3 Steps to Simplify Home Management

Our lifestyle necessitates simplicity. We have been scaling our family (5 babies in the past 7 years so far) and businesses at the same time, and for sanity, I needed these 3 steps to simplify home management to maintain peace and balance (which we have not always had!) Check out this post for my top 5 home systems that reduce overwhelm.

Homeschooling, Homesteading, and Home-Based Businesses

Interestingly, I figured out how to apply the principle of systems to business before our home. I grew up in a very tidy, well-organized home, but I was not really a part of the maintenance of it. My sister and I were the only children and attended public school and several extra curricular activities, and our family often went camping or to a cottage on the weekends. A lot of our family’s home management was done “behind the scenes” that I did not observe, nor did we really “live in” our home most hours of the day. Fast forward to adulthood, we have 5 children, homeschool, have an urban homestead with gardens and small animals, 3 businesses from home, a vibrant community life, and a lot of outdoor hobbies. And a partridge in a pear tree…haha. We spend A LOT of time in our home! Some overwhelmed tears have been shed through some grueling learning periods; thus, solid home systems have been developed. I hope this post is helpful for you if you are wanting to create a simpler more fulfilling life.

Step 1: 3 Questions to Evaluate Current Home Systems

Whether you are home 24/7 or just nights and weekends, these 3 steps to simplify home management will give you back hours of time to spend in a more meaningful way than being overwhelmed with home tasks. I recommend examining one area of your home life at a time and asking yourself:

1. How can I make this task more efficient, easier, and more fun?
   • Examples:
     • listening to a favorite podcast or music while folding laundry
     • having an accountability partner to exercise with
     • investing in a dishwasher, robot vacuum, second story broom and toilet brush
     • re-organizing a space to make common things easier to reach and use (ever been asked for a cup of water 72x in a day before you thought to move the cups to a lower cupboard?)
2. Can I eliminate “clutter” (physical, mental, a behavior, a bad habit) around this task?
   • Examples:
     • Reducing the number of items in your home
     • Creating a “home” for everything, rather than putting keys and emptying pockets on the counter tops out of habit
     • Practicing gratitude when noticing negative thought patterns
     • Limiting activities in your family schedule
3. Can I automate, outsource, or share in this task?
   • Examples:
     • Automated bill paying and budgeting apps
     • Swapping children with a good friend or hiring a babysitter for date nights or time to tackle projects
     • Hiring a cleaning or lawn care service
     • Family chore sharing

Step 2: Choose One System to Simplify

After identifying areas of opportunity from step 1, choose ONE area at a time to improve (so you do not create further overwhelm.) A few areas you will likely feel an immediate pay off will be:

1. Reducing the number of dishes, clothing (laundry) or toys in the home by 1/3
2. Automate bills and paperwork; create one location (perhaps a small tote bin) where all mail, children paperwork, art work, etc. goes. This reduces clutter, the number of items getting lost, and it is more efficient to tackle the bin 1-2x a week rather than daily as it flows into the home at all hours of they day.
3. Choose a daily or weekly task that is time consuming and outsource this to another family member or a service. Examples: grocery pick up or delivery, laundry washing and folding, appliances/machines like robot vacuum or dishwasher, teaching children to clean the bathrooms. Be very intentional to fill this saved time with tackling a goal from step 3.

Step 3: Tackle Longer-Term Goals

1. Chore system- rather than cleaning everything alone when you see it is dirty and you are overwhelmed, proactively schedule tasks to certain days. Assign children to these tasks as well. Empowering children to learn how to cook, clean a bathroom, and keep their spaces organized helps them become capable adults and raises their confidence.
2. Choose a home for every item. Consistently ask yourself and your family “where is the home for this item?” and take the time to place it there right away.
3. Meal planning system and bulk cooking. Empower your kids to help at least 1 day/night each in the kitchen. Have them double recipes to freeze. Our kids and I have been enjoying their turn for “chef” days, where we have quality 1-1 time together.
4. Health goals- as parents, we have more energy when we take the time to properly care for our bodies with enough sleep, nourishment, and exercise. Choose to prioritize these and you will be amazed how much more capable you feel to take on the bigger things. I cannot recommend highly enough that every person be familiar with the GAPS diet as a way to optimize physical and mental health. This post details how to get started.

How to Get Started With a Big Change

I am a huge fan of goal setting on paper. As we grew our family, our businesses, our property and animals, and our responsibilities, I created a schedule and calendar to stay organized. Our schedule currently includes homeschooling, business tasks, daily and weekly chores, wellness goals, and community time. Choose what is most important for your family, and set your 3 steps to simplify home management accordingly. I hope this brings more peace and balance for you; let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Check out this post for my top 5 home systems that reduce overwhelm.

Resources

Posts

5 Home Systems That Simplify and Reduce Overwhelm
What is the GAPS Diet? An Easier Explanation

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