First Hard, Then Easy – See. Perceive. Act.

Former procrastinators, does the idea of establishing a routine overwhelm you?  You can do it! Begin with the morning tasks before leaving for school or work.  What is the priority?  Maybe it’s to leave the house with margin so kids aren’t running for the bus stop or you’re not still in pj’s when everybody meets at the kitchen table.

Write down your target time of departure/readiness, allowing extra minutes to avoid rushing the walk or drive.  What things do you need to do before leaving?

Try this.  Make a list in no order, just jot down everything that comes to mind. 

Look over the tasks for anything that can be omitted.  (Watering plants)

Note major tasks that merit special attention.  (Does your husband need to leave before the kids do?)

Group tasks that fit together.  (Make coffee, stretch, have devotions.  Or, dress toddler, supervise others’ bed making)

Relist tasks in the order they should best occur.

What time should you eat breakfast to avoid rushing?

Reexamine the list to see what tasks could be simplified or assigned to another time of day.  (Make or partially make lunches the night before? Load backpacks and brief cases and place by the door the night before – along with shoes?  Lay out clothes the night before?)

Account for the time you will need to help little ones.  There were times I should’ve assisted more and not expected jobs to be done alone.  Work alongside young ones and the training will eventually move you out of a job and them into responsibility.

Follow the same approach for evening.  Dinner, baths, teeth brushing, family reading, etc. Revise and adapt to suit you and your family. Give it a try.  Post your list so it’s available for reference and a reminder for readers.

Is this a lot of work?  Yes, at first.  But, hey – aren’t you doing a lot of work now?  Frustration builds with lack of routine.  You can continue fighting routine-less – which will remain hard – or you can make the effort to establish a routine and relieve the situation. 

Use patience as you experiment with a new approach.  Try things before you rule them out; some things you think will “never work” may surprise you.  Family members may have helpful insights and suggestions.  They can be great consultants.  Plus, if they’re contributing to the plan, they’re more likely to work it.  Children are more cooperative when they know what to do, how, and when.  They also like peace and order – and getting to school with margin.

Take note:  Start trying this before school starts, so you smooth out rough spots ahead of time.

What’s your morning list?  Your evening list?