7 Habits of Highly Effective Homemakers
Have you ever wondered what makes some homes (and homemakers) stand apart from the rest? So did I. After careful consideration and study, I realized that highly effective homemakers generally practice these seven homemaking habits every day.
But first, before we talk about the habits, I want to share a quick story with you. It’s a story about my real-life homemaking mentor, and how a visit to her house years ago, inspired me.
My Homemaking Mentor
The first thing I noticed when I entered the room was the delicious aroma of cinnamon and apples. A vanilla candle flickered cheerily on the entryway table, and the scene before me was one of warmth and welcome.
She ushered me into the kitchen and offered me a drink. After pouring a cup of tea for both of us, we sank into her cozy living room sofa to enjoy an afternoon chat.
Her children are grown now, but their ties to family are strong. Many are their memories of meals eaten around the table together, holidays and special occasions celebrated, parties hosted, and friends welcomed into their home.
What is it, I wondered, that makes some homes stand out from the rest? What is it that makes some homemakers highly effective at creating a home atmosphere that nurtures and blesses those who live there and those who visit?
It isn’t money. It isn’t the size or appearance of the house itself.
As I thought back over the homemakers who have had a profound influence on me personally, I realized that these attributes of successful and effective homemakers could be distilled down to seven good habits that they all have in common.
Seven essential homemaking habits that great homemakers regularly practice.
Watch the Homemaking Habits Video
Essential Homemaking Habits
Here are the homemaking habits and skills that will help you flourish at home. You’ll soon find that the power of habits will help you to be a more productive homemaker. And remember, small changes made over time make such a big difference.
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Habit #1: Live with Vision
A beautiful, vibrant home doesn’t just happen. It must be visualized first. If you haven’t envisioned where you’re going, how will you ever get there?
Effective homemakers have a vision.
It takes a lot of thought and prayer and planning to make a beautiful home a reality. Yes, it’s also going to take hard work!
But it all starts with the vision.
I think it helps here to do some backward planning. Imagine how you want your home and family to look twenty years from now. Then work back to the present and write down everything you need to do now to make those future dreams a reality.
If there are important homemaking skills that you need to learn, make a plan for learning those things. Just adding one new habit per month (or every couple of months) can have a huge impact.
I like to use my daily planner to keep track of my big-picture goals, as well as my daily tasks.
Habit #2: Follow a Daily Schedule or Routine
Effective homemakers don’t just let life happen to them. They have a plan.
Of course, sometimes your plan won’t work out. It may be interrupted by sickness, or a broken washing machine, or some other circumstance outside of your control.
Sometimes the plan will be interrupted long-term, like what happened to me during each of my five pregnancies, where I was stuck in bed for five months!
But still, you need a plan. Even if you have to revert to an “emergency plan,” it’s still better than nothing.
These daily routines are going to be the tools that help you make your dreams a reality.
Here’s what my simple routines currently look like, with some helpful ideas for creating your own.
As you do the next thing in your homemaking routine, you’ll be checking off your priorities and accomplishing your most important goals, little by little. The little things are the key to making it all happen!
Habit #3: Get Up Early
I know this one is hard for some of us. If you have babies or little ones, I know sometimes this isn’t even possible.
But as much as you can, as soon as you can, try to get up before your children. And if you don’t have children (or another circumstance preventing you from it), do whatever it takes to get up early.
I read an article recently that said the most successful people get up early. When you’re up before the sun (or at least before your children!) you’ll have the advantage of some quiet time to yourself to read, pray, exercise, or just get a head start on your day.
This is a hard one, especially if you’re in the season of young children. But it can be an important essential homemaking habit to help you on your journey to effective homemaking.
A morning routine can go a long way in helping you to be a more efficient homemaker.
But so many homemakers have found that their evening routines are the key to the morning routine. Here’s some help for setting up an evening routine.
Habit #4: Plan Meals
I’ll be honest, meal planning hasn’t always been my favorite task. But it can be a game changer to make meal time more peaceful. And it’s another important key to running a successful home.
It just makes everything better when you’ve got all the meals planned ahead of time. Having a plan eliminates that decision anxiety when 5:00 rolls around (as it always does!).
Keep in mind that there’s not just one right way to plan meals. I’ve done a combination of many different things for meal planning through my thirty years of homemaking.
One option is to make a very detailed meal plan in advance, with everything predetermined and pre-purchased so all you have to do is follow the plan.
Or, you can keep a list (mental or on your phone or in your planner) of basic foods that you know you can always use to make a meal. These meals are just simple and don’t require a long list of ingredients to shop for before making them.
Some examples of these super simple types of meals for our family:
I know that if I have the ingredients for some of these simple things on hand, then I can always come up with a good meal for my family. Just add a salad or other simple side dish, and you’re set!
Keeping the pantry stocked with some basic pantry staples is also key to getting good food on the table every night with less stress. I also like to keep the freezer stocked with homemade bone broth and frozen vegetables.
Habit #5: Use a Cleaning Schedule
Come up with a cleaning plan that will work for you and your home.
We’ve used different methods through the years, but it always works best and our house stays cleaner when I have some kind of plan in place. What matters is that it works for you.
Here’s how to set up a cleaning routine, with my own routine as an example. These daily homemaking tasks, when done on a daily basis, will help keep your whole house so much more orderly and pleasant.
And make sure to get the kids to help. My children have always helped around the house. Here’s a list of age-appropriate chores for kids. If everyone in the family does their share, one person never ends up feeling overwhelmed.
With children at home, it’s not ever going to be spotless. But we do aim for a clean house as much as possible.
I try to at least keep the living room and front entryway clean. If we’ve been out of town or it’s been a rough week because of busyness or illness, I feel better if at least the view from the front door looks nice!
During those “crisis moments,” if I have time, I’ll also focus on the essentials like clean dishes, laundry, and bathrooms. Then when things get back to normal I go back to focusing on deep cleaning and organizing.
Here are 7 things to do every day to keep your house cleaner.
If you need help in this area, I highly recommend looking into FlyLady’s book. She’s so inspiring and helpful in keeping a tidy home.
Habit #6: Declutter and Organize
The atmosphere of your home will be so much more pleasant when it’s not overtaken by stuff.
It’s really true that you can’t organize clutter. So, getting rid of the clutter comes before organizing things.
I know, this is another challenging one, especially if you have a small house.
We have a relatively small house for our large family of seven, and even though I have dreams of someday having lots of space and storage, for now I must actively work to keep clutter away and find a home for everything within the limits of our small space.
I’ve always used the method of having three boxes or bags labeled “put away,” “give away,” and “throw away.” It’s simple, but it works. And if you want to get really serious about decluttering, try this Decluttering Challenge.
Once you’ve decluttered everything, make sure each item has a place, and your home will be so much easier to keep clean!
Habit #7: Cultivate a Positive Attitude
I’ve saved the most important thing for last.
One of the most important homemaking habits is to focus on the positive. So much of the success of a home comes down to atmosphere. And homemakers can do so much to create a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere.
As Laura Ingalls Wilder once said:
Let’s be cheerful! We have no more right to steal the brightness out of the day for our own family than we have to steal the purse of a stranger. Let us be as careful that our homes are furnished with pleasant and happy thoughts as we are that the rugs are the right color and texture and the furniture comfortable and beautiful.
If we’re constantly grumbling and complaining, it’s going to affect the whole household.
Please don’t think I’m saying that you can’t be a good homemaker if you struggle with depression or discouragement at times. We all go through periods of discouragement. (And if your struggle is deeper, it’s okay and even needful to ask for help.)
What I’m talking about is shaking off the everyday temptation (common to all of us) to have a complaining spirit. In the midst of mundane, dreary, or discouraging days, this habit is most important—and yet it’s possibly the most difficult.
The homemaker who exudes love, warmth, and gratitude will be the most successful homemaker of all.
It doesn’t matter how big, how fancy, or how organized the house. What matters most is that the people who live there and those who come through the doors feel loved.
When that difficult situation arises (as it always will), try to focus on the things that will build up your family. As Philippians 4:8 says:
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
A gratitude journal like this one can be a great help in cultivating a thankful, cheerful spirit.
More Helpful Homemaking Tips
These 7 essential homemaking habits are a great place to start if you’re new to homemaking or you’re hoping to grow as a homemaker.
I’ve been a homemaker for over thirty years, and I’m still learning new things and growing. We never fully “arrive.” As our life circumstances change, we find that methods and systems need to be refreshed from time to time.
Here are a few tips for how to implement these homemaking habits:
Do a Nightly Brain Dump
Every night before I go to bed, as part of my evening routine, I do a brain dump and make my to-do list for the coming day. This helps keep my mind from spinning (feeling like I might have forgotten something) and helps me to sleep better.
Also, it helps to make the next day flow more smoothly since I’ve already made a lot of decisions beforehand.
I just use a simple little blank notebook from the dollar store to do my brain dump.
Use a Planner
I find it so helpful to use a daily planner to help me to be more intentional with my time. It also helps remind me of my goals.
This is my favorite daily planner, which I’ve been using for several years now. Before that planner, I also loved and recommended this one, which is undated, so it’s great to get if you’re not starting it at the beginning of the year.
If you’re not a paper person, using your phone to plan is another great way to keep your habits and goals in mind each day.
Work on One Thing at a Time
If you can’t decide where to start, pick a simple homemaking habit to learn. Start with just making the bed or making sure your kitchen sink stays clean. You’d be amazed at how much just having a freshly made bed can lift your spirits whenever you walk by and see it.
Whichever habit you decide to start with, just pick one thing and be consistent with it!
Read Encouraging Books
If you’re feeling like you could use a little homemaking encouragement, check out this post with inspiring homemaking quotes.
And I also recommend reading books or listening to podcasts that will encourage you in the art of homemaking. Some of my favorite books for encouragement would be this book by Sally Clarkson, and this classic.
I hope this post has encouraged you on your homemaking journey!
Thank you for such wonderful demonstrations to projects.I’m really pleased I found you.
Cheers and warmest regards
Terri
So glad you’re here, Terri!
Joy Kincaid, What a beautiful name! I’m really inspired by the brightness of your genius thought. Thanks for this great post & brilliant ideas…
That’s very kind of you, thank you!
My goal is to try to get some sort of a system going with an ever-growing list of chronic illnesses.
I know it’s so hard when you’re dealing with chronic illness.
I’m to the point where I figure if I can do a little every day, at least it won’t be any worse!