Time Budgeting for the Homemaker
Your time is your most precious resource. Time budgeting for the homemaker is helpful if you have an overwhelming to do list and what seems like not enough hours in the day to do it all.
(Spoiler alert: you really can’t do it all, at least not all at the same time. It took me a while to come to grips with this. You can do it all, but it will have to happen over time.)
Now I must admit, like many fellow homemakers, I am of the “just do it” mindset. If you are rolling your eyes over the idea of time budgeting, I totally get it. I don’t like to overcomplicate anything either, and usually a simple to-do list in my planner for the week suits me just fine.
However, time budgeting does come in handy in certain seasons and phases of homemaking. Time budgeting allows me to know exactly how many hours I have to get work online done each week, how many hours I need to prepare my home for hosting, and overall the practice of time budgeting can show me the big picture of where my valuable hours are going. It’s a good tool to have in your toolbox as you aim to be a thrifty homemaker who spends time wisely.
Read along as I share with you practical tips on how to practice time budgeting as a homemaker. The result we are going for is a homemaker who feels calm and productive, is not wasting time, but also making room in the schedule for rest.
The homemaker who budgets their time:
- is productive
- does not waste valuable time and energy
- allocates time for high priority tasks
- allocates time for rest
- knows exactly where they are spending their hours
Time Budgeting in Accordance With Your Season
The time you have available for budgeting will look different depending on the season of life you are in.
If you are the care taker of small children or an adult with needs, you know very well that you have limited time allocated each day to the additional tasks at hand, besides your primary caregiving role.
If you are in a position where you are not caregiving and do not have people depending on you for survival, you can stretch this precious resource of your time abundantly further! No matter the season, you will benefit from the practice of time budgeting.
Do YOU Need to Budget Your Time?
I discovered time budgeting when I found myself in the thick of raising small children. It seemed like overnight I went from enjoying a lifestyle that served me daily (think: peaceful morning drives to my office, infinite options for lunch, lazy beach vacations) to endless diaper changes, cooking, cleaning, and repeating.
I wondered how will I have time for anything else besides cute little humans who want to be in my arms at the most “inconvenient” times? If this is you, know that I write with utmost understanding and respect for you!
The fact of the matter is, each of us have 24 hours in a day. However, knowing how you are spending those 24 hours is wise, important, and freeing. Budgeting your time will help you face your day with more ease as you know exactly what you will be doing that day.
Time budgeting for the homemaker is freeing:
- allows for a realistic look at your availability
- allows for you to say “no” to appointments and tasks that are not in the budget
- gives you a sense of control
How to Time Budget
As a homemaker, you can budget your time by following the four steps below. Bonus step: don’t overthink it!
- Decide the time period you would like to budget for
- Prioritize and organize your tasks by importance
- Assign a realistic amount of time for your outlined tasks
- Give yourself enough buffer time between tasks and include breaks
It helps to visualize your game plan by having someplace to write down, edit, and commit to your schedule. I’m a lover of planners, but some other ways you can draft out your time include using an online calendar, an app, the notes section on your phone, a Google document or spreadsheet, or a plain old notebook you have in your junk drawer.
Decide on the Time Period You’re Budgeting For
Do you want to budget your time for the upcoming week or couple of weeks? Perhaps you have a change in pace during the summer and want to review your time budget. If it’s the holiday season and you’re thinking of hosting and tidying and attending outings, you might want to budget for the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
There is no rule to this time frame, just pick a time frame that makes sense to you.
Organize and Prioritize Your Tasks
Write out your tasks, and all the things you hope to accomplish in the time period you’ve chosen to budget for. You will need to organize your tasks from highest priority to lowest priority, and start thinking about how much time each task will require. It’s okay if you need to go back and move tasks from one category to another. Just jot them down and you’ll start to see the bigger picture of your “must do’s”, “should do’s” and “might do’s”. 🙂
I like to budget time for when I have an extra busy week coming up. After making my list of tasks for the week, I write “A, B, or C” next to each task depending on their importance. You can call the categories whatever you’d like. 😉
Organize your tasks into three categories:
A. The “ASAP” category
B. The “Beneficial” category
C. The “No Consequence” category
The ASAP Category
The tasks that you assign to your ‘A’ category are the most important and they must get done. Budget your time for these tasks first, and plan to tackle these “must do” items first. Usually, the first part of your day is a great time to plan for the ASAP tasks because you’ve got a little more gas in your tank. 🙂
The Beneficial Category
The tasks in the ‘B’ category are tasks that also need to get done eventually, these are beneficial to your life and you don’t want to put them off for too long. They don’t quite hold the same weight of urgency as the tasks in the A category but you can’t just put them on the back burner either.
The No Consequence Category
The tasks in the ‘C’ category have no real consequence if you don’t get them done. These are things without a very solid deadline. You’d like to get done these items done but they are less urgent and your world continues spinning if they don’t get done exactly when you planned for them!
Before You Begin to Budget Your Tasks…
Think about all of the other day to day things that you might not have thought to put into your categories. These are usually smaller routine tasks that you’re used to doing, such as a load of laundry, or sitting down for emails. These all take time! To budget your time as accurately as you can, take into account all hours of your day and what goes into them.
Assign a Realistic Amount of Time to Your Tasks
Now the budgeting begins! How much time does each task in each category require? You may have tasks that realistically require you to budget for them over the course of a few days. Be honest and practical with yourself! If you have a homemaking task that you budget 6 hours for, chances of you doing that task for 6 hours straight are very slim. Break it up, and budget for that large task over the course of a few days.
When budgeting, think about the natural (and realistic!) flow of your day. Are you able to wake up earlier to have more time in your budget? Do you prefer to sleep in? Do you have a slot of time in the middle of the day with younger kiddos are napping? What does your evening routine look like?
Be Sure to Budget for Buffer Time and Restful Time
Be realistic (this is a common theme when budgeting), and consider how much time you need between your tasks. We want to see the big picture of what your days look like, instead of trying to pack everything into time blocks. Don’t forget that times of personal rest should be a priority as well for homemakers.
I hope this time budgeting article has sparked your curiosity and will motivate you to give time budgeting some practice.
