Project Management in the Home

Windows flung open allow the cool autumn air to flow into the living room. Coffee cools in my mug as I ponder on the home, pen to paper, thoughts spiraling faster than my hand can capture in my journal. I’m sure I’ve talked about project management and goal setting in the past, either interwoven with other thoughts or specifically, but I wanted to re-examine it in light of my two articles about not running our homes like we’re climbing a corporate ladder or like we’re men.

If we’re avoiding those two pitfalls, what does project management look like in the home?

To upheave or not upheave, that is the question!

Upheaval: there will be times in life when you have justifiable upheaval. Some can be fun: vacation, a father-declared veg-out day, or major hobby projects. I remember a couple of occasions when my mom had a sewing day. For a day or two she was largely off limits and so was the dining room table. Life was cereal and sandwiches and leaving Mom alone.

But there were other times of mass upheaval because something major had to be done, like a move. This can be the result of emergencies or just timing and choice.

When you face these projects start with clear communication and make sure everyone is aware and on board with the upheaval. Make sure you’re not doing this during holidays and birthdays if possible. If you homeschool, remember that these times can be educational. Then go for it. You’ll probably want to have a plan for simple, self-efficient meals and snacks, a laundry plan, and the awareness that the house is about to be a mess, so all hands on deck.

Attack the project with focus and delight. Don’t allow yourself, in times of upheaval, to attempt normalcy in your cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Accept and embrace that those will get out of hand. Don’t attempt to burn all candles at once. Remember you’re a finite human who has to sleep, eat, and rest. Remember home isn't behind. Home carries on.

Make sure you enlist help, starting with your immediate family. Older kids should be helping or at least babysitting. Babysitters, cleaning, and construction services are also available. Use them. Upheaval is upheaval. Don’t be afraid or worried.

Not Upheaval: These are projects and goals you fit into the pockets of life, not ones you force life and routine out of the way for. Saving up for things, new skills, decluttering, cosmetic repairs, and even holidays can fit into this category.

Generally speaking, you will have several of these going at once with different priority levels. The goal is to just keep all the projects rolling forward between the normal routines of life.

I have found it helpful to have a place in my home management folder labeled current projects. Whenever something happens with a particular project, I note the forward momentum. If Price and I either formally, or informally, discuss the project, I write down notes and instructions.

Let me be real, I have a piece of heavy cardstock with piles of post-it notes paper clipped to it. One pile is project A, another is Project B, and any changes or updates are scratched on a post-it note and added to the paperclip. When a project is completed, paused, or abandoned, I move it to another cardstock labeled completed projects.

I have found, personally, that anything more sophisticated is either too much to keep up with or not changeable enough. Post-it notes for the win.

A couple of things to consider:

●       I don’t list every current project in my home management notebook. I don’t list different things I’m testing, deep cleaning, education, or future dreams. If you aren’t controlled you will have so many things listed that you’ll be swimming in post-it notes. With my system, the things I consider current projects are things Price has specifically designated as current family projects. Any personal homemaking projects are basically on a single post-it note if I seem to keep forgetting to make time for them.

●       I heard a very very helpful thought on Simply Convivial’s podcast about making goals and project management. She said to quit thinking you’ll get things done quickly. Most of the time you want to give yourself weeks and months, not hours and days. Homemaking has a lot of routine chores that take time to do well. It has seasonal ups and downs. Throw a whole passel of kids in there, husband tending, and homeschooling, and your time to work on projects is minutes a day or possibly an hour or two. Make sure you adjust your goals accordingly or you will keep yourself in a state of frantic discouragement. Be realistic about timeframes.

●       But!!! Don’t use this as an excuse to not get things done. Make sure you stay on top of goals and projects, even if it is to realize that this phase of life requires abandoning them. Don’t use all the chores, routines, and commitments as an excuse to never get projects done or your home will crumble around your ears. It is a balance. Do something, anything to keep those projects and goals rolling forward.

Setting goals and managing projects in the home requires us to leave behind concepts of corporate management and masculine expectations. We are women managing homes. This ultimately means that we must take into account the big picture of tending when we set out goals and plans. We can’t sacrifice our family’s (long-term) care for the sake of our personal goals or even family projects. Children still need to be listened to, husbands need love and help, and our dwellings need cleaning and cozy-ing. Meals still need to be cooked, laundry still needs to be done. Some projects and goals will get woven into the fabric of family life, like homeschooling, yearly gardens, beach vacations, and holiday traditions. Don’t become so used to these things that you don’t see them as goals and projects.

Other projects are more ‘one-time’ only, like getting the roof fixed, the house painted, or building a pergola in the backyard. These require specific ideas about the sacrifices they will demand for a limited time. Don’t overwhelm your home with too many of these at one time. That’s not wise tending.

As the Lady of the House, remember that all your goal planning and project management are under the oversight of your husband. Your job is to help him. Never make a goal or project more important than him, or force something he doesn’t want to happen. Follow his spoken and unspoken encouragements and instructions with more respect than you would show a boss at work. Don’t let familiarity and comfortableness cause you to lose your respect for your husband.

Much of home life, and much of real life, is moving through one project to another, one goal to another. This is good for us and should be embraced because we learn more and more as we tackle each one. Make sure you keep track of your responsibilities even as you cycle through these times of upheaval or non-upheaval.