1) Get creative - overcoming a "Lack of Funds"
Getting creative is AWESOME. I have been working on a dinning room makeover for 5 months now. Sure sometimes the results don't come as quickly, but don't let that deter you! Eventually things will come together. It can be fun to get creative, I mean you can even find 30 different cool ways to make toilet paper roll wall art here. With the invention of Pinterest, it is all to easy to find creative home solutions for free or cheap.
2) Plug in - overcoming a "Lack of Knowledge"
There are so many easy and amazing "how to" guides out there, that it is so easy to quickly and accurately gain knowledge on a topic that you don't know anything about. I'm not saying blindly trust the almighty google with how to get a stain out of your grandma's lace doily. However, if you see the same ideas over and over again, it typically means they work. There are so many great books, blogs, and other resources out there that if you are looking for an answer, chances are you can find one.
3) Make Good Choices - overcoming "lack of management"
Honestly, this seems too simple, yet it is often overlooked. Sometimes to get it done, you have to do it yourself, and other times you can easily delegate something to someone else. You have to make the smart choice and decide which one is the most effective. If I had the funds, I can tell you right now, I would weekly delegate cleaning to someone. Since that isn't in our budget, we have to split the cleaning. I have to choose jobs for everyone that they can do, and know they are going to do them to their ability, and not always my standards. I have to choose which tasks I'm OK with that.
4) Find YOUR groove - overcoming a "lack of routine"
Some people paper check lists work, others post-its everywhere, some to the computer/ipad/phone list, others don't have a list. Here is the deal. Having a routine at some point during the day, when you can get some home tasks accomplished makes a HUGE difference. It is really all about what works for YOU. You a morning person? Sweet! Get up a little early and every morning pick a task to do in 15 minutes. Stay home and the kids have naps? Perfect! Do all the dinner prep while they are sleeping so you can toss it in the oven and be done with it come eating time. Find little things that you can build into your day regularly that will help you get things done. Honestly there are some awesome charts and systems out there. Not one has worked for me. Why? I can't do it regularly. See routines only work if you work them. You have to do it daily, build small habits into your day that will make your home life easier, and in a few months, you will notice a big difference.
5) Make time - overcoming a "lack of time"
Ok, I know, you can't actually create time out of thin air. But you CAN manage your time better to help you find some more of it. Prioritizing, stoping time wasters are two big ones. Somethings can be multi-tasked such as laundry, but typically focusing on one task at a time will help you get things done more effectively. You can read some other posts I wrote about time management here.
Come back tomorrow for 5 more simple ways to overcome the areas where you are Homemaking Challenged.
