What to Do When You Don’t Enjoy Your Role as a Homemaker


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Let’s say that you have a job that requires you to get up early every single day. You don’t enjoy your job, so the days are long and boring. It’s so difficult to find the motivation to get up and get going each morning, but you know it has to be done.

This is how I used to view my job as a homemaker. I would dread getting woken up by my kids each morning because I knew the day would be full of messes that I was forced to clean up. I do enjoy a clean, put-together home but, to be honest, I was lazy. I made up excuses of why I didn’t have time to fold the laundry or dust the living area. Eventually, the mess would pile up so badly that I couldn’t stand it. I’ve gradually learned that changing how I care for my home makes me happier throughout the day, and more content with life in general.

Here are a few ways that I have taken control of my housework and started to enjoy my calling as a homemaker:

Focus on one struggle and make a change.

For me, sweeping the floor and wiping down the counter after each meal was something I didn’t do until the end of the day. Like I said before, I have struggled with laziness. My attitude has been, “Why would I sweep the few crumbs off the floor when the kids are going to each lunch in a few hours?”. I’ve used the excuse that eventually a bigger mess would be made, so why would I bother cleaning up? I wasn’t thinking about how those crumbs on the table and the floor would bother me all throughout the day.

Now, I have made a habit of cleaning off the table/counters, and sweeping the floor before I begin preschool with the girls each morning. Sometimes when I don’t feel motivated to clean up, I reward myself by fixing a second cup of coffee and lighting a candle to enjoy once everything is clean. This daily ritual brings a sense of peace to not only myself but to everyone in the home. My kids know that once I clean and sweep each morning, they are to gather at the table for school.

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Think about the one simple task in your home that you need to work on and figure out a routine to get it done everyday.

For more about creating a peaceful home, read my post: 5 Things I Do Everyday to Help Bring Peace to Our Home.

Get your kids involved.

We have recently started a new chore system at our home called Accountable Kids. The kids have cards to help them keep track of their jobs throughout the day. When they complete the card they get to turn it around and earn a ticket which can be used for screen-time or another activity.

When it comes to homemaking, I believe in training my kids to help out because they are a part of our family and are expected to share in the responsibility of keeping our home tidy. It’s important for them to gain these skills even at a young age. It’s not always an easy task teaching a little one how to sweep the floor or wash the dishes. Actually, sometimes it’s a little nerve-racking handing them a spray bottle, but it’s something they need to learn.

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My kids encourage me to be an example to them and to do my best when it comes to caring for our home. I’ve realized that their little eyes are watching and learning every day.

Change your perspective.

When you wake up dreading everyday tasks, it sets you up to feel annoyed and bothered by them. The key to changing how I care for my home, started with me noticing that my attitude was the problem. When we view homemaking as a negative part of being a wife and mom, we set ourselves up to fail, which later leads to disappointment in our home.

“I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.” -Nancie J. Carmody

I want to encourage you to start each morning praying that God would give you the endurance and motivation to do what needs to be done with a cheerful heart. To realize that we are blessed to have dishes to clean, clothes to washes, and even marker on the table.

When we fully recognize that we have a purpose in the home, it changes us. When we take a deeper look at our hearts and focus on our blessings instead of our labor, it brings real joy. I challenge you to take control of your homemaking, but even more importantly to remember that you are answering a calling to serve.

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Titus 3:14 says,

“And let us our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to keeping your home neat and tidy?

 


Do you ever wonder how some women make running a home look so natural?

I certainly have!

However, after many years of watching my friends who do this well, and after much trial and error, I’ve boiled it all down to 3 essential daily habits. With these 3 habits in place, a home can function pretty well! Without them, it will be perpetual catchup.

While I used to feel like a failure as a homemaker, I know feel a sense of success and satisfaction.

I’d love to share these 3 simple (secret) daily habits with you. If you focus your energy into establishing them, I believe you will achieve the same breakthrough in your homemaking that I did.

Can I share my secrets with you?

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Comments

  1. Michelle says:

    Thank you for this message. It truly brightened my heart this morning. Many blessings to you sweet sister. Please continue to share these precious bits of wisdom with others. I’m grateful for how God is using you to help others. Have a beautiful day.

  2. Lindsey says:

    I constantly struggle with laziness and I try to rename it and say it’s anxiety or exhaustion, which are also there. But it’s laziness and I need to combat it. I may reread this every day for a few days. The truth is, I need to be excited about the work God gives me to do, even when its housework, because that is what role He has for me today. Tomorrow it may be different, but today, in this season/chapter/time of life, this is it! And I should do it without complaining and with a thankful heart.

  3. Janey says:

    I really needed to hear this! I have a 2 1/2 yr old and a just-turned 1 yr old and I can’t seem to motivate myself to do ANYTHING. You literally were exactly the way I feel/am now. I used to be a Martha Stewart type…I loved refinishing furniture, gardening, organizing, cooking, cleaning. But now that I get distracted 2,157 times a day I don’t even start a chore because I already know it won’t get finished. How my mother did it with 4 kids I’ll never know. Maybe somehow, with the grace of God, I’ll get it together soon. For everyone’s benefit.

    • That is a hard time in life Janey. I can relate too. Colossians 3:23-24 has really encouraged me in those difficult, unmotivated moments, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

      I actually just memorized this last week! Bless you.

  4. Great encouragement Leigh-Ellen! Often, when I’m feeling lazy or overwhelmed, simply getting started makes me feel much better. Moving around and seeing even a little progress really helps to change my attitude about the work. And I completely agree that starting our kids early is a great idea.

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