3 Enemies of Homemakers
We all have days when we are home and yet at the end of the day, feel as if nothing was accomplished. We have all been there. Whether you are a homemaker or working from home, these 3 enemies sneak in and can ruin your day. But, once you know the 3 enemies of homemakers, you can learn to conquer them.
Avoid the Pitfalls Before They Start
Every day, I wake up with a long to-do list. I make this the night before in order to not forget anything. Sometimes, tho, getting the motivation to get moving is easier said than done.
Even an entire pot of coffee isn’t enough to jump-start me on certain days.
I’m with you! On those days I could blame anything for my lack of motivation. The weather is good napping weather. I realized I had something else that I had to do and I lost all focus. Or the infamous I sat down and binge-watched 6 hours of House Hunters. 😉
Enemy #1: Morning
The first enemy of homemakers is just morning itself. Ok, not really morning, I have nothing personal against mornings, but when you first get up is when you set the tone for your entire day.
Getting up and taking a few to make some coffee and wake up is essential. It’s when you get trapped in the “just one more cup” cycle that things start to derail. We get caught up in either watching the news or scrolling through our Facebook page that we don’t even start our day for hours after we poured that first cup of coffee.
Your home is your job. Whatever your version of your job at home is, treating it just like an out-of-the-house job is essential in the mornings to get you motivated.
Make it a priority to set yourself either a 30-minute timer or a set number of cups of coffee and then GET TO IT. Get your cute little booty into the shower and dressed and ready for the day. Just the simple act of “getting ready” can help you trick your brain into being more productive.
Get up. Drink that coffee, jump in the shower and see just how much more you get done today!
Enemy of Homemakers #2: Procrastination
We all do it. I truly believe putting things off is part of the human condition. But with practice and a little strategy, we all can get over this hurdle.
Remember that to-do list I said I have for every day? If you don’t have one also, start with that.
Every time you think of something that needs to be done, write it down. I keep a small notebook on my kitchen counter so that every time something pops into my head it gets jotted down. Maybe the kitchen isn’t the best place for you. Using your phone is also an option. The key is to get it out of your head and in print somewhere so that you remember it.
There is nothing worse than the infamous, “What was it I meant to do?” feeling.
Now once you are showered and dressed for the day, revisit that to-do list you have going. Prioritize what needs to be done today. The absolute MUST-get-done thing needs to be listed as such. Then the others can go into either a Should Do list, a Would Like To Do list, or a Fingers Crossed list.
Get that MUST DO thing done first and out of the way. Then start on the Should Do list.
Small steps are better than no steps.
When it comes to the 3 enemies of homemakers, procrastination is the key. Are you going to be perfect every day? Nope. None of us are. It’s keeping things moving forward no matter how upset you are with yourself that matters.
By far the most motivating book I have ever read about this topic is Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. If you need motivation, this book will definitely help you find ways to get more done.
Enemy of Homemakers #3: Distraction
This one seems like procrastination, but it’s different in truth. Distractions are everywhere. And they are a big issue with homemakers and people who work from home.
By far the biggest distraction in our society today is our phones. Social media is a HUGE one.
Of the 3 enemies of homemakers, I think this one is the biggest. It’s also the easiest one to avoid if you are willing to. It’s just a matter of seeing just how much of your time is being sucked away from the things you want to get done by that wonderful horrible device that is in your pocket 24/7.
No Judgement Here
I’m just as guilty of this as everyone else on the planet. I open my phone to watch a few things on TikTok and get distracted. Next thing I know, I’ve been watching videos for 4 hours and nothing has gotten done. I spend the rest of the day feeling guilty for all that time I wasted instead of getting things done. Trust me, once I have that guilt on my shoulders, my productivity goes kaput.
Want to get more done? Ignore that darned thing for a while.
I have learned that if I have a Favorites list set up, those contacts can still call me if they need to. Feeling better about being able to respond to an emergency makes me feel more secure when I flip on that Do Not Disturb setting.
Try setting your phone down away from where you will be working on your to-do list for at least an hour. It’s the Out of Sight, Out of Mind concept. I promise just turning off those notifications will help you get more done in that hour than you even realize. The little pings and beeps that your phone makes get into your head and make you scared that you are missing out on something important. I understand the feeling. Most of us have FOMO. Fear of missing out.
It’s ok. You aren’t alone in this. With almost 100% certainty I can tell you that the only thing you are truly going to miss out on is that new video of a cute kitten on TikTok that will just drag you into bingeing on even more videos. Do you really want that kitten to end up making your feel guilty??
3 Enemies of Homemakers
So to review: the 3 enemies of homemakers and work-from-home people are Mornings, Procrastination, and Distractions.
How do we overcome these? Get dressed and ready for the day, then do that ONE thing that needs done all while having your phone on Do Not Disturb. Seems simple right?
Try it this way for a while and see if it does work for you. I know you can get more done than you are, and I know that I have faith in you. If you truly want to get more done, I know these simple things will help you. It’s worked for me.
Want more Home Ec inspiration? Check out all my Home Economics posts here.
