Defining your role in your home // Take Back Your Home Day 2!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Take Back Your Home Challenge! Yesterday, we talked about how our anchored home can actually be a place of PEACE! Today, we’re going to dive into the first step of creating that anchored home – defining YOUR role in it!

I talk to so many women who describe themselves as “drowning” in their homes. The sheer amount of tasks to be done each day, clutter to be sorted through, and projects to work on can leave a woman feeling absolutely overwhelmed.

I get that. Deeply. I have absolutely been there. It’s very easy to feel like we’re drowning underneath the weight of all the things that must be done – like our entire existence is chained to the neverending to-do list that is homemaking.

But today, I want to free you up a bit. Because the truth is that your home is not the boss of you. You’re not stuck underneath all the clutter. You’re not a slave to the to-do list. You’re not a victim here.

You, my friend, are the manager. 

See, managers don’t do everything themselves – they make a plan and then they delegate. They oversee. Managers ensure the necessary tasks are getting done, but they don’t necessarily have their hands in every single one.

Today, I want you to take back your role as HOME MANAGER. That’s you – the manager of the home, the person who sees the big picture, creates the plan, and adjusts the plan when it’s not working.

Let’s break the role of Home Manager down into exactly what it entails. (And what it doesn’t!)

What IS the job of a Home Manager?

• A Home Manager creates a plan that ensures her home is well-maintained.
  You, as the manager, see all the things that must be done, and you get the joyful task of organizing all of those things into a manageable plan.
  
• A Home Manager delegates the tasks on the plan to people who can help. A manager of a business who insists on doing everything herself is a manager who is one step away from running her business into the ground. Let’s not let that translate into your home. It’s your job to assign tasks to helpers who will contribute.
  
• A Home Manager trains those helpers so that they are completing the tasks correctly, which contributes to the good of the entire household.
  
• A Home Manager assesses the plan at regular intervals to see what can be improved.
  
• A Home Manager sets the tone in your home. Your attitude, example, speech, and actions all affect your people AND shape how they approach their own roles in your home. We’re going to lean on Christ for the strength to do this – it can’t be done on our own!

What is NOT your job?

• It is NOT your job to actually DO every single task yourself. Nope. Not happening.
  
• It is NOT your job to whine about the fact that no one is helping. Remember – we’re going for peace here. There are ways to stay peaceful AND require help to clean and maintain your home.
  
• It is NOT your job to bark orders and lose patience while others are learning their own roles. Remember – as hard as it can be to keep our cool (especially when we’ve been doing everything ourselves for a long while), our attitude really does matter here.
  
• It is NOT your job to sit back while everyone else works hard. There are going to be tasks that you DO have to do, of course! You just need to figure out which tasks are yours to do, and which tasks can be delegated.

Most women get stuck feeling overwhelmed because they believe the lie that they are expected to do EVERYTHING in their own homes, all by themselves.

But we’re done feeling stuck. We’re embracing this important role, and learning how to create the plan, manage the plan, and delegate with confidence! Even if you live alone, you STILL do not have to do everything yourself! You can creatively outsource cleaning, or laundry, or meal prep – you have options!

One more thing – not only is our role as Home Manager an important one to the state of our home, it’s vital to the well-being of our families. As Home Managers, we create the culture in our homes, cultivating spaces and routines and connection. This isn’t just a job that manages stuff – we are given the incredible honor of cultivating hearts!

Managing our homes, by default, means we have a daily influence on the people who live inside our home with us. Our attitude, our example, and our strength are all necessary qualities to bring to the job – understanding that this role goes so much deeper than just surface level. This role can bring incredible joy, connection, and satisfaction on a daily basis.

So let’s take back our role as Home Manager. It’s holy work – impacting our loved ones and sanctifying our own hearts – and it matters immensely.

Today’s Challenge:

1. Print out today’s worksheet, and first braindump ALL THE THINGS that need to be done in your home on a regular basis. I’m talking meal planning, meal prepping, laundry, dishes, outdoor care, decluttering, bedtime routines, EVERYTHING!!! Every. Single. Thing. Or – as many as you can think of!
2. Then, I want you to take that list and divide it into two categories – things that MUST be your job, and things that COULD be someone else’s job. Really think about if each job requires YOU to be the one who does it. Sure, your personal touch could make everything a little better, but is it REQUIRED? For example, when it comes to tucking your kids into bed, you might really want to be the person who does that – it’s a connection time, and building relationships. But when it comes to loading the dishwasher? Maybe that doesn’t HAVE to be you. 

Fill out your worksheet and bring it to tonight’s live chat! We’ll share our lists and talk about some creative ways to delegate those things you might not HAVE to do.