Create A Practical & Simple Homemaking Schedule That You Will Actually Keep
This is the most critical part of your homemaking plan — setting up a chore chart or homemaking schedule that is simple, practical, and that you will actually keep.
That last part can often be the most challenging aspect of this ordeal, but we will get into that in this article, too. You might be wondering how to set up a homemaking schedule and overwhelmed with where you even start.
I used to find this so stressful that I avoided the task for ages; if you’re stuck in that place of analysis leading to paralysis, this article will help guide you.
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A Homemaking Schedule is Crucial; Intuitive Cleaning Doesn’t Work
Having an organized homemaking schedule can bring a sense of relief and peace of mind. It’s a way to ensure that everything that needs to be done is accounted for, and it can help reduce the stress of managing a household.
There are just as many right ways to keep house and set up a homemaking schedule as there are wrong ways. I think the worst way is to have no schedule but instead imagine that you will clean as you go and do the necessary chores as they come up. Or to wait until the house is messy and needs it.
Most fall into this category, and with rare exceptions (my mother and mother-in-law being two I personally know), the majority of people do not do well under this haphazard non-system of doing things as most people have not been taught how to keep a house and will easily slide into the chaos that follows having no plan.
By taking control of your homemaking schedule, you’re empowering yourself to manage your household more effectively.
The intuitive homemaker is generally one who has been slowly taught from childhood how to do things by a mother or grandmother. That is rare today. My own mother did not teach me how to keep house, but that is a long story for another day.
Another danger is the trap that too many women will fall into when they let this be how things are done in their home — they will invariably do the lion’s share of the housekeeping despite most women working outside the home today.
The Pitfalls & Realities Homemakers Face
Even the stay-at-home mother, depending on her season of life and the age of her children, will find herself being relegated to the role of 24/7 maid, with the majority of the childcare duties falling on her.
The SAHM is in particular danger of burnout when her children are very young or if she has many children and perhaps other duties like homeschooling and tending to gardens and livestock as she has little to no breaks from relentlessly needy children.
The children are not to blame here because they merely act in the developmentally normal ways they were designed. Babies and toddlers need their mothers extensively in the beginning.
This gradually gives way to more and more independence as the demands of constant breastfeeding and close physical contact give way to confidently independent children who can spend many hours apart without feeling abandoned or scared.
This is the way children have always been. They are perfect and blameless; it’s we who need to accept more things as they are instead of demanding nature rearrange itself to suit our strange notions of it.
A stay-at-home mother in this season of life with babies and toddlers needs a homemaking schedule more than anyone else, as she rarely gets enough time to recharge herself or have adequate adult conversations not revolving around her children and the seemingly endless mundane and repetitive tasks that need attending.
Well-meaning relatives and friends frequently remind the same stay-at-home mother to “enjoy this season of life” as “they grow up very fast.” While this is 100% correct, it is difficult to enjoy anything without adequate support or the right systems in place to keep your home, and thus your life, in smooth working order.
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The Real Reason I Thrive as a Homemaker & Homesteader
The reason I thrive as a SAHM with a homestead who practices attachment parenting, nursing on demand, bed-sharing, and what some people in the Western world weirdly insist on calling “extended breastfeeding” even though it’s just biologically normal breastfeeding — is because I’m organized and have put my systems into place.
My husband and I know what’s happening in the home and on the land at any moment.
My homemaking schedule is a big, tidy Google sheet with all the daily/weekly, monthly, quarterly (seasonally), semi-annually, and annual chores.
Instead of leaving that chart to fester and be forgotten on my computer, I print it out and laminate it. Every single day, I look at the chart to see what needs doing. Then, the box next to the chore is checked off immediately upon completion with a dry-erase marker.
When my husband gets home from work, he can tell at a glance what the state of the home truly is by looking at this posted chart. Then, he can jump in at the appropriate time to take over and help in the way I need from him.
My husband doesn’t have to ask “what needs doing,” and I don’t feel frustrated at this lack of awareness because everything is clearly written in black and white.
My husband values and respects my role as a stay-at-home mother as he grew up with one himself, and he sees how vital the role is.
He never resents me for a job undone because he knows how much is on my plate on top of the reality of caring for young children.
This mutual respect and understanding in our partnership make me feel valued and appreciated.
The Entire Household Must Be On Board
You might not feel as valued by your own husband. Still, allowing resentment to build up on both sides alongside the dishes and clutter won’t help your marriage, I promise you that. So I highly recommend you be proactive and start this process yourself and then engage your husband in it, too, because he needs to know about the changes that are coming.
Involve him fully and show him what you’re doing. Ask for his input.
And if this is coming across as sexist to some of you — I encourage you to get over yourself. The fact of the matter is that women do the bulk of household work, whether they work outside the home, stay at home, or work from home. Studies show this time and time again.
And the women are tired. A brief glance at any of my online women’s groups shows the same complaints posted daily in an endless barrage of stressed, tired, mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted mothers who don’t know what to do.
So, I invite you to take inspiration and guidance from the old-fashioned traditional women of your past who had no choice but to find the best and most efficient ways to make a home. They deserve respect, remembrance, and recognition for the often thankless jobs they did to keep a family going.
And they did not have the modern conveniences you do.
People often ask me how I manage everything I do, and the reality is that it’s because of the systems and schedules I’ve put into place. They let me enjoy being a mother, a wife, a homesteader.
As I’ve already said, there is a right way and a wrong way to set up this schedule. Let’s discuss that.
Start by thinking about the tasks that you do (or should be doing) every single day in your home, as these are the most important and most pressing:
Examples of Daily Tasks
- Empty the dishwasher of the previous night’s load.
- Meals and the requisite post-eating tidy-up of the kitchen table and floor (especially with young children).
- Airing out and making the beds.
- Putting the dirty clothes into the hamper and putting away any clean clothes.
- Cleaning kitchen sinks after use.
- Cleaning floors in areas where they get the most use: For me, this takes the form of a quick vacuum underneath the dining room table and the kitchen island chairs.
- Empty trash containers.
- Squeegee glass shower stalls after use
- Tidy-up time (we do 2 15-minute tidy-ups with a timer daily as a family)
- Put the kitchen back in order before bed and run the dishwasher.
To this, we add on the equally critical weekly tasks. This is the backbone and foundation of a house that runs like a well-oiled machine.
This is where it tends to fall apart for people.
Ideally, each day will have some special task assigned to it, like cleaning the bathrooms, mopping all the floors, cleaning the stove and hood vent, going grocery shopping, or perhaps meal planning unless it’s done on a monthly basis.
The day you assign this weekly task does matter.
For example, I clean my bathrooms on Mondays and do the grocery shopping on the same day. Why Monday? Because we observe Sundays as a day of rest, leisure, enjoyment, and family time. We might visit the grandparents or take a day trip somewhere after church.
The result is that everyone feels energized and full of life on Mondays, ready to take on a brand new work week. It makes sense to tackle the least pleasant task — bathrooms. I have taken stock of my pantry, and meal planning is done on Fridays and Saturdays, so I have a list ready for my husband to take to the store and pick up what I need.
Sunday night’s meal usually results in leftovers to have on Monday, so there is no big fuss in the kitchen. As my meal prep is done (and I’m an avid meal prepper and planner) and I know what we’re eating, I don’t have to complicate my life or spend time thinking about it.
For example, on Sunday, I’ll bake my ham with carrots and potatoes and then use the leftover ham bone and any meat scraps to make leftover ham bone soup with beans.
If you go to the grocery store multiple times a week, you must understand how much time and energy you’re wasting on this. The exception might be a fun outing to a farmer’s market held on the weekends.
This might be controversial, but I don’t understand people who do laundry daily; even with children and cloth diapering, we do laundry 1-3 times weekly. My laundry is never piled up or behind; I find it the most relaxing and enjoyable of household chores.
Examples Of Weekly Tasks
- Change the bedding and wash it.
- Deep clean the kitchen.
- Clean the stovetop and range hood
- Clean all door knobs, light fixtures, faucets, and any fingerprints on low windows
- Mop the entire house.
- Dusting.
- Laundry.
- Vacuuming rugs.
- Vacuuming couches.
The monthly tasks are infrequent but essential. Neglect them, and you’ll have problems.
Examples Of Monthly Tasks
- Deep clean the oven.
- Deep clean the refrigerator.
- Clean the washer, dryer, and dishwasher.
- Clean out the garbage and recycling cans (this might be a weekly task for some).
- Launder the mattress covers.
- Clean the baseboard.
- Dust and clean any blinds, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and lampshades.
- Clean the window frames, the tops of doors, the appliances, and all other furniture.
- Wash the window interiors.
Just in case you think this sounds like a lot of cleaning, I promise you that it’s not.
It’s only a lot if you neglect to do it regularly, and dust, dirt, grime, grease, and mess are allowed to build up and accumulate.
When these tasks are done regularly, they are so simple because the house is always kept in a state of relative cleanliness.
And just in case this needs to be stated — these tasks and their frequencies will vary based on the situation.
A family with young children and a large country house with gardens and livestock have different needs than a childless couple with a dog living in a studio apartment.
You must tailor your homemaking schedule as required by your own home and lifestyle, not me and mine. As you create one and start to use it, you will begin to see precisely how well it is or isn’t working.
Adjust as you go on; it’s part of the learning process.
Let’s move on to quarterly, seasonal, semi-annual, and annual tasks, or seasonal tasks, such as fall cleaning and spring cleaning.
A lot can be written about these next tasks, but it requires its own article, so I wrote one: Cleaning Your Home Semi-Annually & Annually (Fall & Spring Cleaning)
Examples of Quarterly, Semi-Annual, and Annual Tasks
- Clean underneath heavy appliances like the stove and refrigerator
- Wash any rugs, carpets, and upholstered furniture.
- Rotate seasonal clothing (this one is SO important to reduce clutter)
- Give away, swap, sell, or donate clothing and any other non-sentimental items you no longer have a use for.
- Launder duvets, blankets, quilts.
- Launder curtains and drapes.
- Clean the basement, attic, garage, and sheds.
- Clean all walls and ceilings.
- Clean any chandeliers.
- Update the household inventory: freezers, pantries, bulk food and item storage.
- Two major deep cleans are traditionally done in the spring and fall, I still recommend them.
How To Keep This System Going & Not Fail
My most significant advice, if you’ve tried everything and still find yourself slipping into slovenly ways, is to do as my family does and have a printed and posted schedule, which is laminated and checked off daily. Make sure you get the entire family on board and keep them to their word and to the duties expected of them.
My second piece of advice is to put a particular focus on your kitchen, the heart of the home.
Your ability to plan good, wholesome meals without stress and to maintain the order and cleanliness of that room, above all else, can make or break your ability to keep the rest of your home in order.
When you wake up in the morning and come downstairs to a clean, tidy kitchen, it feels amazing—like a jolt of instant energy. A cluttered mess with crumbs and dried-on spills on the counters and a sink overflowing with dishes feels awful. It drags your entire mood down and your mental health with it.
Don’t leave the kitchen (except for unloading a dishwasher or perhaps washing large pans left to soak overnight) for the mornings; that one thing can change how your entire day goes and how much energy you have to tackle everything else that life demands.
The Kitchen is The Heart of the Home
Having a plan for good, healthy, wholesome food is key.
Good food changes your body and your brain, and it decreases your risk of illness and certain chronic diseases. Particular focus needs to be put there, and it needs to be a priority.
We are a real-food, ingredients-mostly household. See my article on how I save money on groceries and cut my family’s food budget by thousands of dollars.
Related: Here’s How I Cut My Family Grocery Budget By Thousands of Dollars
We do not eat ultra-processed dead foods full of preservatives and lab-created ingredients out of boxes. You can find me as pretentious or unrealistic as you like— this has been my reality for years in various circumstances. It has had the most significant impact on my life and my physical and mental health.
I cook or make nearly everything from scratch and prioritize whole foods. And you know what? It’s easy for me because I have actually prioritized it. I’ve also saved my family thousands of dollars. If this is something you want to implement in your own life and home, know that you can, no matter what.
Yes, everything feels so wrong right now. The cost of living is a crisis we cannot fix, and inflation has been rampant while wages stagnate. That’s not changing anytime soon, and the sooner you realize that the easier your life will become because you will realize that no one is coming to save you — it’s all on you and your immediate loved ones, dear homemaker.
It always has been.
You’re Not a Failure; You’re Not Inferior — You Just Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
If any of my words upset you or you’re rolling your eyes as you read parts of this, understand that I’m not intending to be condescending. As I already said, I was once a disorganized, chaotic mess, and despite my best intentions and many false starts, the only thing that actually worked was a real schedule.
You can keep putting this off and making excuses, or you can decide to ask for help and start slowly changing your life.
One final thing: if you’re new to any of this, you’re not alone. You’re also not a bad person, worthless, a slob, lazy, stupid, or any number of other awful things you might sometimes feel. I felt those things, and they kept me wallowing in pity, but they weren’t true or helpful.
Also, know that these types of changes don’t happen overnight; progress and growth are not linear. When we start implementing big life and habit changes, we often experience regressions and setbacks. One day, for seemingly no reason, we revert back to bad habits, and then, out of guilt, we keep going while pretending not to.
All of this is normal.
When that invariably happens, start up again. Stop relying on motivation, the most useless of human motions, and start looking to discipline—the discipline that makes you keep going even as you hate the thing that you’re doing. It’s okay to hate it! The hatred will be replaced by a neutral feeling soon enough if you stick it through, but you need discipline to stick it through and to get started again after reverting, failing, or pausing.
You’ve got this, I promise. I know because if I can do this, anyone can.
