I “stole” this post from the tipnut.com blog. But I thought it was worth repeating, so here goes. 😉 The first one is especially good, and the last one is a great reminder too.
- Know: You are a Home Manager, not a slave, martyr or responder to chaos. Each day is a fresh start with new things to accomplish and feel pride for.
- Realize: Actively managing your home is one way to nurture your family and their environment. There will be positive reflections: a more harmonious household, a little more eagerness attending to household chores, more appreciation and gratitude.
- Be Proactive: It’s easy to get sucked into despair (and resentment) when your home is in constant shambles. Keep on top of things daily if possible and work in chunks of time on busy days.
- Establish Routines: Remember Mondays for laundry, Tuesdays for Ironing, Thursdays for Shopping, etc.? Routines work and work well! Schedule household routines that will serve your household best.
- Clean As You Go: Pick up and clean as you go, this makes less “piles” of work waiting to be done.
- Appreciate: The shabbiest of homes can be more comfortable and welcoming than gilded show homes. Neat, clean & harmony will always shine bright–appreciate your home and what it has to offer.
- Daily Treat: Each day do an unexpected nice thing for someone in the home (like having coffee ready in the morning or make a favorite dessert) or add a lovely puttery treat to your home.
- Delegate: Three people each doing a ten minute cleaning chunk accomplishes 30 minutes of cleaning in 10 easy minutes, good managers are good delegators. Choosing tasks that compliment a person’s ability as well as personality and preference will go a long way.
- Entertain Regularly: Years ago women would hold weekly bridge parties and afternoon teas. Socializing was looked forward to and friendships flourished, but you also made darn sure the house was presentable. This is a great technique to regularly “force” a well-kept home. You could entertain a few friends for an afternoon tea, a weekend bbq, or have family visit for a few days.
- Be Kind: Gruff, impatient, bitter, biting words and attitude will undo and damage all that you accomplished with the above. Enjoy serving your family, your home and yourself–your job as a home manager will be more rewarding and successful.