I love journalling. I have always journaled, because I have always loved writing. But journaling is such powerful writing–it is recommended by psychologists and doctors because it helps reduce stress, manage anxiety, acts as a catharsis and also helps you understand your own emotions and reactions. Many people to help them track goals, improve their sleep quality and the act of writing out by hand helps you lock ideas into your brain, which improves memory.
In fact, I keep several types of journals. I keep a personal journal of my thoughts and feelings, how my day went. It’s most traditional type of journal when we have, the whole idea of “dear diary.” But I also keep a crafting journal as a log of my handmade projects, and I keep a homemaking journal.
Not What You Think
You might think a homemaking journal is a list of things to do, organized by sections or seasons like Spring Cleaning or Christmas Shopping or even Set Up Nursery. But I’m not that highly organized and that’s simply not how I operate. I don’t even write to do lists at all.
My homemaking journal is one where I record all the things for the home and family that I’ve done in a day. It’s a Got It Done journal.
The reasons I keep a Got It Done journal is simple: writing out a list of to do’s is not rewarding. It can actually be discouraging for the purposes of homemaking because that list is never ending. This is why some homemakers use cleaning schedules–you have a certain set of tasks on a particular day and you focus on those so that the home stays in good order. Everyone gets fed, clothes get washed, things get decluttered, rooms are dusted and swept, floors are washed and dishes get cleaned. It keeps the homemaker focused.
And those kind of cleaning schedules are great for some people, maybe especially those who find homemaking and housekeeping and child minding especially overwhelming. Or who have a lot on their plate because they have many children.
But for me, they don’t work because I’ve always been a more go with the flow kinda gal. So if to do lists don’t work, and cleaning schedules don’t work, I recommend this method I’ve been using for the better part of year or more now. The Got It Done method.
Why I Keep a Homemaking Journal
For me, I kept my journalling pretty simple. Each day that I spend at home (as in, I’m not working or aren’t out for the day) I list each and every task that I do around the home. It’s a simple bullet system. Did dishes? Write it down. Wiped the counters? Write it down. Baked muffins? Write it down. I find it motivating because I see the list growing and I think look at how much I’m doing!
I also chose to decorate my journal–bible verse stickers are a favourite of mine, but I add in other decorative stickers too. They remind me that each of those tasks are things I do out of love. They are not just thankless, repetitive and even dirty tasks that need doing. We want clean toilets for the health and well being of our children after all, as well as ourselves. Love is a beautiful thing so I make my journal beautiful too. I always chose that day’s stickers very carefully–I want the scripture to resonate with me that day, or to offer me courage and hope because some days are harder than others.
I love this method because it’s so easy. It’s also very rewarding to look at the list of things I did–even if they are everyday things like wiping down counters. Because that list grows longer, I know that I’m serving my family well. I might not be making sourdough or homeschooling or growing vegetables, but I’m providing my family with the work of my hands: clean clothes, home baked goodies, tidy areas to play, read, and work in.
You likely serve your family in very similar ways. And do you need to write it down? Maybe not. But if homemaking feels overwhelming and schedules and routines aren’t really working for you, you could try this simple journalling method. This method might also work for you if you are like me, and your health and energy vary from day to day. While I don’t suffer from anything like chronic fatigue, I do have a lot of minor health conditions and a bigger, rarer one that I deal with on a daily basis that affect my energy. Sometimes it makes working hard, especially over this past year but I feel that this journaling method has kept me motivated, on track and feeling less overwhelmed and guilty about my home in general.
Final Thoughts
I love this journal. I open it so many times in a day, and some journals (I have a few filled up) I added in different sections–a Best Part of the Day, a To Do list, but the one constant is my simple list of all the things I got done on any given day. I keep it because it helps me stayed connected to my home and family, it keeps me on track, it keeps me motivated, it reduces anxiety about my home and I also keep this journal because it’s fun.
Will you try this kind of journalling? Let me know in the comments!