The day-to-day running of the business was very smooth because there were clear processes to follow.
There was no winging it, no guesswork.
If you opened the shop in the morning, you followed the list of “opening tasks”. At closing time, you followed the list of “closing tasks”. It was great because I never had to worry I was forgetting something!
At the restaurant, there were routines for greeting and serving customers and we followed them step by step so that each table had a smooth experience that was consistent every time they visited us. Everything was covered - drinks, starters, mains, dessert & coffee - no step was forgotten and any staff member could cover for the other during breaks and know exactly where to pick up where the previous person left off.
Yes, there were hiccups here and there when we were training new staff or someone called in sick and we had to handle more than the usual workload, but even then, we all still knew what needed to be done and there was no hesitation in doing it.
I think the best part was that once we mastered it, we could do each process almost on autopilot., which made the whole job feel easier and more enjoyable.
So why don’t we do that at home?
Why are we all so organised at work, but winging it in our households?
At home, we’re constantly trying to catch up with everything - the cleaning, the washing, the grocery shopping, cooking ,dishes - and we never feel like we’re on top of it. But it feels like there is no other option than to keep running on that hamster wheel, exhausted but unable to stop.
What if we looked at managing the household as if we were running a business?
Nothing too complicated, just adding a little more structure and clarity around when and how to do the non-negotiables that keep the house running smoothly, like:
- Washing one load each day, with specific types of laundry on specific days (towels on Monday, sheets on Saturday, a day for each kids’ clothes, etc)
- Planning out dinners and posting the plan where anyone can see it
- Following a cleaning roster
- Setting up a step by step process for the weekly grocery shop that any family member can follow (make the list, clear out expired foods, rotate remaining foods, wipe down shelves, shop for and pack away new groceries)
- Assigning jobs to each family member (or having them choose)
- A simple evening routine that includes a quick tidy up, showers, and device-free time before bed
All you really need to be able to run your home smoothly like a business is the time to set it up, and a resource to make it easy, like a House & Family binder or even just a simple notebook.
You can let go of trying to keep all of the household management knowledge in your head, and ditch a big chunk of the mental load.
Write your processes down, have a family meeting once a week to keep everyone on track with assigned jobs (bring food), and enjoy a little more free time and a lot less stress.
x Marissa
