Busy

Ever burned yourself out on housework? I do frequently. I've grown to love the calling on my life as a wife, but sometimes it seems there’s always something else to do. My husband encourages me to take some ‘down time’, but I often say “I’m just too busy.”

But busy doing what? All I do is work full time and tend a small apartment. That takes a lot of time, but should it really take all my time? Should I really have no time in my week to invest in other things?

Prompted by these circumstances, I ended up making a list of things that would streamline my housework and free up more time to do other things.

1. Maintain, don’t clean. If I maintain my home, I never have to clean it. A little work every day saves me from a whole Saturday full of chores that have been building all week. For example, if I make sure the clothes always make it to the hamper (instead of throwing them on the floor), and that the hamper is never overflowing, I don’t have mountains of laundry to deal with on my free days.
2. Tools. I’ve come to see that specialized kitchen and cleaning tools are just like any other tool other professionals use to do their jobs. Some items are overpriced and gimmicky, but not all. I’ve come to realize it isn’t silly to have the best tools for the job – its wisdom. I want to be purposeful to build a supply of helpful (not extravagant) tools that will serve me and my family.
3. Consistency. A little work every day saves me from a weekend full of work. Fifteen minutes in the morning each day adds up to over an hour come the weekend.
4. Help. Because I wanted to say “look what I did all by myself!” I used to pridefully fight off my husbands attempts to help with housework. It’s helpful when he reminds me that in reality, he has to take responsibility for how our home is managed before the Lord, since he is head of our family. Caring for the home is just an area where God has gifted women to help their husbands. It isn’t ‘off limits’ to him. I need to humbly accept my husband’s willing help when he can offer it, and be sure to express my gratitude to him.
5. Trust God. I probably won’t accomplish everything, no matter how regimented I am. I need to trust God with the things that don’t get done. And when my schedule goes perfectly and I finish every task with time to spare, I need to be wary not to begin trusting myself and my abilities – I must be trusting God then too. Scripture warns us that pride comes before we fall. If I want to persist in caring for my home, it will only be by God’s grace that I can do it. I need to acknowledge that to him and thank him.