Simple Home Management Tips for Working Moms

Are you a mom desperately in need of some simple home management tips? You’re in the right place!

Moms today seem to be more overworked than ever. Many are working full-time jobs on top of raising kids. Add in social and extracurricular activities, and taking care of a home and it’s no wonder most of us are exhausted at the end of every day.

Let’s be honest. Sometimes it feels like managing a house could be a job all on its own. From budgeting and paying bills, meal planning and prepping, to keeping things clean and organized, and basic maintenance. As soon as one thing is checked off the to-do list it seems like five more are added.

I love checking things off the to-do list and keeping my house organized and well managed. Like most, I don’t want to spend all of my free time doing things for my house. I want to enjoy life with my family.

Today I’m sharing simple home management tips for working moms. Whether you work a traditional nine to five job outside of the home, work from home, or are a stay-at-home mom with a side hustle, you’re sure to find these tips helpful in making the most of your time.

What is Home Management and Why is it Important?

According to encyclopedia.com, home management refers to the various tasks and chores associated with the organization, financial management, and day-to-day operations of a home. Seems pretty broad right? I think of home management as the day-to-day and long-term tasks that keep a household running smoothly. In simple terms how you can organize the chaos of everyday life.

Having a good home management system is so important for a number of reasons. I don’t know about you, but when things are in order at home, meals are prepped and bills are paid, my stress level decreases.

I know things will run smoothly when I have a plan in place and things are organized.

Finally, your home is a much more functional place when you have good home management. This will positively affect every member of your family which is so important.

Simple Home Management Tips

Prioritize What’s Important

We all can probably come up with a mile-long to-do list of things to do around the house. However, we also value family time and want to focus on more than just your home. It’s important to realize you will never be able to get every single thing done.

The best way to combat this issue is to simply prioritize what’s important to you. This will look different for everyone. Personally, I know what things MUST get done to keep me sane. Laundry, meal planning, organizing our schedules (aka planning), and budgeting and paying bills are non-negotiable. If I have a week when I can only get a few things done, these are at the top of my list.

On the flip side, there are things low on my priority list. Yes, I love my house to be dusted and clean with everything nicely organized and in its place. However, there are many weeks when I just have to let these things because there isn’t enough time. I know they will be waiting when I have more time.

Make a list of everything you would love to get in a perfect week. Number the tasks in order of importance. Bamb…you’ve now know your priorities for those crazy weeks when you can only do the bare minimum.

Create Routines and Habits

Would you love to make your bed every morning? Make it part of your morning routine so it becomes a habit like brushing your teeth.

How about meal planning each week? Set aside 15 minutes every Saturday or Sunday to figure out your meals for the upcoming week. Make a grocery list of everything you need. It might feel daunting the first few weeks, but if you stick to it, it will become a routine.

The same can be said for any other daily, weekly, or monthly tasks. The key is just to start small and focus on creating one new routine or habit at a time.

One of my favorite books for creating good routines is Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you are looking for great tips to create sustainable routines and habits, I highly recommend this book.

Find a Planning System that Works for You

Having routines and habits is the best way to ensure certain things that are important to you always get done. It takes time to create good habits and routines. Start small and build on them.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who follows me that I love and live by my panner. If it’s not in the planner, it’s not happening (probably because I won’t remember.)

Find a planning system that works for you. It might be a digital calendar, a running to-do list in a notebook, or a paper planner.

I personally use a paper planner by Erin Condren (my go-to for years) for myself. I also love my digital calendar for things involving the kids or the whole family. It’s great because I can sync it with my husband’s phone or anyone else who is helping with the kids. This way everyone is always in the loop.

I keep everything in my planner….appointments, parties, activities, deadlines, schedules, etc. When something comes in the mail or the kids come home with memos, it goes straight into my planner so I don’t forget. This is one of my top home management tips.

Keep a Running To-Do List

My planning system is great for keeping track of things like appointments, events, and activities. I also like to keep a running to-do list of tasks that need to get done, ideas I have, or projects I want to complete. It is a brain dump of sorts so I can free up some mental space.

When I have free time, I head to the to-do list and see what I can get done. Some items on the list will obviously take priority if they are time-sensitive. I’ll make sure to flag them so they don’t get forgotten.

This to-do list is ever-changing and evolving. However, I know everything is in one place waiting to get checked off when the time comes.

Meal Plan

Another great home management tip is to create a meal plan. As I mentioned above, meal planning falls at the top of my priority list. If I don’t take the time to figure out our meals it throws my entire week off. We end up wasting money on takeout and we don’t eat healthy which makes me feel terrible and unproductive.

Every Friday or Saturday I take 30 minutes to look at our schedule and plan meals around the upcoming week. I make a grocery list of everything we need. Then I try to place online order to pick up on Sunday or Monday morning.

I love starting the week with a stocked fridge and pantry knowing I have a solid plan for what we will be eating all week long. Whether you meal plan on a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly basis, find what works for you.

Follow a Cleaning Schedule

If I’m being completely honest, this is the area where I have the most room for improvement. We by no means have a messy or dirty house, but with four kids we also wouldn’t pass a white glove test lol!

I do have the daily tasks that I make sure to get done so the house stays semi-clean…making the beds, picking up the clutter, and wiping down the counters. We also try our best to dust and vacuum on a weekly basis.

Lately, I’ve also been trying out zone cleaning. I take 10 minutes each day to focus on one specific room. Monday’s are for the master bed and bathroom, Tuesday’s are the kids’ room, Wednessday is the kitchen, etc.

Maybe one day we’ll have the time to deep clean more often or the money to hire someone to do it for me, but for now, we do what we can.

Set Up a Home Management Binder

A home management binder is a great solution for all the papers and important information that goes along with managing a house. I keep a binder in my office that has everything I need to easily access. (I have a different system for long-term storage.)

In the binder, there is are several sections including one for each member of the family, budgeting, important websites and passwords, a car maintenance log, and more. I’m working on creating some printables for the blog, so stay tuned for that!

Stick to a Budget

I am a firm believer that everyone should have a budget no matter how much money they make. I am by no means a financial guru, but I have read lots of books and done lots of research on different budgeting methods.

Through trial and error, we have found a method that works best for our family and we stick to it pretty rigidly. We set up our budget at the beginning of each month and make sure to have regular conversations about how things are going.

Jason handles the long-term finances and investing and I take care of the day-to-day budget and money management. We’ve been doing it this way for years and with a little tweaking here and there it is the perfect system. It also is a huge stress relief knowing where our money is going and what we have allocated for certain areas of our life.

Get Organized

Organizing is something I find very relaxing and therapeutic. There is just something about opening a cabinet or drawer and seeing everything neat and tidy that makes me so happy.

Organizing doesn’t happen overnight and it takes a conscious effort to upkeep, but once you tackle a space (if you do it correctly) it will make your home run so much smoother. I have been working for over a year to get our house organized. One because it can cost a lot of money and two because it takes time if you do it well.

One of my favorite areas that I organized over a year ago is our laundry room. It’s still in the same great shape as the day I finished it. This makes doing the laundry a little bit more enjoyable. I also did a huge pantry organization last year. It doesn’t always stay perfectly organized (hello kids always rummaging through the food). However, it is so much more functional than before.

This year I am continuing the task of organizing my home. I’ve created an Organize Your Life Challenge that I’m hosting on Instagram. Each month we are focusing on a different area and project. There are lots of great tips and tricks as well as some fun giveaways. Be sure you are following me so you don’t miss out!

Wash, Dry, Fold, Repeat

Need I say more…

Delegate What You Can

Finally, one of the best home management tips is to delegate anything you can. A family is a unit and I firmly believe that every member should carry their own weight. While I love to be the caretaker for my kids, I also know it is my job to raise them to know how to do basic household tasks.

We’ve started young with Grayson and Audrey. They do age-appropriate chores that help me out. Things like picking up their toys, putting their dirty clothes in the laundry room, and throwing away their trash. Alex is much older so he can help with things like vacuuming or outdoor yard work.

If you have the extra money to spend on outside help then lucky you…take advantage of it! Hire someone to clean the house a few times a month, do your laundry, or take care of the yard work. We have someone who handles our investments and taxes which takes a small load off our plates each year.

I know as women we often think we can do it all and are leery to trust others. However, if you start small and delegate one thing at a time you will be amazed at how much weight is lifted off your shoulders.

I hope you find some of these home management tips useful. If you have any other tips, drop them in the comments below.

For more mom life tips and tricks, be sure to check out these awesome blogs:

Stephanie- 5 Time Saving Tips for a Mom of 7

Alex- 5 Ways to Help Toddlers Bond with Pets

Kristen- Mom Outfit Ideas for Family Photos

Kimberly- Mothering Multiple Ages

Thanks so much for reading and sharing!