Homemaking Hacks for a Stressed Mama

Homemakers, Let’s embrace the chaos in all its glory

Even the burnt dinner, the messy house. The spilled milk, the unfinished chores, thrown off schedules, all of it. Let’s laugh about it all because that’s so much better than crying.

And what if, all of that was actually the point. What if we’ve been lied to this whole time? What if instagram reels and Pinterest boards and curated YouTube videos were all just a distraction from what you ought to pursue?

I believe that perfection lives within the chaos. But do you feel like the chaos robs you of your Joy in homemaking? Do you ever feel like you’re juggling a million things and can’t catch your breath? Between the laundry, the kids, and everything in between, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and even lose sight of the bigger picture. Today I’m giving you 5 simple homemaking hacks that’ll transform your day from overwhelmed chaos to cheerfully embracing the chaos. 

Task Recall Homemaking Hack

First up is my favorite task recall hack: moms always have like 50 things to do and RIGHT NOW. I’ll be driving home and as I’m pulling into our neighborhood I’ll list off the 6 things I have to do the second I walk through the door. Switch the laundry, toddler needs to go potty, nurse the baby, pull meat from the freezer,  you get it.

It’s this kind of thing that can totally steal your joy as a homemaker and take you out of the moment. So do you ever get so frazzled that you walk into a room and forget what you were even supposed to do?

Here’s a simple tip to remember – go do what you were doing that made you think of doing that task. For example, if you were reading an email that made you think oh I need to go in the laundry room to do switch the laundry, then you walk into the laundry room and totally forget what you went there for, then go back and look at that same email and just like magic … you’ll remember.

Another example, if you were in the kitchen pantry and it made you think of something to do in the living room, go back to the pantry and you’ll remember almost immediately. This works because of a genius concept that God created and we now call context-dependent memory which states that we are more likely to remember information when we’re in the same environment where we first encountered it.

Simply retracing your steps can help jog your memory and prevent that running around like a chicken with your head cut off feeling.

Pace Yourself Homemaking Hack

Next hack is to pace yourself – Something I teach in my course is how important it is for your nervous system to make sure you’re getting adequate rest. Doing this as a mom can seem impossible. I’m in a season right now with three very young children where rest is almost never happening.

To be honest I let this priority slip for a while and my own physical and mental health was starting to suffer. Because I know how bad it can get if I don’t pace myself and find the opportunities for rest that the Lord promises, I needed to adapt and made rest a real priority.

One thing I do now is while I’m nursing my baby, I put the older children in the pack and play together with a snack and a fun toy they don’t usually get to play with and I meditate on scripture. Just letting the word fill my soul while I nurse my baby and do some deep breathing. God provides the rest, but it’s up to you to take it.

Protect Your Peace

Protect your peace – whatever this means to you. But it probably definitely means staying off your phone. Reading a text message that rubs you the wrong way, an instagram post that makes you feel less than, or even just a reminder of all the things you NEED to do on your phone can rob you of your peace.

 I heard recently a gal suggest for homemakers to put their phone away for an hour in the morning and an hour at night and use these as kind of their power hours to get things done with no distractions. I would flip this and say only have your phone out for an hour in the morning and an hour at night and these can be your visiting hours – outside of that you’re tending to your home, giving your children your full attention, and being fully present in the peaceful life you’re creating at home.

Start Saying This Phrase…

Next homemaking hack is to Start saying this phrase – “…and this is all I’ve ever wanted.” This came to me one morning, it was just before 5 am and I was changing my newborns diaper when all of a sudden he starts spewing poop – diaper off, poop everywhere including in my eyeball. I literally had poop up to my eyeball!

And I remember thinking, wow… not even 5 am and I already have poop in my eye. Cool. Then it came to me… and this is all I’ve ever wanted. All I’ve ever wanted was a family – blow outs and poop in eyeballs included! So now, I try to remember when the house is a disaster and I don’t have time to clean, this is all I’ve ever wanted. When I see food crusted in places food should never be and it makes me spiral into where else is this food smeared? This is all I’ve ever wanted. When I’m dog tired and I just want to go to bed but the baby wants to nurse just one more time before I can lie him down. This…. is all I’ve ever wanted. When I haven’t showered in days and none of my basic needs have been met and yet I continue to meet the needs of those I love. This is all I’ve ever wanted.

Increase Your Joy

Final homemaking hack is so simple it might seem like I’m joking, but hear me out… it’s to Increase your joy – If my kids use one word to describe me when they grow up I want it to be joyful. But boy do I have a ways to go.  I have major resting *angry* face and my son has started asking me “mama, are you mad?” 😫 big fail on my part and I need to do better!

Funny how the Lord convicts us through our children, right?

So here’s what I’m going to do…

1. Start playing music more and singing to it – you don’t seem mad when you’re singing, right?!

2. Literally smiling more even when I’m focused.

3. Narrating what I’m doing in joyful tones. “Mama is chopping onions for dinner and whoa they smell strong.” Etc.

Homemakers, life can be chaotic, but by implementing small changes like the task recall hack, pacing yourself, protecting your peace, and increasing your joy, we can reduce that overwhelming feeling. Remember, this season may feel messy at times, but it’s exactly what we’ve always wanted. So let’s choose joy, keep our hearts aligned with purpose, and show up for our families with love and grace. I’d love to hear your thoughts—how do you stay grounded in the chaos? Leave a comment below and share how you find peace in your own daily rhythm.