HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE HOMEMAKERS

 *HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE HOMEMAKERS*

By Dr Joy Kincaid

Habit #1: Live with Vision

A beautiful, vibrant home doesn’t just happen. It must be visualized first. If you haven’t envisioned where you’re going, how will you ever get there?

Effective homemakers have a vision.

It takes a lot of thought and prayer and planning to make a beautiful home a reality. Yes, it’s also going to take work!

But it all starts with the vision.

I think it helps here to do some backward planning. Imagine how you want your home and family to look twenty years from now. Then work back to the present and write down everything you need to do now to make those future dreams a reality.

Habit #2: Follow a Daily Schedule or Routine

Effective homemakers don’t just let life happen to them. They have a plan.

Of course, sometimes your plan won’t work out. It will be interrupted by sickness, or a broken toilet, or some other circumstance outside of your control.

Sometimes the plan will be interrupted long-term, like what happened to me during each of my five pregnancies, where I was stuck in bed for five months!

But still, you need a plan. Even if you have to revert to an “emergency plan,” it’s still better than nothing.

This schedule is going to be the tool that helps you make your dreams a reality.

Habit #3: Get Up Early

I know this one is hard for some of us. If you have babies or little ones, I know sometimes this isn’t even possible.

But as much as you can, as soon as you can, try to get up before your children. And if you don’t have children (or another circumstance preventing you from it), do whatever it takes to get up early.

I read an article recently that said the most successful people get up early. When you’re up before the sun (or at least before your children!) you’ll have the advantage of some quiet time to yourself to read, pray, exercise, or just get a head start on your day.

Habit #4: Plan Meals

I’ll be honest, this is a weakness of mine. It’s not something I enjoy doing. But it’s another important key to running a successful home.

It just makes everything better when you’ve got all the meals planned ahead of time. Having a plan eliminates that decision anxiety when 5:00 rolls around (as it always does!).

Habit #5: Use a Cleaning Schedule

Come up with a cleaning plan that will work for you and your home.

We’ve used different methods through the years, but it always works best and our house stays cleaner when I have some kind of plan in place. What matters is that it works for you.

With children at home, it’s not ever going to be spotless. But we do aim for a neat and orderly atmosphere as much as possible.

I try to at least keep the living room and front entryway clean. If we’ve been out of town or it’s been a rough week because of busyness or illness, I feel better if at least the view from the front door looks nice! During those “crisis moments,” if I have time, I’ll also focus on the essentials like dishes, laundry, and bathrooms. Then when things get back to normal I go back to focusing on deep cleaning and organizing.

Habit #6: Cultivate a Cheerful, Thankful Spirit

I’ve saved the most important habit for last.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the old adage “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” And how true it is! If we’re constantly grumbling and complaining, it’s going to affect the whole household.

Please don’t think I’m saying that you can’t be a good homemaker if you struggle with depression or discouragement at times. We all go through periods of discouragement.  (And if your struggle is deeper, it’s okay and even needful to ask for help.)

What I’m talking about is shaking off the everyday temptation (common to all of us) to have a complaining spirit. In the midst of mundane, dreary, or discouraging days, this habit is most important—and yet it’s possibly the most difficult.