How to Find Time for Homemaking (even if you work full-time)

Do you work full or part-time and struggle to find time for homemaking? While staying home full-time may be your goal, your budget might not allow it. But it is possible to take care of both your home and work.

You’re not alone in your struggle, especially as it becomes less common to see full-time homemakers. Many times, both a husband and wife have to work outside the home. In our case, even though I stay home full-time, I also work remotely full-time.

If doing the cooking and cleaning were my full-time job, I feel like I could live a life of leisure! As it is, I sometimes have to let things go because the energy isn’t always there. It’s easy to look back and ask ourselves how 1950s housewives made time to get so much done during the day, but it’s important to remember that they didn’t have the distractions we do, like social media.

Even though I sometimes feel like I’m behind, there are some things I like to do to schedule my day a little better. You can implement these tips whether you work full-time, part-time, in person, or from home.

Get Help When You Need It

Just because the traditional 1950s housewife is seen as having kept the home entirely by herself does not mean you have to do the same! It’s a good idea to divide chores fairly, especially if multiple people in the home are working full-time. It’s easy to feel resentful if you feel like you are doing everything on your own on top of your full-time job.

You might even find you need even more help than other members of your household can offer. If you can afford it, get outside help in the form of grocery deliveries, lawn care services, or even a house cleaning service. Everyone must find that balance between saving money and saving time. Don’t be afraid to use some of your hard-earned income to make your life easier!

Figure Out What’s Important to You

Time management is all about knowing what’s important to you. This helps you trim the fluff and focus on the things that matter. Try to keep your list of priorities to about three to five items so you don’t overwhelm yourself. For example, it might be important to have a home-cooked meal on the table each night, but you may be fine with leaving the dishes till the next morning.

Talk about this with your spouse to make sure you are on the same page! While you may not care about having a clutter-free home, you may find he cares less about a perfect dinner and more about being able to find his slippers when he gets home. If you have different priorities, you’ll need to work together.

Take Care of Yourself Too

Self-care is a hot topic today, and there are lots of articles with advice on how to make time for you. But the reason it’s so talked about is that burnout is a very real problem. When you're feeling burned out, you won’t be very productive, either at work or at home. And when you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of your family either!

Making time for yourself might not seem like a very high-priority item to add to your to-do list, but it can make your life better in the long run. You will have more time for this in some seasons of your life than others, but make sure you are scheduling at least a little time for yourself each day.

Self-care looks different for everyone, but it might include getting a massage, doing a craft, having a cup of tea, or reading a book. Whatever you need, make sure you book time for it in your calendar.

Learn to Say No

Are there things on your calendar that don’t fit with your priorities? If so, it may be time to let them go. Letting go of anything that doesn’t fit with your priorities can help you make room for the things that truly matter. You can always bring them back slowly, even if they are not right for you right now.

You may find some people are hurt by your decision, but explain you must focus on other areas of your life now. An important part of getting along with others is understanding that other people have different priorities and it is okay.

Each time something new comes up, consider whether it fits with your priorities, and if not, don’t be afraid to say no. You can tell the individual asking you that you might be able to commit to it later, just not right now.

Create a Routine

A set schedule helps you manage the time you do have. For exampl

e, you might do a deep cleaning on Saturday mornings so you can enjoy the rest of the weekend. One thing I like about cleaning on Saturday mornings is that I can start the work week with a relatively clean home. Because I work from home, it’s even more important to me that my home is clean when I start the work week.

Deep cleaning on the weekend leaves the rest of the week free for other homemaking tasks. And if there isn’t time for as many homemaking tasks, you don’t have to worry as much because at least you got the major cleaning out of the way.

Of course, just because cleaning on Saturday mornings works for me doesn’t mean it will work for everyone! You may need to play around with different schedules to find something that works. For example, you may prefer to spread your cleaning out over the week and do it in the evenings. The important thing is to make sure you put these tasks in your schedule so you will make time for them.

Evaluate Regularly

Depending on the season of your life, you may find at some point that you need to cut your hours at work to make enough time for your family. If you can afford this and you feel like this is the best option, don’t feel like you are a failure for doing this. The important thing is to make sure that what you are doing is working for you. Because this can change depending on the stage of life you are in, you may find you need to reevaluate at some point.

Do you work full or part-time? How have you made time for homemaking during a busy season of your life?