How to Do it All as a Homesteading Mom

If you live a homestead lifestyle, you know that there are a lot of projects that require daily attention, such as preparation of food and caring for animals. So how do you do it all as a homesteading mom?

The question of “how to do it all as a homesteading mom” is one I see come up again and again in homesteading groups that I’m part of. It’s a question I get asked frequently as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked “how do you get it all done?” I can understand the question. I mean, I get the wonder around how I somehow manage to homeschool our older children, homestead with a toddler and a baby, and work full time from home. But often, as I’m faced with the question of “how do you do it all?” in conversation, I very much struggle to answer, finding myself blushing and laughing with embarrassment.

I guess I’m somewhat afraid of what people might think if they found out the truth about how I actually get it all done while homesteading, homeschooling, and working from home. Because the straight truth of the matter is that I don’t get it all done, and more often than not I find myself whispering for forgiveness from the Lord at my shortcomings that reveal themselves daily. But though it’s impossible to “do it all” on a homestead, there are definitely ways that can make life easier, and we can talk about those today.

Table of Contents

• Accept that Getting it All Done is Impossible
  • Make a Daily To-Do List
    • Example Lists
  • Set Apart Certain Days for Certain Tasks
• Recognize the Season of Life You’re In
• Step Away from Social Media
• Forgive Yourself
• Find Other Homesteading Mothers to Connect With
• More on Homesteading Motherhood
• Share This!

Accept that Getting it All Done is Impossible

I know. This isn’t what you want to hear. Trust me, I don’t want to hear it any more than you do! But it’s just the truth. There simply just aren’t enough hours in one day to do all the things that one homesteading mother feels the need to do, and that can be really overwhelming. Rather than beat yourself up about the things that you did not get done today, take some time to organize your thoughts a little to help you move forward on that never-ending list of tasks you feel pulling at you.

Make a Daily To-Do List

Making a checklist is a great way to keep your thoughts a little more focused and organized. They also do a great job of giving you a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day rather than a feeling of defeat.

I like to create two lists, a “Today’s Tasks” list and an “If I Have Time” list. It’s pretty straightforward. On the “Today’s Tasks” list I include the goals I have for the day. What are the priority items that need to be accomplished today? These are the daily chores that cannot be ignored or the projects you feel a strong urgency to get done. Then I make another list of things that I want to get done, but don’t necessarily have the urgency pushing them to the other list. These might include household projects I’m hoping to tackle or bigger cleaning/homestead projects.

Example Lists

My lists might look something like this:

Today’s Tasks (example): Items that have an urgency to get completed today

• Wash laundry
• Hang out laundry
• Empty dishwasher
• Make butter
• Sweep/Vacuum main living areas
• Go to the garden and harvest the blueberries

If I Have Time (example): Items that have the flexibility of getting done tomorrow if needed

• Vacuum kids’ rooms
• Weed the tomatoes
• Clean bathroom
• Organize closet
• Clean windows
• Start building new chicken fence
• Put up stanchion in the barn

After a while, the items on the “If I Have Time” list will start to move towards to the priority list. I like this strategy of making two lists because it acknowledges that the task is there, but gives me the freedom of allowing myself to let it go until tomorrow- all while still feeling a sense of accomplishment too. Without a list, it can be really easy to get into a hamster wheel of cleaning, making food, overwhelm, and frustration. A list provides direction, organizes the swarm of thoughts in your brain, and gives you evidence that you’ve done something productive during the day.

Set Apart Certain Days for Certain Tasks

Did you ever hear the old saying of what a woman’s week looked like in the old days? Wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday, mend on Wednesday, churn on Thursday, clean on Friday, bake on Saturday, rest on Sunday. There was a definite reason for this! These tasks are big jobs (and in those days, even bigger!). By setting apart a day to do all of the work of that chore, you’re giving yourself stability, predictability, and routine. This can be extremely helpful to your mental health and help ease the feeling of overwhelm when looking at completing all of those tasks many times throughout the week.

Rather than try to do a little of everything everyday, sometimes it can just be easier to get it all done at once. Choose your chores to do each day and try it out for a month. See if it helps your feelings of overwhelm and overload.

Recognize the Season of Life You’re In

This is a big one, mama! To everything there is a season. That’s what this time is right now- a season. And like all seasons, this one will not last forever.

If you are in a season with babies and toddlers, know that it’s going to be hard to get your household chores done everyday. It’s going to be hard to get everything accomplished on the homestead that you wish to accomplish. But also know that those chores will still be there in 3-5 years, but your little babies and toddlers won’t. They’ll have evolved and shifted into little children, a whole new season.

When the days are really hard, and there are going to be some really hard days, take a minute and step back. Say this prayer and ask for God’s wisdom. I pray to God everyday, all day, asking for His help in remembering that this is only just a season and that it needs to be enjoyed for what it is.

Lord, please give me the wisdom to see that this season is a short one. Help me to remember that my chores and tasks will someday be easily accomplished without little ones underfoot or making messes. Remind me, Lord, that I will miss these days and that investing in these people is so much more important now than investing in my homestead. Today is a good day. I am thankful for this family to care for. Please help me to have eyes to see this season as you do. Amen.

Step Away from Social Media

It’s easy to jump onto social media sites and see other women who appear to be able to do it all as a homestead mom.

Remember, social media is a highlight reel. It’s where people are going to post their best selves. No one wants to put out pictures of the bad and the ugly for others to jump on and criticize. But even though we know that, it can still be hard to remember that as we scroll through the endless amounts of pictures of other mothers doing all the things we feel we should be doing too.

When you find yourself comparing yourself to other homesteading moms, take a step back from social media. Take a break for a couple days or even a couple of weeks if you can. Then, with a clear mind that isn’t comparing yourself to others, ask yourself the really important questions:

• Am I doing the best I can for my family and homestead?
• Is my family happy?
• Am I happy?
• Do I feel a sense of purpose within my family and homestead?

If you can say yes to these questions, then allow yourself to go back to social media with these truths as your lenses. When you see another homesteading mom doing something you wish you could do or think you should be doing, remember that you are happy, your family is happy, and you’re doing the best you can. The grass is not always greener on the other homestead!

Forgive Yourself

Ah….so much easier said than done, isn’t it? When you don’t get accomplished what you’d hoped you would have, it doesn’t make you a bad homesteader. If a guest comes over unannounced and the house isn’t perfectly put together and you don’t have baked goods to offer, it doesn’t make you a bad housekeeper. When the children say something or act in a way that they maybe shouldn’t, it doesn’t make you a bad mother.

Forgive yourself for being so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can right now with what you have. Your children are loved and taken care of. Try to remember that though you wish to be like a godly wife and mother, you are not God. And since we’re talking about God, try to look at yourself through His eyes. He has made you who you are, given you and trusted you with this family to care for. He loves you no matter what you’ve felt like you’ve failed on today. That’s something to hold onto tightly.

Find Other Homesteading Mothers to Connect With

If you can, try to find some real life, in-person homesteading moms to connect with. When you have a chance to get together with other moms who are living in a very similar way as you are, you’ll find that you are not alone in your struggles. You’ll find out that they aren’t doing it all as a homestead mom either. Work together to support one another, help one another, and uplift one another along this amazing journey you’re taking as homesteading moms!

More on Homesteading Motherhood

Looking for more on homesteading motherhood? Check out this post: Dear Homeschooling, Homesteading Mother: You Need to Hear This Today

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