Everyone talks about learning to care for a new baby, but nobody talks about learning to manage your home after having the baby. While motherhood offers some natural instincts to give you a leg up, home management can feel incredibly challenging for new moms. The pile of dirty laundry won't be crying for your attention, but you very well might be crying while looking at the pile of dirty laundry.
Home management in my opinion, is one of the most overlooked aspects of new motherhood. However you kept the house running before having kids, is likely to need adjusting after becoming a mother. While the saying "they are only little once, the dust will still be there tomorrow" is a nice sentiment....your home still needs to function on a basic level. Not to mention the negative impact a chaotic home can have on a mom's mental health. Here are some useful tips to master home management in the early years of motherhood
1. Create Systems and Routines
Learning to create systems and routines in your home is the key to mastering home management after having kids . Quite often these systems might seem ludicrous to anyone not living in your home, but makes sense to you. We aren't going for Pinterest perfect here....we are going for functional .
Here is a great example...I have two laundry baskets in my pantry with all the towels, rags and mop pads I use in our kitchen. This may seem a bit odd to some, but my family goes through a stupid amount of kitchen towels each day. Having them easily accessible saves me making 10+ trips up the stairs to the linen closet every time there is a spill. Spoiler alert....a house with small kids has MANY spills in a day.
It has taken me 3 years to start building these systems and find what works for MY family. The more I put into place, the less overwhelm I feel.
2. Make Lists
DO NOT try to keep a running to do list in your head. PUT IT ON PAPER! List making is a great visual tool to organize your thoughts more effectively. These are the lists I find feel like a critical to operations.
Cleaning Schedule - Having a set cleaning schedule will make sure nothing gets swept under the rug (pun intended) . This is the cleaning schedule I use to stay on top of household chores . Space for daily tasks and each day of the week I focus on a deeper clean of one area of the home . Both styles of these cleaning schedules are fully editable in Canva for a customized chore list that fits your routines!
Daily To Do List- Having a daily list that breaks tasks down into categories is extremely useful. It will organize your thoughts and give you a clear plan of what needs to get done each day. You can use a good old fashioned blank paper or get a bit fancier. These are two of the list templates I use for making To-Do lists:
3. Treat taking care of your as if it were a job- Home management takes planning, organization and discipline. When you are able to make that mindset shift, it will seem no different than a regular job. In a traditional workplace there are tasks which are expected of you. These tasks need to be completed in a timely manor, with an attention to detail. Not too different from the requirements of a SAHM or homemaker! Obviously completing tasks can be a challenge with young kids and an ability to adapt and prioritize is important, but the concept is the same. Put in the work to keep your home running smoothly.
4. Have patience with yourself and set realistic expectations- Home management is very much a learned skill. You didn't master the job you started all in the same day. Developing an ability to manage your home efficiently will take time. Allow yourself some leeway when you slip up.. Don't expect perfect, just expect better than you did the day before .
This is especially true if you have young babies and/or children. Accept that in this season of life you can only physically do what you can. Find a balance that works for you and don't beat yourself up over the little things. Think big picture , not how each day looks. One night of dishes in the sink isn't a problem....weeks of dishes piling up is.
Finally, If you are struggling with managing your home ...don't feel discouraged. You aren't the only one and with some hard work and time you will get better. Something else to keep in mind is nobody's home is ever perfect ....unless you live alone, have a full time maid and cook.
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