Systems You Need to be a Productive Homemaker

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Struggling with the daily tasks and chores of a homemaker? Here are 5 simple systems that you need to have in place in order to keep things running smoothly!

Being a homemaker is pretty straightforward. You’re caring for the people in your home, through daily tasks that nurture their body and soul. But just because the definition seems simple, it doesn’t mean that the actual work is easy.

There are actually a lot of different areas or tasks in the home that need to be cared for. Which is why having some simple systems or routines in place is so helpful for having a home that runs well.

I’m also going to link to some of the free planning printables for homemakers that I offer. Let’s get started!

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Why You Need Systems as a Homemaker

You may be thinking that you’re not a system or routine person. And I get that. I have friends and family members who would probably say the same thing. But the truth is, we all have some type of routine. It’s really just a matter of if those routines are beneficial or not.

So why does it matter if we have helpful systems in place?

1. Our family is depending on us to offer some structure to our home life.
2. The environment and attitudes within our home are affected by chaos.
3. Without them, we often feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Not to mentioned, when we can get these less exciting areas of our homemaking systemized and under control, it leaves more time for other areas of home life that are a little more exciting. Things like hosting friends for dinners, family game nights, decorating spaces, etc.

Must Have Routines & Systems for a Homemaker

Before we jump into specifics, keep in mind that systems and routines are not a one-size-fits-all solution. So, while I’ll share my specific details, and you’re welcome to try them out, don’t think that you’re a failure if they don’t fit. You just need to come up with a system that works for you.

This simple process allows us to be on the same page for the upcoming week. Prior to having this system in place, our evenings were chaotic. My husband would have a task he wanted to complete when he got home, but I may have been thinking that I would get to a certain task once he was home to help with the kids.

Basically, we weren’t communicating our plans/needs with one another and a lot of things just didn’t get done. Now, we dedicate our evening hours ahead of time. If I know I need one evening to work on a specific project, we pick an evening for that. Same for my husband. This allows us to both get to things on our to-do list, which makes us both feel good at the end of the day.

Part Two – My Personal Schedule

This next part of my weekly planning really applies to my “work hours”. So, the time during that day that my husband is at work and I am handling all my homemaking duties.

This is where I write in appointments we have, cleaning I want to get to (ore on that in a bit), errands, and to-do lists. This is my plan for the upcoming week, all written down at once. Of course, things come up and adjustments made, but for the most part, I’m prepared for the week ahead.

Calendar Printables

• Monday through Friday Calendar
• Weekly Schedule

Daily Cleaning Tasks

I have certain areas of my home that get cleaned at the end of every day. These are the high traffic areas, like my kitchen and dining area. Dishes are done, counters are cleared, surfaces all wiped and floors vacuumed.

Tidying Up

I also tidy up living areas, bedrooms, and bathrooms daily. This is simply putting things back where they belong. Blankets, toys, shoes, etc. This is a family affair, meaning that my kids are responsible for their rooms, as well as for gathering their items from around the kitchen and living room.

By the way, this is happening multiple times throughout the day. Implementing certain “tidy cues” into your schedule is a helpful way to get into this habit.

Weekly Cleaning

One day a week, I select a couple areas of my home to deep clean. For us, this is on a day that we aren’t homeschooling.

This is where things like dusting, wiping baseboards and cleaning windows happen. For example, this week I may deep clean bedrooms and bathrooms. Next week, I may deep clean the living room and bathrooms. The following week, I’ll clean the laundry room and

Meal Planning System

Don’t scroll right past this one! I know that meal planning can seem overwhelming sometimes, but I promise, it doesn’t have to be. Again, this goes back to finding a system that works for you.

Maybe you sit down once a week and plan out three meals a day. Maybe you bulk/batch cook meals to keep your freezer stocked with ready to grab meals or keep a running meal planning master list.

Or maybe your meal planning system is nowhere near that detailed and thought out. You could just have a set list of items that you keep stocked so that you can make a variety of meals on a whim. In that case, your meal planning system is just setting aside one day a week to check your pantry and see what you need to pick up from the grocery store.

Budgeting

Being a homemaker probably means you’re a single income family. Which makes budgeting so important.

But how you budget is going to depend on your specific situation. Budgeting for you may not be a written-out plan, detailing where every dollar goes. It may just mean you set a certain amount for spending at the grocery store or personal spending. You may just need to implement habits of frugality in order to stretch your dollars further.

Laundry

Look, I don’t know about you, but I do a lot of laundry. If I skip a day or two, the pile looks overwhelming. Even when we were just a family of three, I was amazed at how quickly laundry could pile up.

So, I started a laundry system. And I still follow it today (even though now it’s a daily system, verses every other day). Basically, I start laundry in the morning, first thing. Sometime between breakfast and lunch, I switch to the dryer. If I have a second load, I go ahead and start it then.

As soon as the dryer goes off, I deal with the clothes. (Okay – MOST of the time I do this). I grab the basket, immediately go to the couch, table, wherever – and I fold or hang them. The kids grab their clothes and put them away (however perfectly or imperfectly that may be) and I put our clothes away.

There is nothing worse than going to put your clothes in the dryer and discovering it’s still full of laundry. Because then those clothes just get put in a pile and you’re in a never-ending cycle of clothes piles. So trust me – this is one routine you absolutely need!

Morning & Nighttime Routines

Let’s talk about morning time and bedtime. Are these times of peacefulness and relaxation? Or are they full of chaos? We have definitely been on the chaos end of things in our home before. That’s why I think that having simple morning and evening routines is another area that we should give attention to as homemakers.

Our mornings have the ability to set the tone for the day. I’ve found that getting a few things done first thing in the morning is a great way to set my day up for success. First, I try to wake up before the kids, just to have some quiet time to myself to think, pray and read. I also always get two cleaning tasks started – unloading the dishes and starting laundry.

That’s it. That’s my simple morning routine. It’s not long and drawn out – it just covers a couple of areas that help my days flow much better.

Our evening/bedtime routine is also pretty simple. It consists of cleaning the kitchen, straightening the living room, getting the kids started on their bedtime charts and in bed by a certain time. Once kids are in the bed, that’s free time for my husband and myself to hang out before going to bed ourselves.

Bringing It All Together

Implementing these systems doesn’t happen overnight, but small, consistent steps will lead to big changes. Start by focusing on one area at a time, and once it becomes a habit, move on to the next. Each system—meal planning, cleaning, budgeting, and morning and night routines—works together to create a balanced and successful home life. By prioritizing these strategies, you’ll feel more organized, in control, and able to enjoy the blessings of homemaking!