Becoming a successful homemaker doesn’t look like any one thing. But with these tips, you can be well on your way!
When I became a full-time homemaker, I didn’t realize how much control I truly had over my home. I thought that there was some sort of “rule book” every homemaker eventually found. Little did I know, that was a lie!
As a homemaker, you have an incredible amount of control over the state of your home. If you thrive under routines, you can implement every routine into your homemaking. If you prefer to sail smoothly and greet each day as new, you can make a plan when you wake up every day.
And of course, there’s a balance to strike that you can find in the middle of those two options.
That balance is what makes you a good homemaker. Running your home for the benefit of your family is the mark of a successful homemaker. And I want you to remember that as I walk through these tips to be an effective homemaker.
Some of these tips may not apply to you. And that’s okay! If they don’t, I hope they inspire you to try something new or give you the idea you’ve been looking for, whatever that may be.
17 Simple Tips to Become An Effective Homemaker
1 Begin with Prayer
Connecting with God is the best thing you can do before you go to “work.”
Pray for your hands as they work, pray for your children as they grow, and pray for your home as you go through your day.
Sure, a made bed is a great way to start your day. But connecting with God first and foremost will truly get your day off to a great start.
2 Plan Ahead
Having a plan is my favorite way to get something done. Especially managing my home!
At the beginning of every week, I make a very loose plan for how I think the week will go. Just before bed, I review the next day’s activities and plan accordingly. I set out any meat that needs to be thawed for dinner. I get outfits ready to go. Things of that nature.
If we are having a slower day, I will wait to plan the day with my husband.
I also love meal planning. Meal planning ensures that nothing in our kitchen is going to waste and that we’re staying on budget!
Depending on the season of life you’re in, this can be catered to fit your needs. I have meal planned a week in advance. I have also meal planned a month in advance.
3 Implement Routines
I love having a morning routine. I love having a cleaning schedule. And while I’m a Type A personality, it’s not because routines fuel the organization I crave as a Type A personality.
I love routines and schedules because they decrease decision fatigue for me.
Think about it. As I grow my family, my time and attention are pulled to a thousand other places. I have toddlers that need assistance going to the bathroom. I have to cook three meals a day. I have side hustles I’m trying to grow.
I’m being pulled in what feels like a thousand different directions!
So by implementing routines, I can cut all of the overwhelm that comes with answering the question, “What do I do now?”
Because I already know and I can naturally fall back into that rhythm when I inevitably get sidetracked!
4 Foster Good Habits
A good habit is a behavior you want to repeat. So “good habit” is going to look different for everyone!
Examples of good habits in homemaking may be handling money frugally, cooking from scratch meals and snacks, reading books, sewing, crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking, keeping a tidy home, and visiting with the sick and widowed.
Fostering good habits takes work! We will talk later about taking small steps to accomplish a big goal. And I encourage you to do that here. But you can also break bad habits so you can foster good ones.
5 Work to Break Bad Habits
At the beginning of 2024, I knew I wanted to spend less time on my phone and more time with my children. But breaking that habit has proven to be harder than I thought!
Noticing bad habits is great, but ending them is even better. So as you work to break bad habits, I encourage you to already have an idea of what you will replace that bad habit with.
For example, I want to get off my phone. To replace the time I would have been on my phone, I plan on reading books with my children, reading my books, doing arts and crafts I love, or spending time outside.
If you’re like me, recognizing the benefits of breaking the habit (or starting the habit) isn’t enough to keep you going. You need more internal motivation!
To keep me motivated, I will reward myself when I’ve accomplished a key milestone in my goal-setting journey. Say I want a book. I’ll restrict myself from getting another book until I’ve completed so many days of keeping the house tidy. Or I’ll restrict myself from getting another book until I’ve read at least two or three of the other books I already have around the house.
This does two things for me. First, it helps me recenter my focus. Books are great, but when you have so many that you haven’t read, that can get out of hand quickly!
Second, it gives me something to work toward. I’ll pair the reward with something like “tidy the house every day for 30 days” because I know it takes at least 30 days to establish a habit! So not only do I get a reward, but I’ve also gained a new habit! Win-win!
Maybe that’s a convoluted way of thinking through this. But if you’re reward-driven like me, giving yourself a healthy reward for establishing a healthy habit is great motivation to get started!
6 Consume Social Media Sparingly
Did you know that the average adult spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone every day? Of that, the average person is spending 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media!
Social media is not conducive to serving your home. Especially when the cons include comparison traps, eroded confidence, isolation, addiction, and laziness.
If you find yourself falling into these camps, there are things you can do to properly balance your use.
My biggest tip would be to use it as a reward, not a right. Make a list of things to do that must be done every day. Don’t check your phone until you complete those tasks. My tasks include serving my family breakfast, getting my chores started, getting dressed, doing a Bible study, and reading 1 chapter of a book.
You can also balance your social media use by intentionally logging on to comment and engage with others, not just scroll mindlessly. Finally, you can consider putting your phone in something like a box in a communal part of your home. This is so you know where your phone is but you’re not always on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I improve my homemaking?
You can improve your homemaking by purposing yourself to improve! Make a list, start a new routine, and just get started!
What is the main homemaking task?
There is no “main” homemaking task because this looks different for every family! Take a look at what needs to get done in your home every day and work to create a routine around those things. That way you know everything that needs to happen to make your home run smoothly will happen every day.
7 Keep a Running To-Do List
As much as I love to plan, there are times the week just gets away from me! That’s where my rolling to-do list comes into play.
Aside from the daily tasks I have that are necessary to keep my home running, I have little things to do that just pop up. Thank you notes to be written, side hustles and products to develop, meals to bring to those in need and the like.
As those things pop up, I work to accomplish them every day. I prioritize anything time-bound and give myself grace for what doesn’t get done.
8 Take Breaks
There have been several times when I crashed at the end of the day. As I’m falling into bed, I have a minute or two of respite before I realize my day isn’t technically over yet. I have a pile of laundry to put away, a kitchen table to clean, and toys to clean up.
Instead of falling into bed ready to drift off to sleep, I’m falling into bed frustrated and burnt out. I’m not looking forward to God’s new mercies that come with tomorrow!
If you’re in the same boat, I’m here to encourage you to take breaks. Consider finding a point in your day where your children are either napping or playing independently and snuggle up with a good book for 10 minutes.
If your children are young like mine and tend to need a lot of attention, consider taking walks throughout the day! A fun, quick yoga session or arts and crafts are also great ways to change up the pace of your day and focus your mind on something else.
Throughout the month, schedule intentional time outside the house where you’re doing something you enjoy. Not running an errand for the home. Making returns, grocery shopping, or even shopping for your children don’t count! Go to a bookstore, get your nails done, or have coffee with a friend. This is a time to take a break!
My favorite way to take a break is by spending time with friends.
9 Take Advice from Older, Wiser Homemakers
I love sitting with older women and asking them questions about how they ran their homes when they were my age. It helps give me perspective, but I’m also able to glean from their wisdom!
10 Have a Positive Attitude
The repetitive tasks homemaking is comprised of is a great way to convince yourself you aren’t making any true progress. Don’t let that be the case! Especially if you are a full-time homemaker. Your effort is not in vain!
Everything that you’re doing, whether it’s dishes for the fifth time today or decorating for a holiday, is creating a home your family will find care and love in.
When you keep a positive attitude, you know that you are impacting your family’s attitude, too. If you’re interested in teaching children to be cheerful and willing to help, both of those things start with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I be a smart homemaker?
A smart homemaker uses her time and energy wisely. So start there! Don’t waste your time scrolling through social media or worrying about comparing yourself to other homemakers. Focus on your own home and give your family all of your energy.
What is an example of homemaking?
Homemaking examples include doing the laundry, washing dishes, cooking, cleaning, baking, and even gardening. Homemaking examples are tasks needed to keep the home running.
I would even argue that loving your husband well and comforting children are necessary homemaking tasks, too.
11 Review Your Systems Regularly
If you live in the Midwest like I do, you are very familiar with the type of weather we have. In the winter, we have negative 20-degree windchills and inches of snow. But during the summer, we have horrendous heat waves that threaten power outages.
So naturally, the amount of time we spend outside and the type of clothes we wear varies. We cater to the seasons.
The same goes for our activities. During the summer, I’m up to my eyeballs in sourcing local food, growing food, and preserving food. You may be up to your eyeballs in summer activities and seeing family during vacations.
So as the seasons change, your needs at home are going to change, too. As children age, their needs are going to change. What was working for a toddler and an infant isn’t going to work for a toddler and a school-aged child.
So review your systems regularly! Quarterly you can sit down and see if your daily routines are working for your family. Are there new skills you could learn to help you in this stage of life? Are there simple tasks you could be doing to make your life easier?
Remember that the goal is never to be a perfect homemaker. Because there isn’t such a thing! The goal is to serve our family the best way we know how for the season of life we are in.
Don’t be afraid to adjust routines and add new things. I know humans are creatures of habit, but new habits can be picked up!
12 Clean As You Go
This was an incredible tip I picked up from Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone. If there is a mess you can tend to in less than a minute, tackle it then.
When a child accidentally spills a drink all over themselves, leaves get blown all over your front porch, or pasta sauce gets splattered on your backsplash, tend to it then! It only takes a moment to clean up a spill after cleaning off a toddler. It only takes a moment to sweep off your front porch. And it only takes a moment to quickly wipe up spills from making dinner!
I have two of my favorite cleaning products saved on my recommendations page! You can check them out here. Please note that these are affiliate links. That means when you make a purchase using my links, I make a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Homemaker and Happy!
13 Keep a Tidy Home
A tidy home is free of clutter and chaos. And if you’re in a season of young children like I am, I can guarantee you that your home is neither one of those things right now. Luckily, a tidy home isn’t the mark of an efficient homemaker!
A tidy home can bring peace and order to your family, though. These are both great goals to strive for.
Keeping a tidy home could look like a quick toy pick-up twice a day, once before nap time and again before dinner time.
Keeping a tidy home could also look like tending to things like shopping bags and groceries immediately, instead of letting things pile up on the kitchen table. You can also consider taking down seasonal decorations in a timely fashion and rotating through seasonal clothes like snow clothes right when you need them.
14 Save Deep Cleaning for Quarterly Projects
Daily, there are things I do to keep our home running. I make sure we have clean dishes, I sweep the kitchen floor, and I wash a load of laundry every day.
I don’t have time to deep clean the kitchen every day, so I don’t. I’ll deep clean rooms once a week. And as far as deep cleaning the garage or the baseboards, I’ll do that annually!
More great tips to become a more productive homemaker
15 Take Small Steps Toward Bigger Goals
I love goal setting. And if there’s anything I’ve learned through goal setting, it’s that goals can be broken down into two or three smaller action items.
These action items are how we will accomplish the goal!
Say that as a homemaker, you want to be better about creating memories for your family. Your goal may be to “spend more quality time together as a family.” That’s a great goal. But that isn’t going to happen if you don’t do something about it.
So your action steps to “spend more quality time together as a family” would be “do an activity together once a month” or “no screen time on Sundays. We will read together as a family instead.”
16 Get Family Members Involved
Please hear me when I say you are not responsible for every aspect of your home.
What do I mean by that?
My husband and I divide and conquer the home responsibilities. I’m responsible for everything inside the home and he’s responsible for everything outside the home.
However, my husband is ready and willing to help me with tasks around the house. And he does! On days when I’m out running errands, he is doing dishes and laundry. And when I don’t feel well, he’s cooking and cleaning, too.
As my children grow and can take on more responsibility, I intend to give it to them! My four-year-old is capable of fetching dirty laundry, unloading most of the dishwasher, carrying some lighter groceries inside, and even feeding our backyard chickens!
My two-year-old follows suit in these areas. But they are also capable of running their dirty clothes to their hamper and putting away toys and books.
By taking the time to teach my children how to tend to chores, I’m lightening my load later on in life.
For sick day tips for stay-at-home moms, check out this blog post!
17 Make Home Your Top Priority
Don’t let the worries of the world steal anything from the work you’re doing in your home. Joy, time, patience, love, focus.
When we let things outside of our home become more important than the things inside our home, we lose sight of what God wants for our home. We can’t preach Proverbs 31 and worry about what people will think when they walk through our front door. But we can live Proverbs 31 and welcome everyone to our home with a smile, maybe a baked good, and an open heart.
What do you think about these homemaking tips?
Let me know in the comments!
For DIY decor inspiration and tasty recipes, be sure to check out my other blog posts. You can also follow me on Pinterest!
For more quick tips, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook! I love engaging with other homemakers on social media. It’s an incredible way to teach, learn, and encourage each other!
Are you a new homemaker who’s struggling with embracing homemaking?
I know how you feel! When I transitioned to homemaking (quite unexpectedly) I thought my primary contribution to my home was financially. I was an award-winning journalist! I knew I wanted to be a journalist since I was a freshman in high school. How could I transition smoothly from being a career woman to being a homemaker?
I started by looking at what I was good at. How could I orient my skill set to benefit my home?
Next, I found older, wiser homemakers and picked their brains for advice. Ecclesiastes tells us, “There’s nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). So I knew the struggles I was having weren’t anything new!
By talking with older, wiser homemakers, I was able to walk away encouraged and empowered with new information I could apply to my homemaking.
For a few other tips on how to embrace homemaking, check out my blog post Homemaker and Happy – Tips for Embracing Your Godly Vocation!
For more homemaking encouragement, check out these other great blog posts!
23 Tips for Living Off of One-Income (Without Credit Cards)
20 Simple Homemaking Skills for the Modern Homemaker
Cozy Winter Homemaking Ideas – Tips for Seasonal Living
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