Being a Productive Homemaking Mom
Homemaking and being a productive homemaking mom can seem impossible sometimes. Life, illness, grief, large families, and big homesteads can all contribute to a feeling of overwhelm, but it doesn't have to.
psst...This blog contains affiliate links which may provide revenue for my home or blog at no extra cost to you with purchase. Thanks :)Being a Productive Homemaking Mom Means Having a Schedule
A schedule can help you to be a more productive homemaking mom and simplify your everyday life as well. There are many ways to schedule from planners to apps these days. I personally plan my month out in a regular spiral notebook and leave two pages per day to have plenty of room. Whatever works best for you is what you should stick to. Planners aren't for everyone and a rigid schedule has never worked for me.
I have used time blocking and the Pomodoro Method with great success. Other methods are too complicated for me and don't work well with my ADHD either. Keep it simple and be sure you like the method you are using. If it's not working don't fight it, just try another method until it works for you.
Another great way to handle scheduling is through a routine. This way you train yourself to get things done and you won't have to rack your brain for routine tasks either. This will save you time and give you a sense of stability. The FlyLady has some great ideas and I'll be creating posts in the future with my routines as well. The best thing to do for me is to time block, keep activities on a specific day of the week and work from there.
A Productive Homemaking Mom Knows Her Limits
This one gets me all of the time. I live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ADHD, depression, and anxiety. So if I push my limits I'll be a wreck for a few days. For a healthy person, my schedule might seem lazy, but it works for me. It took me years to realize that if I worked with my limitations rather than against them I could get way more done. It's not easy to see that though when you are young and all of your friends have very clean homes, packed schedules, and you are at home in bed feeling awful.
So I know my limits, my productive times, and how far I can push myself before needing rest. I started with a packed schedule and pared it down until it was at a comfortable point for me. Now I work Monday through Thursday with scheduled events and have Friday as a flex day. I make sure important things like family time, meals, self-care, appointments, and deadlines are scheduled before I take on any social commitments. I also sit down every twelve weeks and begin new projects on the calendar based on my yearly goals which I do around every year in August for my birthday. I'll be writing more detailed posts on this in the future as well.
The Productive Homemaking Mom Knows The Value of Self Care
Self-care is so important. To be a productive homemaking mom you've got to care for yourself before you can care for anyone else. Self-care means adequate rest, nutrition, exercise for your tolerance level, and caring for your mind as well. So think about how you can accomplish these things inside of your schedule and schedule these things first, take care of you and you can take care of others.
Self-care for me includes meditation, gentle yoga, a healthy diet for my needs, eight hours of sleep ideally but no less than seven hours a night to function well, hydrating, and plenty of time to rest if I'm not feeling well. I follow an ayurvedic routine for my dosha type as well and try to avoid processed grains, but I do eat whole grains. I think the best routine is the one tailored to your personal needs. If it doesn't feel right it probably isn't so just keep tweaking it until you get the right routine for you. Again, I'll be writing posts in detail about my routines as time goes on.
Finally, Every Productive Homemaking Mom Knows The Value of Having A Place For Everything
With ADHD this is so important for me. If I don't hang my keys in the same place I'll be searching for them for hours. I have a basket for my things I take from room to room in the house as well to avoid searching for my planner, chapstick, etc... A caddy for the remotes and baskets in our cupboards to keep things straight have made a big difference too.It's important to get everyone in the house on board with this too. You can be a productive homemaking mom if you are constantly searching for everyone's stuff or tripping over it constantly. This is even true for pets. Make baskets for toys and treats. Keep food in the same place as well. This way you know where to look for things to save yourself time and energy, which is always in short supply for me.
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