6 Quiet-Time Habits That Restore Peace in the Chaos of Homemaking

You don’t need another fluffy quiet time routine.
You need to meet the living God in the middle of your crusty dishes and toddler tantrums.
Not a verse-a-day calendar and a lukewarm prayer whispered while scrolling Instagram.

I’m talking about genius new habits that will restore your peace by turning your heart towards the One who IS peace.
Habits that destroy your idols, fuel your obedience, and pull your thoughts out of self-pity and into battle-ready worship.

When Quiet Time Feels Like a Checkbox

If your quiet time feels more like a checkbox than a refuge… or if you’re so overwhelmed you don’t even have quiet time… stay with me.
Because by the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how to reshape those sacred minutes into intentional rhythms of peace and deep connection with the Lord.

Not All Rest Is Restorative…

Some rest leaves you feeling more depleted than before.

I remember a season where I was so depleted that I’d use every sliver of alone time to scroll, snack, or mentally check out.
But instead of feeling recharged, I felt more anxious—like I was wasting something sacred.

And I was. I was squandering the opportunities the Lord was giving me for true rest and connection with Him.

So here are 6 ways you can get out of this rut if you’re finding yourself doing the same thing.

1. Titus 2 Tending Time

Take 5 minutes in your quiet time to text or voice memo a Christian wife or mother you know — let them know you’re praying for them and ask how you can be praying.

This doesn’t have to be a close friend although it can be. Someone you recently met at church, or the park, or wherever. Find out what’s going on in their life and if you can help them in any way. I love voice memos for this because there’s nothing like hearing the voice of someone who cares.

This rewired my mindset and took my mind off myself. Being others-focused can have such a ripple effect—mentoring, encouraging, and praying for the women walking the same path as you.

So I do think that Titus 2’s structure is for women who have grown children — that’s not to say that young moms can’t pour into the Christian women in their lives — they can and they should. Titus 2 commands:

“Older women… teach what is good… train the young women to love their husbands and children…” (Titus 2:3–4)

By turning quiet time outward, you’ll notice it also turns your heart upward.

2. Lord, Show Me What Matters

But what about the times when your body needs to slow down, but your mind is racing with a thousand things to do?

I have something to share with you and you’ll see my point so stay with me.
Lately, I’ve been busy on a whole other level. We are moving as some of you have noticed in the comments section. Not just moving homes, but moving from Washington state to Idaho. It’s been a busy season and my head has been spinning.

So, instead of writing what I thought I needed to do, I wrote a prayer in my journal as I was planning my day the night before:

“Lord, show me what matters.”

Now, I begin every planning session with a simple prayer asking the Holy Spirit: What actually matters today in my homemaking?

You’ve got to try this! I think it’ll totally transform how you manage your home and your to-do list.
And somehow, when I follow that Spirit-led guidance, the rest of the list that I wanted to tackle either gets done—or never needed to be in the first place.

3. Heart Check Homemaking Journal

Sometimes what we really need isn’t just guidance on what to do—but correction in why we’re doing it in the first place.

You can spend your whole day doing the “next right thing” as Elisabeth Elliot would say—
and still be doing them for the wrong reasons.

I used to treat homemaking like a game. I’d have my list of things to do and if I checked them all off the list before the kids went to bed I had won.

If not, I was angry and blamed everyone for why I wasn’t able to get what I needed to get done, done.
I was operating from a place of fear, pride, and pressure.

So I started asking myself during my quiet time:

“What in my homemaking today was rooted in fear, pride, or pressure?”

This question became a daily ritual.
Each day, I’d reflect: Where did I operate out of the flesh? And how can I invite faith, humility, and grace instead?

It transformed my homemaking from self-glorifying to God-glorifying.

4. Gratitude Chore Pairing

If your spiritual worship only shows up when there’s music playing and your Bible open, you’re missing the point entirely.

Worship should show up not just in morning devotionals when you feel excited and ready for the day, but when you choose gratitude over grumbling the moment everything starts to unravel.

When the toddler spills the smoothie, the children get muddy right as you’re walking out the door, and your plans crumble by 9 a.m.
That’s when your worship speaks the loudest.

The Gratitude Chore Pairing habit is simple but powerful.

Here’s how it works: pick one recurring chore—just one—and turn it into a time of intentional thanksgiving.

• When I fold laundry, I thank God out loud for each person as I fold their clothes.
• When I sweep the floor, I thank the Lord for the home beneath my feet.
• When I load the dishwasher, I thank God for the food we ate and the family who gathered around the table.

It’s not about adding something extra to your plate—it’s about layering gratitude onto what you’re already doing.

Over time, those tasks feel more and more like an act of worship.

5. Prayer Walking Reset

Your home doesn’t just need to be wiped down and vacuumed.
It needs to be prayed for.

Sometimes when I vacuum the house, I pray for each room, the activities we do in each room, and the people who live in each room.

I’ve since heard this called “prayer walking” and it turns vacuuming into such an act of worship.

• In the kitchen I thank God for the nourishment we get here, the laughter at the kitchen table, and I pray for wisdom in how to cook for my family.
• For powerful kitchen table discipleship for my children.
• In the children’s rooms I pray for each one specifically as I vacuum their room.

And on and on it goes all throughout the house.

6. Sabbath Prep Prayer Mapping

You prep your grocery list.
You prep your week…
But do you ever prepare your soul for the rest you know the Lord will provide?

One Thursday morning, I was thinking about everything that still needed done that week and thought about how if it’s all going to get done it will have to spill over into the weekend. And I thought: When are we going to get rest?

Then I realized…if I want the weekend to feel restful, I need to plan for it just like I plan the to-do list throughout the week.

So instead of just powering through my to-do list hoping rest will come if I check all the boxes, I intentionally plan for the rest. I call it, Sabbath prep.

While I don’t take an actual Sabbath, I do have a restful rhythm in my week and I do my best to prepare and protect that rhythm.

Here’s how Sabbath Prep works in my home:

Once a week—usually Thursdays when I’m planning my week in my planner—I spend some time to pray about the upcoming weekend.

• I pray over the calendar. What do I need to cancel or shift to protect our peace this weekend?
• I pray over the house. What needs to be addressed so I feel like the house is in order so I’m not weighed down by unfinished tasks when it’s time to rest?
• I pray over the people. Is anyone in the house walking around edgy, tired, or disconnected? How can I serve them?

And then I write down three things I can do over the next couple days to prepare for rest.

Because Sabbath rest doesn’t always just happen.
You have to make room for it.

Small Moments, Eternal Impact

So maybe you don’t have hours for quiet time.
But even just five or ten minutes—can become spiritually nourishing.

You don’t need more time.
You need intention.

And if you’re still in survival mode, not knowing where to start to restore your peace…
I’d love for you to join my free workshop using the link below.

Until next time, remember:
It’s not about doing more.
It’s about doing what matters—
with a heart at rest and
a home at peace.