Making Home Work

If you’re like me, you grew up expecting to spend ninety percent of your time working outside your home. Home has always been a simple retreat of sorts. Or it was. But now, as the world takes a furlough, perhaps you find yourself needing to make home work. Ten years ago this was me, after having my first child and becoming a stay-at-home mom. I’ve learned several principles over the years that I hope will help you adjust to a new normal.

First, let’s clarify that making home work is not working from home--though that can be part of it-- it’s much broader. It involves seeing home as your work, from laundry to cooking there’s some level of organization. Then within that larger structure you have kids to teach, pets to care for, or outside work to accomplish. Where to start?

Set an alarm. Plan the night before what time you’re going to wake up and set an alarm. This seems silly-- you don’t have to go anywhere, right?-- but it’s crucial to be intentional about your day. Even after nights with a baby waking me every other hour, I still see the benefit to setting the alarm. On days I’m exhausted I’ll schedule an afternoon nap, but if I compromise my morning, I’ve compromised my whole day. 

Get dressed. I realized after the first few months of my transition to home life that staying in pajamas all day, while comfortable, made it so much harder to get things done. My mind stayed in relax mode and I moped about the house making excuses for myself.

Take time to be still before God. I pause for reflection and prayer in the morning stillness, before everyone else wakes. This time is such a blessing to me, I’m reading His word and worshiping before my daily routine takes over. It’s a way to renew my mind.

Small goals first. Before I make breakfast, I clean up any dishes in the kitchen from the night before. This is a quick, five-minute task that starts the day with accomplishment. It could be making your bed or sweeping a room, just do something simple first. 

Involve your kids. If you have kids, involve them in your morning routine. Just like us, kids need to wake up on a routine, and have something to do. My older four (ages 5-10) wake up and get dressed, then make their beds and do their quiet time first thing. They know what to do, so they aren’t wandering around confused. 

Make your day top heavy. Expect the bulk of your productivity to happen before noon. Organize your hardest tasks to begin just after breakfast and take a five-ten minute break every hour. If you are home educating your children, this is when it’s best to work with them. 

Break for lunch. This took me years to do. Often we’d work right through lunch, and I’d even serve lunch while we’re working because I just wanted to get everything done. But it compromises the work and it creates a bad habit of eating on the go. It need not be a long break, but still break.

Do the bulk of your household chores after lunch. You may not be finished with your morning work, that’s OK! Take time after lunch to do a thirty minute clean. Tackle laundry, vacuum, etc. This time is a mental reset that will help you be more productive. If you have kids, they should clean with you. They need the mental break too!

Tie up loose ends. Any tasks you didn’t finish in the morning, tackle just after clean up with a fresh perspective and a hot cup of tea. If it’s a nice day, you can have the kids take an outside recess during this time. Or give them a quiet indoor activity to do separately. 

Schedule a siesta. Take an hour to nap or relax. Around two I’m often exhausted. I’ve tried to fight through to get more done, but it’s so much harder to accomplish when exhausted. A scheduled break is much better than an unscheduled one!

Free time after dinner.  I like to have flexibility in my schedule after dinner to run errands or do odd things around the house. I find that after dinner is the best time for this. You could build this into your schedule where it makes most sense for you. 

Limit screen time at night.  After my kids are in bed, it’s easy to scroll facebook and catch up on the news, but it makes it hard to go to bed. Staying up late makes the morning much harder, especially when you’re staying home.

Ponder this: God designed our world with order and structure, from the routine of sun's rising to tides
moving in, we see so much order in the universe.

My prayer: Lord, help us to see the value in routine and give us hope in the days to come as we learn
to make our homes work. Amen.