5 Lists Every Homemaker Should Keep

Read along for 5 lists for homemakers to help you stay organized, motivated, and inspired!!!

Are you a list gal?! I am admittedly a list gal. I fill up notebooks every year with lists, plans, drawings, goals, etc. But mostly LISTS!

I think lists, when used the right way, can be SO helpful in keeping us on track as homemakers. The right lists can keep you organized in your home, but also inspired and motivated each day! We always want a balance between the two.

I’ve kept a LOT of lists over the years, some that were silly and unnecessary, and others that have totally helped me to level up my homemaking.

I’ve learned not only what lists are best to keep for better homemaking, but how to turn those lists into a whole lot of things DONE. Crossing tasks off is the most satisfying part, right?!

So, read along for my favorite lists for homemakers, with some tips and tricks to getting as much out of them as you can:)

5 Lists for Homemakers

General To-Do’s

Every homemaker needs an on-going list of all the things they need TO DO. If not, things will start to fall through the cracks! This list is mostly random, doesn’t have to be organized and the tasks don’t have to be related.

Its basically your brain dump! Whenever you think of something you NEED to do, jot it down on your list. If you find later that it can be allocated to a different list, like the ones we’ll talk about next, then do so!

This list can have a wide variety of things on it… tasks that are fun and tasks that are necessary. All of it!

Here are some examples of things that might go on general to-do list for homemakers: hint, I pulled these all literally from my own to-do list LOL

do library book order
schedule kids dentist appointment
ask Hubby about weekend trip
order ice cream maker on Amazon
sell bedroom furniture
clean out shed
clean stains on carpet
sew a new pillowcase for daughter’s bed

Your list could go on and on!

I like to keep a note in my phone with my ongoing, general to-do list. This way I can record something WHENEVER I think of it, because I always have my phone on hand. Then, I transfer this list to my notebook when I’m going over my week or my daily schedule.

After you read through the other lists in this round-up you’ll see that some things on your general to-do list can be allocated to a different list. Have a time each week that you look over your lists and switch and swap things out so your lists are more organized and everything is where it should be.

After you’ve organized it, your general to-do list should just have some basic, random to-do’s on it:) things that can’t be categorized onto any other list. From there, you need a plan for how you’re going to get these things DONE.

When to get general to-do’s done?

I like to designate a time each day to check things off my general to-do list (this is after naps for us, in the later afternoon), as well as ONE day each week. I call the day my Catch-All Day, but its basically just a day to do random, catch-all things.

Its important to make sure you schedule in time for the things on this list, otherwise they might not get done! Of course, you’ll always be doing things in random times throughout your days and weeks as well.

Another thing that is helpful to do, is to mark which tasks are more of a priority. You can highlight priority tasks, or put a star next to them. Maybe these things have a deadline, or for whatever other reason they are more important to get done.

When you go to check things off your general to-do list, get the priorities done first! Then move on to the other tasks.

Cleaning Tasks Lists

Woohoo! Every homemaker needs a list of cleaning tasks. There are PLENTY of free, printable cleaning checklists online… I even have one in my free resource library! Sign up HERE if you’re not already a member. That being said, if you’re wanting to level up your homemaking game, I suggest making a few cleaning lists that are personal to YOUR home. Because every home is different!

There are a lot of different ways to keep track of what needs cleaned in your home. One of the most common is to list tasks or activities by how often they need done. So you would have a daily cleaning list, weekly cleaning list, monthly cleaning list, etc.

Cleaning Lists can help you to make sure that you’re getting all of the things cleaned in your home, on a regular basis (or in a time frame that makes sense). And that you’re not forgetting anything!

Of course, you can always jot down cleaning tasks on your general to-do list as well when you think of something random or something comes up that really needs tended to. Like clean the junk off the wall that you just noticed, OR wipe down the kitchen chairs because the kids were extra messy this week.

Weekly Cleaning List

Every week, I have a designated day (my Cleaning Day) where I do all of my weekly cleaning tasks.

The chores on my weekly cleaning list have stayed basically the same for a couple years now (since we’ve moved in to our current home). Here they are!

deep clean the bathrooms
spot clean glass and windows
dust surfaces
vacuum everywhere
tidy/clean mudroom and kitchen

I repeat these same things every week, and every week I write down my weekly cleaning list in my planner, so I can check them off.

Along with a weekly cleaning list, I also have a deep cleaning list by room. All of the things that could be cleaned in each room to get it COMPLETELY cleaned.

You can focus on one room each week, and spend 15-30 min a day working through things on the deep cleaning list. OR you could do a few rooms on a big cleaning day, once a month. The options are endless. The point is, once you have your cleaning lists, its just as important to have a designated day/time to check things off the list.

Schedule it in, plan ahead, and make sure things are getting done! It will take a lot of trial and error to find what works best for you, how often things in your home need cleaned, what days and times are available to you for cleaning, etc.

Home Maintenance

This is something that I only recently started doing, but I’ve found it SO helpful. I have a little list going in my notebook of home maintenance tasks.

If you’re not keeping up with the general wear and tear in your home, or scheduling in those common, home maintenance activities, your home will suffer!

Here are some ideas of things that can be considered home maintenance:

change the A/C filters
fix the closet doors that broke
fix the leak in the kitchen sink
add more rock to the landscaping outside
clean out the gutters

A lot of home maintenance chores are seasonal. So, you can make a list each season! Or each month. The change in seasons or change in month will serve as a reminder for you to make a new list and see what all needs fixed up, maintained, or tended to in your home.

I am not saying this from my own experience, but I had a friend who moved in to a house where the previous homeowner had kept a binder with everything related to the maintenance of the home. There was paperwork in it for every appliance in the house, warranty information, records of what things were cleaned/maintenance and when, etc. How cool is that?!

We may not all be THAT organized and and top of things, but the least we can do is keep a list going of home maintenance chores, and try to keep up with it:)

I also heard another great tip for getting home maintenance chores done around your house, which was to coordinate with your hubby, one day a month where he helps you tackle all of these projects and to-do’s. The point being, you keep a running list going, and he knows that that one day a month is the day to do it all. And then you’re not barraging him with honey-do’s every day. Make sense?!

Projects to Do

Here come the FUN lists. These are the lists that keep you motivated and excited to jump out of bed every morning. Project lists! There are SO many different ways this can be broken down and categorized depending on your home and what you enjoy.

You can have an ongoing list of DIY projects to do around your home: make a chalkboard, paint the kids room, do a gallery wall. You could have a list going of projects to sew: sew a new apron, sew a pillowcase for daughters room, sew new curtains for the kitchen.

Whatever creative thing you enjoy doing, and that can benefit your home, make it a list and start checking things off!

Your project lists should be the lists that motivate and inspire you. They make you excited to jump out of bed every day! SO, make sure that whatever projects you’re doing, fit you and your personality, and your lifestyle.

If you don’t enjoy sewing, then you’d never have a sewing list. BUT if you are a sucker for outdoor projects, then keep a list of it!

I currently have a list of projects to do around our home. These are the more fun, somewhat unnecessary things: hang the chalkboard, paint the kitchen table, do a gallery wall in the hallway.

I also have a list of projects to sew for our home: sew curtains for laundry room, sew new pillowcases for Annie’s room, sew a new apron, etc.

These lists are SO FUN and get me so excited. Seasonal lists are great in this category as well. Your Fall list could include:

make a wheat wreath for the front door
decorate the porch
make a homemade, pumpkin candle
sew mini patchwork pumpkins
make and can applesauce

Again, in order to get things checked off my project lists, I have a plan in place! Each week I have a Project Day. This is a day dedicated to checking things off my project list. You could do this, OR you could have a block of time each day that’s for projects.

Another thing I’ve done in the past is looked ahead at each month, picked four seasonal things from my seasonal projects lists, and allocated them to each of the weeks that month.

Again, make these lists fun and inspiring!

Recipes to Try / Recipes you Love

Awwww what’s a homemaker without her recipes?! Everyone needs a few different lists of recipes. Keep a running list of recipes you LOVE. Then keep a list of recipes you’d like to TRY!

If you have an organized list of recipes, you’ll be more likely to cook and bake from scratch, more often. Is this a goal of yours? It is of mine! When it comes time to meal plan, you’ll have lists to pull meal ideas from. HERE is my breakdown of meal planning for beginners in case you’re interested.

Obviously you can keep a written list, but you know another great way to list recipe ideas to try? PINTERST! Of course. Pinterest can be SO helpful for homemakers. Have one (or several) boards dedicated to recipes you find on Pinterest (or anywhere on the internet) that look yummy and you want to give a go.

As you cook and bake for your family, and try new recipes, keep a list going of recipes that you love and that you want to be on repeat. Sometimes you’ll try a recipe that’s a bust and we never want to make it again. BUT if you try a recipe and its a winner, add it to this list.

I like to break down my Recipes We Love List into different categories, so that its easier to sift through when I’m meal planning. For example, you could list out Italian Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Sandwich Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, Meatless Recipes, Crockpot Meals, so on and so forth.

Your recipe lists are most handy to pull out when you’re making a meal plan.

More Tips for Homemakers

How to be a Good Homemaker

Homemaking 101 Guide for Beginners

How to Create a Homemaking Checklist

Old-Fashioned Homemaking Routines

I hope this post was helpful and encouraging… and inspires you to pull out that dusty notebook and put it to use! Remember, you can make ALL the lists in the world and they can be organized and beautiful, but they’ll do you no good if you don’t have a way to put them into action.

A notebook with lists and a planner with a schedule go hand-in-hand for the happy and productive homemaker.

Happy list making friend!