Homemaking habits are a challenge to start, but once they become a part of your daily routine they can be life changing. Here’s 10 homemaking habits that will benefit you greatly throughout 2024!
January always feels very “fresh” and “new” to me. It’s like a clean slate, a chance to bring change to my life. While I’m not one to set New Years resolutions, I do like to evaluate how I can more effectively live in the new year. One of the main ways I like to do this is through considering how I run my home.
Every year starts out strong, but as the months go by and life changes, habits and routines go out the window. This may be especially true for me this year as I get ready to welcome our first baby in just a couple of weeks! However, I still want to try my hardest to implement these homemaking habits.
Part of being a good homemaker is taking inventory of what worked for you and what didn’t. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that something failed. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with noticing where you succeeded as well.
This is your home. It’s your domain. Therefore, It’s important to fight hard in order to make it work for you and your family.
Of course, this is easier said than done. But, I promise you that your efforts are not in vain. In the Bible, Proverbs 31 gives us women a vision of a hardworking woman who cares for the affairs of her household. “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31:25-27).
This is a woman who doesn’t fear the future because she has worked hard to be prepared. It’s a women who is full of the Lord’s truth, making her wise and filled with kindness. She takes care of the needs of her household and chooses to work diligently rather than sit in idleness. This year, let’s be faith-filled women who care for the needs of our home with intentionality, diligence and thoughtfulness.
10 Homemaking Habits
Start with prayer
Good homemaking and housekeeping must start with a personal relationship with Christ. This is the only way for you to find true joy in every mundane and necessary task. Homemaking for Christ is what brings purpose and true value to the work that you do. I’ve found that starting each day in prayer to be what catapults me for the rest of my day. Before the demands of my home are thrown at me, I take time with the Lord to talk with Him and read His Word. New Morning Mercies is one of my favorite go-to devotionals.
Begin each day the night before
Whenever I wake up to a clean, tidy kitchen and living room (the two most lived-in rooms in our house), I feel so much more prepared for my day. How is this achieved? Take time to clean and tidy before you go to bed the night before! Yes, you are going to be tired at the end of the day. It will not necessarily be a fun task. However, it will set you up for a successful morning and save you time the following day!
Practice decluttering
For many people, January is a natural time to declutter. This is great! Wouldn’t it be even better to keep up that habit throughout the whole year? Instead of letting junk pile up, take time every so often to throw out what you don’t need or aren’t using. Don’t let the junk drawer pile high with old papers. Simply get rid of something when the need for it is done.
Get into a cleaning routine
Now, I say a cleaning routine rather than a schedule because sometimes a cleaning schedule can be overwhelming for me. Priorities shift throughout the week and sometimes cleaning gets put on the back burner. Although, I still want to get into the routine of cleaning throughout the week. Take a little time each day to clean something that you notice is dirty. It could be dusting a few spider webs, wiping down the toilets or vacuuming the house. Keep it simple and keep at it frequently so the cleaning never piles up!
Start meal planning
Meal planning has helped me tremendously all throughout my marriage. It keeps me organized throughout the week and gives me one less thing to worry about. If you want to know how to do this, you can read our post “How To Create A Weekly Meal Plan.”
Get in a laundry rhythm
There’s nothing worse than seeing a huge pile of laundry that needs done. At that point, it’s tempting to let it pile up even more! I’ve avoided this by doing small loads of laundry all throughout the week. I’d say I do laundry every 2-3 days in our home. Depending on the size of your family as well as your lifestyle, you may need to do it more or less often. Basically, don’t let your laundry loads pile up as it will quickly become overwhelming and take up more time.
Keep things minimal
While I wouldn’t call myself a “minimalist,” I definitely love a more minimal style. Why? Well, a home is just easier to maintain when there’s less to maintain! Really, it’s as simple as that. Minimal decor and “stuff” makes for a cleaner, more organized and less chaotic home. Personally, I hate to see clutter. I see it and just feel the need to fix it. So, I choose to keep things minimal, simple and lovely. This brings a refreshing and cozy feeling to my home. Try it out!
Focus on the priorities
Sometimes, I find myself getting easily distracted in my homemaking. Maybe you can relate. There’s so much that needs done…so where do I even start? Knowing what your priorities are and focusing on those tasks is key. Practice putting on your tunnel vision. Be okay with certain things slipping under the rug for a few hours, days or maybe even weeks in order to do what needs done. Remember, there’s a season for everything and what’s left behind now will soon be brought back into focus.
Do the dishes
Come on, you know what I’m talking about. It is soo easy to let the dishes pile up. Recently, I’ve found that washing the dishes right after or soon after I use them saves me time, energy and effort in the long run. Of course, this isn’t always feasible. I do, however, try to implement it whenever I can. I suggest you do too!
Surrender control
One of the biggest traps I fall in to is trying to control my home. I want the atmosphere to be a certain way and things to run in a certain order. As you know, life happens, people have different viewpoints and therefore things don’t go my way. Really, this is a blessing. This past week my pastor said, “because God is in control, I don’t need to be.” I think we would all be much better off if we took that small, simple piece of advice into our everyday homemaking lives.
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