Finding Time for Homemaking With a Full-Time Job

Have a full-time or even part-time job and struggling with finding time for homemaking? It is possible to find balance and take care of your home and job.

It’s becoming less common to find full-time homemakers. It’s becoming more common every year for both people in a couple to work outside of the home and even when one does stay home many work from home.

This can make it harder to find time for all of the homemaking tasks. As someone that runs a business full-time, this has been a struggle for me.

It was easy to keep the house clean when that was my full-time job, there also was less social media to distract us at that time so that also helped.

While I still find myself overwhelmed and behind in areas from time to time, I have found things that help me schedule my time better.

These tips will help no matter if you work from home, have a full-time job, part-time job, or even just have a lot of volunteer work that takes you out of the home.

Finding Time for Homemaking

Find Your Priorities

The key with all time management is knowing your priorities. If you know your priorities it’s easier to trim the rest. Take some time to think about your top priorities. Try to keep this to 3-5 things.

Be sure to talk to your partner as well. Know what their priorities and make sure that you both agree in this area. You may have different priorities but they need to work together.

Let Go and Say No

Look at your calendar, what is on there that doesn’t fit with your current priorities? There are likely a lot of things. You should likely let go of all of these things if you are struggling with time for priorities. 

You may be able to bring them back later but for now, it may not be right for you. You may hurt some feelings but just explain that you need to focus on another area of your life right now. We need to understand that others have different priorities than us and that’s okay.

When new things come up, think if they really fit with your priorities if they don’t politely say no. You can let them know that you may be able to at a later time but it’s not something you can do right now.

Additional Resource: Creating a Stop Doing List

Create a Schedule

Having a schedule will help you manage the time you have better. For me scheduling my deep cleaning on Sunday has been a huge help. I get it all out of the way and start the week off with a clean house. 

This means that my homemaking time during the week can be used for other tasks. And if this time gets taken up by something else it’s not as big of a deal because at least the house is clean.

You may need to try different schedules before finding one that works for you but you just need to make sure homemaking tasks have a place in your schedule or you won’t make time.

Additional Resource: Creating a Cleaning Schedule That Works for You

Ask for Help

You are likely not the only one using your space, the others living there need to help as well. Be sure you are dividing chores fairly and that you aren’t trying to do it all.

Sometimes you may even need more help. If you can afford it and it’s a busy time consider hiring someone to help with some chores. You can use a grocery delivery service, a maid, lawn care service, whatever it is that you need help with. Often you may just need this help temporarily to get back on track. Don’t feel bad asking for help.

Additional Resource: When You Don’t Have Time for Homemaking

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

If you are feeling burned out you likely have been neglecting self-care. This will lead to burnout and can even cause depression. Not only is this bad for your mental and even physical health, but it also makes you less productive.

Making self-care a priority will help all areas of your life in the long run. It’s time well spent. Sometimes you may have more time for self-care than others but just make sure it’s happening.

If you start to feel overwhelmed or burned outlook for another way to take care of yourself. Maybe it’s taking a few hours to just do something you love, or getting a massage, or booking an appointment with a therapist. Whatever you need, find time for it. You will only end up losing more time if you put this off.

You may also find that at some stage you need to cut back on work. If you can find a way to afford this and it’s what you feel is best for you and your family don’t be afraid to do this.

It’s important to make sure what you are doing is working and what’s best for you and your family at the time. This changes at different stages of life so always stay aware of your priorities and needs.

More Homemaking Resources

• Time Management Tips for Homemakers
• How to Stop Being an Overwhelmed Homemaker
• The Ultimate Homemaking Guide