I remember when I was younger the last job on planet earth I wanted was to be a “homemaker.” It seemed like such a trite, ridiculous word and something I never, ever wanted to do, but now, when I am in my mid-forties, I’ve come to appreciate the art of homemaking so much more – after having spent the last few years simplifying my overall life and becoming an empty nester. There is so much profound and yet simple beauty in the art of homemaking.
“And then she realised she was replaceable in every area of her life except her home. So she invested her time, her energy, and her heart wisely.”
~ Jillian Benfield
What is Homemaking?
One dictionary has defined homemaking as:
The creation and management of a home, especially as a pleasant place in which to live.
I love this definition because it so accurately describes my goal as a homemaker. My goal has always been to create a place that would be a haven for my family – even when it just used to be Khushi & me and now it’s just me. I’ve always wanted our home to be a safe, nurturing, comforting, and inspiring place to live. A place where you can exhale and breathe deeply at the end of the day. A place that inspires creativity and the cultivation of happy family memories. In order to create this beautiful, intentional, meaningful home, hours of thought, work, and planning have to happen first.
Homemaking is the work you do at home to create an atmosphere that allows your family to feel loved. The art of homemaking has many facets and as a homemaker, studying the different disciplines of homemaking will help you do your job better. Homemaking is truly about the art of making a home:
- Creating schedules and routines
- Meal planning, meal prepping & grocery shopping
- Giving Home some TLC (cleaning)
- Cooking & baking nourishing meals with seasonal produce
- Decluttering, simplifying & organising
- Caring for children
- Gardening work
- Mending and wardrobe maintenance
- Nursing sick family members
- Managing the home finances and so much more
Today I’m sharing a guide to homemaking from decades of being a homemaker, I hope you’ll find it useful.
Get a Vision for Your Home
What is your vision for your Home? You can’t create what you haven’t first envisioned. You need to know what it is that you’re trying to create. Then, once you’ve come up with a vision for your home, you’ll be able to come up with a clearer plan for how to achieve your goals.
Sit down with a blank piece of paper or a notebook, and jot down everything that comes to mind when you think about the type of home you long for. After you’ve written down everything you can think of, look over your notes and evaluate. What themes do you see emerging? Are you beginning to get a picture of the type of home you’d like to have?
When I do this exercise, it might look something like this:
- A retreat
- Light candles at dinner
- Delicious, nourishing food
- Make happy memories
- Homemade bread
- Simple, comforting, practical & chic
Whatever it looks like for you, think about your priorities and get a vision for your home. Having this vision in place will make such a difference as you set out to create your dream.
Homemaking is not about the material possessions you fill your home with rather, homemaking is about the love that pours out of your heart into every effort your hands perform.
Put Together a Homemaking Binder
This step is totally optional, but it might be helpful. A homemaking binder is a helpful place to keep a copy of your written schedule or routine, cleaning routines, meal plans, shopping lists, and anything else that may be useful in your homemaking journey. I personally use TRELLO & Google Calendar for this.
Create a Daily Schedule
In order to keep your home running smoothly, it helps to have a homemaking schedule. This will be unique to each homemaker’s situation and personality.
This is just a basic daily schedule that will help you plan your time at home and be more productive. You can think of it as a routine, and just follow it loosely, whenever you’re able. Just having a routine to follow (even loosely) can help you stay on track and get more done in the long run.
For me, it helps to have a daily routine to follow. This helps me to be intentional with my days rather than just drifting through life. But that doesn’t mean that I follow my schedule perfectly. I never do. Things come up, and life happens. But I still like to have a basic framework for my days to help me get closer to accomplishing my goals.
Here’s an example of my daily routine:
- Morning Routine
- Cook & eat breakfast & set intentions for the day
- Work on my business
- Cook & eat lunch
- Go for an afternoon walk
- Projects (homemaking projects, creative projects)
- Work on my business
- Cook & eat dinner
- Reset Home for the next day
- Evening Routine
- In Bed
There are many different ways to create a daily routine that will help you to focus on what matters most to you and to make the most of your time – so make sure your schedule is around your needs & lifestyle.
IMPORTANT: Your homemaking schedule is going to be your blueprint for an organised life. Below are some ideas of things you’d want to include in your schedule:
- Morning & Evening Routines
- Appointments and commitments for you, your kids, and your partner.
- Cleaning schedule
- Menu
- Shopping list
- Birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates
- Important tasks to complete
- Delegate list
- Finances etc.
One thing I always keep in mind is that the schedule is just a tool to help us to be more productive. If things don’t go according to plan, due to sickness or other factors beyond my control, that’s okay. I just do what I can and remain peaceful, knowing I can try to go back to the schedule later.
Make a Meal Plan
Creating a meal plan can save so much time. With a meal plan in place, you’ll never be at a loss for what to eat! I plan my meals on Fridays, go grocery shopping on Saturdays and do meal prep on Sundays.
Create a Cleaning Schedule
With a cleaning schedule in place, you’ll always know what to clean and when to clean it. In order to come up with a personalized cleaning schedule, look around your home and think about all the different areas that need to be cleaned.
Then decide how often those areas need to be cleaned. Some will need daily maintenance, while others only need to be done weekly.
It’s time to shift your way of life and finally embrace the routines, rituals and seasonal celebrations I’ve long been advocating. From going organic to create a weekly and daily routine, choosing a creative path and making space for your very personal sense of spirituality, I hope this post will provide a map directing you to the heart of your home: a place where you can be yourself without drowning under a relentless pile of laundry. A place where rituals will shape your days and puttery treats will sprinkle a little glitter over them. A place you will want to come home to because it encapsulates all that you are today and everything you intend to be tomorrow.
