“Get it all done.” The mantra flooding the internet right now, of how people are managing their day and getting different tasks accomplished is a popular theme. And it’s an important question to consider. “Can I get it all done?” Or, “Why am I struggling to get it all done?”
While we can’t “make more time,” we are responsible for stewarding it well. In regards to our eternal perspective and mission, the Bible has lots of things to say on utilizing time effectively, (see Ephesians 5:15-17). So how we use it and the resources we utilize all impact the effectiveness of it. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t have a plan for my morning, and my day, I often squander it. But when I can see tasks that need to be accomplished, and the time it should take to do them, I am more successful at accomplishing them. I sort of work backwards in my planning to figure out how to get it all done. Instead of looking at the tasks I have, I start first with the time I have. Let me explain.
Putting “time stamps” next to my tasks has been a huge game changer when it comes to creating my to-do list. Seeing reasonable amounts of time each task should take, makes creating my list manageable. Often times a running to do list will need to get broken down into a few days or a week. But doing, a little bit of work each day can get you there. (See my previous blog post here where I share how I break down cleaning throughout my week.). Without time stamps, I can have unreasonable expectations thinking that I can somehow manage to muscle through it all, but determination isn’t always the issue, how much time I have to finish each task usually is.
With the every day tasks of running a home, caring for a family & homeschooling, not to mention appointments and commitments like Bible study, special “projects” are often limited to just a certain time allotted during my day. I have specific pockets of time devoted to different types of tasks, depending on time of day, my energy level, and when I may or may not have an extra set of eyes helping watch little buddy, aka “Daddy.” Having my time stamps really helps me to see, that I only have certain amounts of time to get something done during the day, so if I don’t use that time wisely, it will likely not get done. This often really helps me not to put something off thinking “I’ll get to it later,” because I can see that there isn’t other time “later” available for it.
Though you don’t need to be a stay at home mom to plan and use routines, I think there can be fears for new SAHMs, that they could get bored with their day, or they feel overwhelmed trying to figure out what to do all day long. But if you have some direction and start to develop rhythms into your day, what some call “time blocks” a day can become structured and filled very easily. For those that think planning is boring, let me encourage you. Planning or structuring your day doesn’t mean each day is the “same.” What it does for me is tell me what’s coming next, to free my brain space from having to figure that out, and instead it helps us have more fun & be more creative, because, now all my brain energy can be put into the activities that go into those blocks of structured time.
For example, if you know that every morning you are going on a walk, you can plan to make certain days a nature walk, or pick a fun park to go to to change things up. If you know that you usually go outside in the afternoons, you can plan to have a special picnic snack outside or explore something new in the garden. If you’re going to have pool time you can fill the kiddie pool during nap to warm it in the sun during that time, or make sure you have popsicles ready to go in the fridge. If I have no idea we’re going outside, or playing with chalk that morning, then I’m going to be scrambling to make sure I have supplies and ingredients, and find where the sunglasses went, etc. But if I have a routine set to my day, I don’t even have to think about it, and I can more easily prepare for the day ahead.
An added bonus with we’ve found with routine or simple structure, is that our little one becomes a helper! When our son knows what to expect he can become involved in the prepping process. He knows when to start putting on shoes, or helps pack the snacks. He gets excited to go and do the next thing, yes even home-school!
For a sample of our daily routine, or routine goals (we’re not perfect and still working toward a couple pieces), check out my list below. I even include a rotation of the work I do each day when I sit down to do my computer work.
You’re routine doesn’t have to be super detailed, but if you find yourself wasting time, it might be time to add the details and think through each task you really do need to be doing during those windows of time. That has helped me tremendously in the morning and nap time.
Want help building your own home routine? Come back next week and I will show you how I think through this, I even have a bonus worksheet to print off so that you can make your own!
Sample Routine
Morning routine
5:30am wake up-start laundry, feed sourdough, refill water, coffee
6am-get ready
6:30 am-Bible study
7am-little buddy wakes up, make breakfast
7:30-8:30am eat breakfast, clean up, get buddy dressed, hair and brush teeth
8:30-9:30am homeschool
9:30-10:30 walk and outside time
10:30-11:30-housekeeping project of the day (see earlier post)
11:30-12:30pm make and eat lunch, Bible lesson
If we have a morning activity outside of the home that day I have structured our afternoons to sub homeschool and housekeeping projects later in the day-see below.*
Afternoon Routine
12:30-1pm book and prayer, snuggle/sing, go down for nap (1-4pm)
1-2pm nap/rest (especially helpful during pregnancy)
2-3pm computer work (I focus on a specific task each day, see below)
3-4pm personal time (read a book, learn something, craft/ etc.) or housekeeping project
4-5pm outside time, or homeschool
5-6pm make dinner
Evening Routine
6-6:30pm dinner
6:30-7:30pm dinner clean up, mama work out and daddy playtime with buddy
7:30-8pm bedtime routine for buddy (brush teeth, book, jammies)
8pm-family prayer
8-8:30pm shower and get ready for bed
8:30-9:30pm connect with hubby, read, prep for next day
9:30/10pm bedtime
Computer work routine daily rotation
M-home business
T-blog
W-Budget
Th-Meal Plan & lesson plan
F-Blog
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