Calm Busyness with Routines
posted by Andrea | 10/19/2011
source:Are you busy? Are You Overwhelmed?
I know that for almost everyone reading this, the answer is a resounding YES!
We’re all busy. Busy with our jobs, our homes, our families, our hobbies, our “have-to’s”, our “want to’s”, and everything else going on in our lives.
I’ve shared my busy schedule before, and as a work-from-home person trying to renovate our house while running a business, hosting 2 international students, and preparing for a new baby to arrive in less than a month… I can definitlely say I AM BUSY!
However, I’m not overwhelmed.
Sure there are days when things get piled on and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to dig my way out; but for the most part, my busyness is under control — thanks to the help of a few simple routines we’ve implemented in our daily and weekly lives.
These basic routines save us so much time every week and they give order to our very busy schedules. They are kind of unspoken rules that we follow and that we expect our international students to follow as well.
Head on over to the AboutOne blog to see how we simplify and organize our lives with routines!
Do you practice any daily or weekly routines?
Filed under: Family Life • Schedules
Suzanne
19/10/2011I have very structured morning and evening routines with my son (and hubby in the evening) before and after work, until about 8 PM, when it is finally “my time”. This usually includes making lunches at this point, maybe watching a show, planning groceries, etc.
As for weekly:
Tuesday: I get excited about getting the grocery sale flyers and I start planning my list based on sales
Wednesday: print coupons, finalize list
Friday: go grocery shopping right after work before picking up my son from preschool
Saturday: laundry and cleaning
Sunday: I usually try to plan something fun outside with my son or a playdate or family time
During cooler weather, I also try to run two days a week after work before picking up my son, so that fills a lot of time. It has still been in the lower 90′s here, so I’m looking forward to that!
By the way Andrea, you look amazing for being only a month away!
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Andrea Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 6:54 am
Sounds like a great schedule Suzanne. I like that you have a specific “daily schedule” and then more of a “weekly schedule” too.
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sarah
19/10/2011digging the timing on this post! I am the same way totally need structure to get things/stuff/life done. But not everyone in this family is naturally wired that way and needs a little help putting it all together.
Yesterday I invested some time and energy thinking about the holes in our routine and what I could do to motivate and fine tune our routines.
This week started with 2 very tough mornings thanks to a complacent attitude to schedules and routine from a certain adorable school boy who shall remain nameless…
One of our holes was we had slipped away from packing and preparing what we can the night before. So that’s an easy fix, last night back to pack it all before bed. This morning was a big improvement.
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Andrea Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 6:57 am
ah yes… I’m always a HUGE advocate for planning things ahead the night before. It’s insane how much calmer the mornings are if you plan ahead in the evenings!
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michelle
19/10/2011I love making schedules and planning my day, my problem is I never stick to the plan…..any advise?
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Andrea Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 7:07 am
do you actually WRITE your schedule down… on paper?? If I don’t physically write mine down, it won’t be as easy for me to stick to.
however, if I have that list right in front of me all day long, I feel compelled to “cross everything off” — which is pretty convenient for getting things done!!!
another “issue” might be that you are trying to do too many things so it would be impossible to get them all accomplished in one day. that is a discouraging feeling, and doesn’t really promote more productivity!
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