Routines...

I am not a schedule person.  I don't like having a set time for something to do.  Instead I like knowing what comes next.  I do much better with time management if I have lists.  So, I decided to revert back to my FlyBaby days.  Have you heard of FlyLady?  She changed my life.  No really, she did.  Reading her book, Sink Reflections, opened my eyes to what I need to do to bless myself and my family.  (I should really read that book again!)  She lays things out in routines and it clicked.  I decided today that I needed to establish some good routines.  Now, I do have a routine I follow most every morning but I am still losing hours during the day.  She suggests making a Before Bed Routine.  Genius!  So I got started.  I wrote down all of the things I need to do in the evening.  This is my list...

•        Kitchen – Clean it and get it ready for tomorrow.
•      Classroom – Clean it and get it ready for tomorrow.
•      Check Calendar/Planner for Tomorrow
•      Load Workboxes for Tomorrow
•      Start To-Do List for Tomorrow
•      Gather/Sort Laundry for Tomorrow
•      What is for Breakfast Tomorrow?
•      What is for Supper Tomorrow? – Lay out meat if needed.
•      Lay Out Kids Clothes for Tomorrow
•      Lay Out My Clothes for Tomorrow
•      Brush Teeth
•      Shower
•      Get in Jammies!!!
•      The Day is Done!  Reflect.  

WOW!  I have so much that I need to get done before I start the next day.  If I can see it and can check it off then I will be sure to get it done.  Right?! If those things are done and ready to go for the next day, the next day is sure to go much more smoothly. 

Then I thought about the things I need to get done in the morning.  I made a list.  Here is what it looks like...   

•      Make Bed
•  Dress
•      Start Day’s Laundry – Check Chart (Yes I made myself a chart.  Big surprise, huh?!)
•      Exercise
•       Bible Study
•      Wake Kids – Get them going
•      Breakfast
•      Dishes
•      Check Laundry
•      Start the To-Do List and Complete

Not near as bad as the Before Bed list.  I will still need to write down my To-Do list for that day.  Things like what to wash that day, what to vacuum, etc...  Yeah, I need a list for those things too.  I need a paper trail to hold myself accountable.  It really helps me to see what I have to do next and know what has been accomplished that day.  My hope is that by starting to do these things each day I will be on the path to a better me!  A better me means a better home.  You know the saying "If momma ain't happy, ain't no body happy."  well it is very true in my home.  I am taking ME back and getting going on this new routine NOW before school starts back this fall and I am lost in what to do next.

What do you do to prepare for the next day?  Are you a list maker?  Do you have a routine in place?  What does it look like?