With school underway now, former procrastinators, you’ve had a chance to see where the snags are in your morning. You’re ready to revise your approach. Consider the morning tasks before leaving for school or work. Let’s review.
What is the priority? Gather on time at the kitchen table or leave the house with margin. (Avoid running for the bus stop or catching every red light. It happens.)
Write down your target time of meeting or departure, allowing extra minutes to avoid rushing.
Next, what things do you need to do before gathering or leaving? Make a list in no order, jotting down everything that comes to mind.
Look for tasks that can be omitted. (Watering plants)
Note major tasks that merit special attention. (Does your husband need to leave or report to work before the kids do?)
Group tasks that fit together. (Make coffee, stretch. 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?
Streamline 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 briefcases and place by the door the night before – along with shoes. Lay out clothes the night before. My former roommate was good at these; she never rushed out.)
Follow the same approach for evening. Dinner, baths, teeth brushing, family reading, etc. Revise and adapt to suit you and your family. Post your list so it’s available for reference.
Is this a lot of work? Yes, at first. Aren’t you doing a lot of work now? Frustration builds with lack of routine. Have patience as you attempt a new approach. Try things before you rule them out; some things you thought wouldn’t fly may surprise you. Children tend to cooperate more when they know what to do, how, and when. They also like peace and order – like we do.
What’s your morning list? Your evening list?
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