have to look at the schedule once I’ve written it out. Somehow, putting things on paper helps me remember them better.
It also makes me less stressed. I hate the feeling that I’m forgetting something, and I definitely don’t want to go through that every day. Creating a schedule gives me more peace of mind.
It helps you to maximize productivity during specific parts of the day.
Perhaps you’re a morning person, and you can push through lots of tasks before lunchtime — if you don’t get distracted by a magazine or your phone. Or you’re a night owl, and move slowly in the morning no matter how long your to-do list is.
Maybe you have young children, and can’t seem to focus on tasks that require lots of brain power unless the kids are sleeping. Naptime is a precious sliver of quiet in your day.
Having a schedule helps you to see which times of day are your best times for getting housework done, or focusing on something that requires maximum attention.
Making a schedule allows you to choose how your day will flow.
Do you find yourself always rushing to get the house clean and supper ready at a certain time? What if you could plan your day better, so that supper preparations and tidying up wouldn’t be so hurried all the time?
Making a schedule allows you to divide up your day into manageable chunks of time, so ideally you never have to rush about frantically. (I do say “ideally,” because we all know that those days happen!)
More than just spreading out the tasks, a schedule helps you to set a flow for the day. Some activities make sense at certain times, like working on a project during naptime, or cooking supper at 5:00 pm.
But if you don’t sit down and plan out how you want your day to go, it probably won’t be very organized. I have found that my most peaceful days are those when I know what I need to accomplish and how much time each task should take.
I know this sounds like you’re working steadily all day long, but that’s not the case. Making a schedule allows you to schedule in leisure time, too. You can pencil in an hour for a walk in the middle of the day, if you like, or teatime with a friend.
Writing it down actually allows me to enjoy my leisure time more, because I don’t feel guilty about not working constantly. If my house is a mess and I have a bunch of chores to do, I’m not going to really relax and enjoy a long walk.
Types of schedules
This brings us to a discussion about different types of schedules. You may be familiar with day planners and hourly schedules, where you detail which activities should happen every hour.
Those worked well for me when I had several places to go during the day, and set appointments and deadlines. You may like that amount of structure, and thrive on an hourly schedule like this.
If you would like to see an example of an hourly schedule for a homemaker, Jayden’s daily schedule is great!
Since I became a full-time homemaker, my schedules are rarely this detailed or time-specific. For better or worse, I don’t get up at the same time every day, and my mornings can vary widely. I need a schedule that is more flexible than an hourly model.
Priority-based Schedules
The type of schedule I use is based on my priorities for the day. I pick a handful of things I need to do, such as housework and making meals.
Then I add in a few things that are good for my physical and spiritual wellbeing: walking, running, and pilates are physical activities I enjoy, while journaling, prayer, and Scripture reading are good for my spirit.
Finally, I make room for some activities I enjoy for their own sake: baking, reading, having tea, writing to a friend, or writing about homemaking…
Next, I make my schedule. My days are mostly pretty flexible, but there are some set times (meals and naptime/bedtime) that do not change. So I build my schedule around these times.
Note: The main difference between this type of schedule and an hourly schedule is that a priority-based schedule does not focus on specific time slots for each task. I find this freeing, but you may prefer to schedule your days more strictly.
My Schedule
Morning: Housework
I am a morning person, and can usually accomplish a fair amount before lunchtime. Therefore, I dedicate the time between breakfast and lunch to housework. (One day per week, this time is used for grocery shopping and running errands in town.)
Lunch
Early Afternoon: Outside time
Between lunch and naptime, I do something outside with my kids. We take a walk, shovel snow, or work in the garden. Any additional time is spent reading stories.
Naptime: Quiet projects
Naptime is for working on my own projects. This is the time I can do whatever I like, my quiet time for reading or writing. I try not to waste it on the internet, but sometimes that happens, and it’s okay because that time wasn’t supposed to be spent on something really important.
Late Afternoon: Supper prep
After naps, I focus on making supper and tidying the house. My goal is to have everything fairly neat, quiet, and orderly when my husband comes home from work. If the meal won’t take long to prepare, I might have time to finish up housework left over from the morning. However, I try not to start any projects at this time of day.
Dinnertime
Evening: Family time
After dinner is family time. I do not try to get any more housework or writing done during this time, because I know it will end in frustration. Instead, I focus on my husband and kids. We read stories, play music, and tidy up one last time before bed.
Late Evening: Wind down
After the kids are asleep is my time to tie up any loose ends from the day and prepare for the next morning.
I can’t do anything that makes noise or requires much light after the kids go to sleep, due to our close living quarters, so I don’t try to get any more housework done at night.
That’s my schedule, in fairly brief form! Please understand that this is an ideal schedule, and it certainly doesn’t happen every day! But when I do stick to it, my days are peaceful as well as productive.
Creating your own schedule
Whether you choose to make an hourly schedule or one that is priority-based, there are a few things you should take into account.
When I make up a schedule, I try to think through a typical week in my head to determine which activities need to be written down (so they actually get done), and which ones don’t need to happen every week.
If you don’t have a ‘typical week’, just think through last week. It’s something to start with, anyway.
What to include
Whichever style of schedule you choose, start by writing down mealtimes. If you’re using an hourly format, you will set an actual time for each meal: i.e., 7:00 – Breakfast time, 12:00 – Lunch time, etc.
If you are making a priority-based schedule, you don’t need to write down a specific time for meals. Just put Breakfast somewhere near the top of your paper, Lunch somewhere in the middle, and Supper near the bottom. You can always rewrite the page later if it needs to be adjusted.
After mealtimes are accounted for, make sure the housework has its place. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, and all the rest of it needs to get done some time!
You may prefer to do a little bit of each task every day: fold one load of laundry, clean one room, etc. I prefer to tackle one big task or category of tasks each day. I use a weekly housekeeping schedule to keep it straight.
After housework, build in time for some activities that are good for you, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Homemaking isn’t all work, and there is room for creativity and having fun!
Morning & evening routines
You may wish to create a morning and/or evening routine in your daily schedule. Morning routines can be really helpful in starting your day out on the right foot and helping you to feel ready for the day.
I have to admit, right now my morning routine is pretty minimal. I would probably benefit from setting an alarm and getting up earlier, so my mornings can be more consistent!
Know your weaknesses and target those areas
One of the best things your daily schedule can help you do is to improve your weaknesses. However, you have to do it intentionally.
- If you know you tend to dawdle in the mornings, having a structured morning routine can help you overcome procrastination and headaches later on in the day.
- If you get distracted by your phone or computer, set specific limits on how much time you are allowed to spend on them each day.
- If you can spend hours perusing cookbooks or Pinterest while you plan meals, set a time limit for that as well. (Guilty!)
- If your evenings are always stressful and rushed as you try to get supper on the table, plan your afternoons well so that supper prep starts earlier.
These simple considerations can make a huge difference in your schedule and your life!
Thoughts about Schedules
I hope you find some of these ideas helpful in creating your own daily schedule. Remember, schedules aren’t for making you work every second of the day. They are for ensuring you have a balance of work and leisure, so that you can get everything done without getting burned out!
One last point: Some days are so hectic, schedules go out the window. When that happens, don’t beat yourself up about not sticking to your daily schedule! The last thing you need at that point is more stress.
On particularly crazy days, I often pick just one or two things that absolutely need to happen, and focus on those until they are complete. When I’m faced with a jam-packed day, anything more can be overwhelming.
Setting up a daily schedule is part of becoming intentional about homemaking. It helps you to appreciate your days more, whether they are spent at home or not.
Interested in learning more? Read more about this kind of homemaking in my introduction to intentional homemaking.
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