Finding Joy in Daily Chores
Not too long ago I was undisciplined, mastered by procrastination, and often overwhelmed by my daily tasks. Now, I thrive on daily and weekly rhythms and routines that keep our home running smoothly, our family happier, and me more fulfilled. Please note these aren’t rigid hour-by-hour schedules. I need far more flexibility than that would allow.
This change from being a chaotic and overwhelmed stay-at-home mom to a steady homemaker came in large part by the grace of God. Some time ago, He convicted me about my lack of self-control in many areas of my life. I knew this fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) was something I ought to be growing in. He has slowly but surely chiseled away at my heart so I can more beautifully display His glory. Without the heart work of repentance, I don’t think the practical things would stick.
The Principles Fueling the Plan
Before I get into the specifics of our rhythms and routines, I want to address the principles behind them. I prioritize these things because I aim:
To be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me (Matthew 25:20-21; 1 Peter 4:10)
To honor and serve my family (1 Peter 4:10, Proverbs 31)
To exercise self-control (Galatians 5:23; Proverbs 25:28)
To avoid idle hands (Proverbs 10:4; 18:9; 21:5)
Repentance brought enjoyment to small chores I thought I would always loathe. The grace of God has shown me the deep satisfaction of a stronger work ethic propelled by careful planning.
The planning part of all this is key. There’s a popular saying: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” and I find that rings true in most areas of my life. These daily and weekly disciplines keep me on track, while occasional bursts of motivation are just a cherry on top. Especially in this season of my life, my energy and motivation are low, but my responsibilities are high. So, I need the accountability of a plan.
The Practical Systems I Implement
These have been tailored to our home – they may not be right for your family and that’s fine. But for us, a small family of 3 – they are working well. Disclaimer: I am not judging you if you do it differently. These are not measures of righteousness nor a moral compass. It’s not a competition; there is no gold medal. They are just helpful systems.
Plan the week on Sunday.
This tip comes from Phylicia Masonheimer – she has a free email course on grace-based productivity that I highly recommend.
In my planner, I write each day’s: Bible reading, workout, chore, laundry, appointments, work tasks, and dinner. By planning out our meals, I’m able to plan the week’s grocery list/pickup for Monday. I am rigid about only shopping once per week - this helps us to stick to our budget.
Do one load of laundry every day.
I forget who gave me this advice, but I’ve been doing it for a few years now and it is truly life-changing.
I used to be the person who would wait until they had almost no clothes left before doing my laundry. It piled up for as long as I could bear, then I washed it all in a day (for what it’s worth I usually folded and put it away that day, too). I formed this habit in part because growing up we had 10 people doing laundry and our system was for each person to take a half-day to wash and dry their clothes. Alas, this habit did not serve my new family well and I’m grateful for this tip.
Do the dishes every night.
And don’t forget to shine the sink, as FlyLady would say. Something about gifting yourself a clean kitchen and empty sink to start each day feels so good. But even if don’t have the energy to clean the whole kitchen, at least the sink is shined. While I do the dishes, my husband handles bath and bedtime prep.
Clean one area of the house each day.
One day is focused on trash, another on floors, another on our master suite, another on bathrooms, etc.)
These are flexible assignments and I move them as needed. Sometimes they all get pushed to the weekend when my husband and I can work together, but I prefer to get them done gradually.
Keep a simple morning routine tailored to your unique goals and priorities.
Some of mine include: making the bed, doing my skincare, getting dressed all the way to shoes, taking vitamins, making breakfast, and spending time in the Word.
My “quiet” time is usually not very quiet at all - it often happens while Frank is playing after breakfast. Sometimes I only get a chapter in before he brings me his own books and we take a few minutes to read together. On those days, I finish later either by audio while folding laundry or whenever I can squeeze it in.
Maximize nap times!
When he naps, I spend 12-15 minutes in prayer (sometimes more as the Spirit leads), then prioritize whatever needs to happen while I’m “free.”
Naps are a precious resource and I try not to spend them doing things I could just as easily do while he’s awake.
Sometimes I exercise, clean, write, or work on whatever home renovation project is begging for attention.
And that’s it. Nothing crazy or intense, but I find with a 16-month-old who loves to play outside, read books, and make lots of fun messes, it’s best to underwhelm myself each day. I’m the world’s worst about being overly ambitious about what I can accomplish each day and then feeling frustrated when I don’t measure up to my own expectations. If I didn’t plan any of this, very little of it would actually happen. But because I plan, I can look at my planner to keep chugging along, working hard to the glory of God each day.
