A new way of thinking about housework

I was reading the book Living Well, Spending Less by Ruth Soukup from the blog of the same name, and I had a dawning moment!

The book is about the 12 secrets of the good life, and weaves Ruth’s personal story into how she’s found the path to contentment (and it wasn’t a smooth road). I was struck by Secret #10: A clean house is a happy house.

Do I treat my role as homemaker the right way?

As I was reading, I realised I don’t treat my role as housekeeper with any pride or respect. I do the housework begrudgingly, only doing it because I have to. Putting in the minimum amount of effort to get the job done, so I can do something I fun (like sewing or blogging). It’s a never-ending, thankless task. Do enough to make the house appear tidy and get on with the good life!

Accepting responsibility and putting in the time to make it happen are ultimately the only ways to get the job done.

Those words resonated to me. I’ve accepted that the housework is my job, because I have (more or less) chosen to stay at home. If I was working, we’d be able to afford a cleaner. I want to stay at home with the kids, so I do the housework.

But I saw it as a burden or chore, rather than my responsibility as part of this family. I didn’t take pride in my work, didn’t try my best at it.

It’s time for a new attitude!

I need to change the way I think about housework and the home. I love my home. I should want to care for it and take pride in that. I should strive to do the best I can (as I always did, even with the most menial of tasks, when I worked).

I need to treat housework like a career, where my performance is noted (even if it’s just by me). I need to bring the attitude I had to work to my home. The things I was known for in my work as an engineer was being efficient, systematic, logical and getting the job done.

It’s time to bring my work attitude into my current role, as domestic engineer. Really, it’s homemaking, not just housework. Everything I do is making the house a home, and loving our home as such an important part of our lives.

I’m never going to love scrubbing the bathrooms, but it’s not a burden. It’s a my responsibility as part of a family.

It’s funny how a small sentence can change my perspective.

What is your attitude to housework? Let me know in the comments!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book Living Well, Spending Less for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.