Ever wonder how some homemakers have it all together while others don’t? Well, maybe they know the secrets to being a productive housewife. Let’s have a look at some of them.
Before that, let’s see what being a productive housewife means.
Resourceful homemakers treasure time. They know how to utilize their time wisely.
You are said to have a productive day when you go to bed satisfied and fulfilled. When you joyfully await a new day.
The secret to being a productive housewife lies in planning and executing each day.
Sincere housewives want to accomplish more every single day. They want to keep on top of housework, serve healthy timely meals, spend quality time with their family, look their best, and find time for a side hustle.
Even though we love spending most of our time scrolling through social media, and watching TV, we hate it when most of our day goes out the window.
In short, a productive, successful day is our unspoken desire.
A simple formula for success — a deep desire to achieve goals + action + discipline = Success.
Like any other occupation, homemaking should have short-term and long-term goals.
A productive homemaker’s approach must be action-oriented.
Along with careful planning, you should ensure your daily activities are producing results and getting you closer to your short-term and long-term goals.
You should monitor your progress each day.
Productivity is never an accident.It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. – Paul J. Meyer
HOW TO BE A PRODUCTIVE HOUSEWIFE
PLAN:
Most of us think planning is a sheer waste of time, everything can be managed without planning.
That’s incorrect to say.
Planning, in simple words, is giving your time direction.
It is making your thoughts visual so you can achieve what you want.
A sound plan maps a more effective and convenient way to meet the target.
A realistic plan allows you to attain goals faster and with less labor.
You know, even if you follow a strict routine, something gets in the way, spreads chaos, and you fall behind the time.
Planning helps in such situations. It allows you to be on top of things you can control.
Despite a good daily routine, you require a step-by-step plan to know your next activity to avoid guesswork.
Planning lowers stress as it eliminates the need to constantly remind things so you remember them.
Proper planning eliminates decision-making that causes more fatigue than you ever think. It avoids interruptions and pauses because you know what to do next.
Planning and scheduling can also help you avoid interruptions from family members or friends. You can lay out a chunk of time for them when you solely focus on them.
Just assuring everything has its own time, you can dig deep into individuals and work.
You gain more confidence and be happier if you check off things on your to-do list.
A little planning goes a long way. Some important things to plan that make your life easy —
- A daily to-do list (one for housework, one for office work/side hustle)
- Meal planning (weekly/monthly/every night for the following day)
- Events (school activities, doctors appointments, birthdays, weddings, church activities)
- Bills payments (If you pay online, your net banking apps send notifications for upcoming bills. For this reason, I do not plan this)
- Family goals (Picnic/outing, visiting someone, movie night, etc.)
- Personal goals (self-care, exercise, food journal, learning new skills, self-development)
Now that your brain knows — the ideas are safely accumulated, it need not bring them over repeatedly, it relaxes and enjoys work.
PRIORITIZE:
After you complete planning, the next step is prioritizing tasks based on urgency.
How prioritizing can help?
These days, we hardly have enough time, strength, and finances to accomplish everything on our lists.
The easiest way to prioritize your tasks is by sorting your lists into short-term goals, long-term goals, and wish lists.
Create the lists in order/sequence of their urgencies.
Now, create an action plan for the tasks on the lists.
To achieve your February goal of deep cleaning your kitchen, first determine how much time you can dedicate each day after completing your daily tasks. Then, decide how much you plan to accomplish each day. For instance, on day one, you can declutter, wipe out, and organize the kitchen cupboard in 15 minutes.
Another example: my short-term goals are — getting my daily-havetos, weekly cleaning routine, and meal planning done. My long-term goal is to redo my balcony. I need to attend my friend’s birthday. My family goal this month is to visit my parents. So, it’s just fine if I cannot redo my balcony this month because it is not at all urgent. But all other things on the list are important to me.
Prioritizing means arranging tasks logically in the order of their urgency. It means picking essential tasks over irrelevant/pointless ones.
It can help you thrive in the least amount of time.
Prepare AHEAD:
There are many ways you can do the prep work.
You can start preparing the night before.
Put your home to bed.
Rise early (before your kids/husband) to indulge in quality time.
I awake early to get a bunch of things done before my husband wakes up.
Try maximizing your spare time.
Clean as go.
- Make beds.
- Prepare meals.
- Get the laundry started.
- Load and run the dishwasher.
- Do a quick pick up of your house.
- Quickly vacuum.
- Swish and swipe the bathroom.
There are many ways you can do a little bit to help your future self. My friend, you’ll thank me later.
One easy way to do this on autopilot is by creating and sticking to routines. Here are a bunch of articles to help you get started.
- 5 Effective Routines To THRIVE As A Homemaker
- Quick NIGHTTIME CLEANING ROUTINE – for relaxing mornings
- Quick Morning Cleaning Routine For Busy Moms
- 4 Essentials Of A Good Evening Routine (for Homemakers)
- How to MEAL PLAN – in 3 easy steps
- A Simple Laundry Routine That Works For You
Activity leads to productivity – Jim Rohn
REVIEW/ACCOUNTABILITY:
Reviewing can help track your progress.
To make this whole process work for you, you must set aside a few moments each week to review progress in each category.
We feel terrible about tasks we cannot accomplish but are unaware of what we have attained.
Reviewing your lists or creating a list of your achievements can help you keep motivated toward your goals.
It can give you a clear picture of what is not working. And when it’s time for a new strategy.
Reviewing allows you to keep track of time leaks.
Dividing big projects into workable chunks makes them easy and less time-consuming.
Take control of your life. Be heartily accountable for your decisions and how you use your spare moments.
Final words:
Those were ways that have helped me become a more productive housewife. At first, I figured out the reasons that were killing my productivity. Then I found ways to work on them.
When I started, I couldn’t accomplish everything on my to-do list. But gradually, things started working for me. It completely changed my life.
However, finding a balance is essential. You don’t have to fill every spare moment with activity. You don’t have to jam-pack your day with work. Ensure a balance by allowing yourself time to watch a TV show or read a magazine. It’s okay to take a break to play with your children or chat with your friends.
I hope these tips help you be a more productive housewife.