10 Healthy Habits for Joyful Homemaking!
Welcome back, Homemakers-in-the-making,
As you know, homemaking has never been an intuitive love of mine! It was only recently that I realized the spiritual impact it has in the hearts and homes of the people we love and serve! This “new-to-me” revelation of the Father's plan for us Homemakers has lead me to find ways to love and practice joyful homemaking more and more! Today, I'm sharing 10 healthy habits for joyful homemaking which I hope can inspire you in your homemaking routine as well!
1. Consider the desires of your family, first.
When it comes to homemaking, it can be easy to get caught up in/focus on what WE want for our homes. At times, this may even turn homemaking into a selfish act solely to meet our needs instead of acts of service towards others. Being that my personal goal in homemaking is to serve, and minister to my family, I decided to find out the desires of my husband!
I did this by asking him to write, on an index card, five “household tasks” that make him feel more “at home." This one simple question provided me with his desires, (NOT demands), of tasks which I KNEW my husband would greatly value and appreciate me doing as a homemaker!
Each list will be different for everyone, but may include things such as "a daily made bed," "swept floor," "always having a certain drink on hand," etc. I taped the index card above my sink as a reminder to tackle those five things first, and give them priority in my routine! If I only got those things done in a day, I’d at least know they spoke love to my husband.
I feel the best and truest form of service is one where we expect nothing in return! However, to avoid the assumption that my husband doesn’t serve me at all in the home, he voluntarily does laundry each and every week to give me a break! :-) What a man!
2. Memorize Scripture
Finding and memorizing Scripture has been HUGE for me in my homemaking journey!! I desperately needed to renew my mind, and everything society taught me about "serving others" in the home! Homemaking was rarely portrayed as an "opportunity to serve,” and more as an "inconvenience."
"Here I go, doing the dishes, again!" "Why can't HE cook dinner for once?!" "Ugh, why can't I get a break!?" "Does anyone even realize the list of things I do in a day?!" (These phrases were once all too familiar to me!)
This "me-me-me" mentality is the opposite of a Christ-centered attitude. It's important to fill our minds with the Father's truth of serving others so that we can enjoy the process, and reap the fruit of choosing others over ourselves!! (This doesn’t suggest that we neglect our own well being, of course, but that we encourage a heart of service!) I’ve created a list of different Scriptures to encourage Homemakers, and you can find them all HERE!
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””
3. Get ready in the morning
At heart, I'm that "pajama Mama" all the live long day! If I have nowhere to go, I might as well stay in pajamas, right?! WRONG.
It may feel natural to not get ready when we have nowhere to go, but would you not get ready to go to your workplace?! Well, Homemakers, we have the pleasure and convenience of waking up…AT WORK, haha! Our home, in a sense, is our work place, and NOT a meaningless one! It is the most meaningful work there is.
Try getting yourself ready BEFORE you tend to your kids in the morning, and see if that plays a helpful part in getting your body up, dressed for duty, and moving in your routine!
4. Involve young children to help!
Instead of carrying the weight of completing housework while chasing after young children, use your routine as an opportunity to invest in getting your children involved! You'll be “killing two birds with one stone” as you tackle your household duties while teaching your children things like teamwork, responsibility, and skills. Before you know it, you'll have a little army of helpers that have a heart to serve others instead of an, "I'm too small to help" mentality!!
5. Declutter and give everything a place
No routine will go as smooth as intended in a cluttered home. Hold onto GRACE while decluttering your SPACE, and give everything a PLACE! (You see what I did there, haha?!) In other words, try to be intentional with the items you surround yourself with in your home because these are the things you’ll become enslaved to if you're not careful. “Having less” means “maintaining less,” and will prevent you from misplacing precious time and energy during housework that could be used elsewhere.
6. Rest once the chores are done!
Prior to my current homemaking routine, I had a habit of resting in the midst of incomplete chores. (There's nothing wrong with us taking a much needed break during our housework, until we find ourselves losing valuable time doing meaningless things!)
I'd work for a little, and then stop for a WHILE until the day was practically over, leaving my chores, yet again, undone! A big game changer has been working hard, and truly enjoying well deserved leisure time ONCE all my chores are all completed!
7. Find other Homemakers
Finding other mature Homemakers has significantly helped me see the beauty, purpose, and potential fruit of my labor. Whether it's friends online, or off, find someone who encourages you in your housework! I often enjoy finding new YouTube channels that encourage homemaking. (I myself have a Youtube channel with content to encourage our hearts towards joyful homemaking, HERE).
If you don't have friends, or family encouraging you in your homemaking, there are plenty of Instagram accounts, and books that can do so. I've been loving reading the Little House on the Prairie series to my children for the rich homemaking inspiration that can be found in each chapter! If you’d like me to create a separate blog post of other Homemakers I enjoy following for inspiration, let me know in the comments below!
8. Work SMARTER, not harder!
One poor habit that always stood in the way of successfully completing my housework was working "half-heartedly." I'd use an item, and wouldn't put it back, or I'd start a big project, and I wouldn't finish it. In the end, this poor way of working left me with a bigger mess than if I had just taken my time, and completed the tasks I initially started! So, work SMARTER by NOT making MORE work for yourself! Instead, focus in on a simple task that needs to be done, and do it WHOLE-HEARTEDLY from beginning to it's completion!
9. GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA!
There are only a certain number of hours in a day, and they are precious, am I right?! Prioritizing, and using work time wisely is very important. It's no secret that social media is a time sucker! I challenge you to record how many times, and for how long you reach for/use your phone during your chores?!...It may shock you! On a separate day, don't look at your phone, or engage on social media at all until your chores are DONE. On which day did you get more accomplished?! Personally, I saw a tremendous difference, and also found more intentional time spent with my children in the latter!
10. Be diligent, and cultivate fruits of the Spirit
Starting a day of homemaking can often equate to beginning a daunting battle of the mind. As we tackle our daily tasks, we may become challenged with much throughout the day that not only affects our attitudes, but how we treat others!
However, if we're daily practicing diligence in cultivating fruits of the Spirit (gentleness, goodness, peace, faithfulness, patience, love, etc.) then these characteristics will also ooze into the quality of our housework, and make our home a more enjoyable place to be! After all, when homemaking, the most important and free component is love.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, self control.”
I hope these 10 healthy habits can help you the way they've helped me! Please share this post with others if you enjoyed it! I'd love to know what healthy habits you've formed that have been vital towards your homemaking journey in the comments section below! Happy habit-making!
Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,
