Schedules. Routines. I can’t live without them. I literally schedule everything, including our family meals for the week. Think back to when you were a child or look at how your kids’ schooling was (pre-pandemic). There’s a reason things are regimented. We are productive if we have a plan. Our minds and bodies crave structure. The problem now is when we have a plan, it can change by the minute because of COVID-19, which can throw us all out of sorts. This blog entry is going to give you some of my tips and strategies on how I successfully parent, work a full-time job, and run a small business.
Before you continue reading, I want to put this disclaimer out there: I can be a HOT mess at times. This blog shows how most of my days go, but there are plenty of times things can completely fall apart. The important thing is to realize it’s a minor set back, and you can hit the refresh button when that happens.
1. Keep calendars
Yes, I said calendars, not just one. I have a personal calendar, husband calendar, family calendar, and work calendar. These are color coded and kept digitally on my phone. As soon as an activity is scheduled, my husband and I put them on the appropriate calendar. This prevents any overlap with scheduling and keeps us in the know.
Each month, I write the calendar on our dry erase board that is hanging on our main door. By taking our appointments and physically writing them each month, it gives me a mental and physical visual of what’s regularly scheduled along with additional appointments, like doctor and salon visits and play dates. Each family member has his/her own color, and our family has its color. Our kids are able to look at the calendar daily to see what is on our schedule, too, so they are also in the know.
I also put due dates for school or special activities. If there is a special dress up day, it goes on the calendar. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is check the daily calendar so I don’t miss a thing.
2. Meal plan
I have a designated day I do grocery pick up (see item #3). I decide what I want to make for dinners for the week and write them on our “Mama, what’s for dinner?” menu. I haven’t been asked this question since I hung it up in the kitchen. Not only has this menu eliminated that nagging question, but it has lightened the burden of thinking about meals all week.
Be smart in your meal planning. If you are ordering chicken, make two meals with chicken. If you know one of your dishes creates a lot of leftovers, make the leftovers an actual meal for the week. If you treat yourself to take-out one day a week, write what restaurant you’re going to pick.
Once I have my meals planned, I decide what ingredients I need for the week and have them ready for my grocery order.
3. Use curb-side pick-up services
Even before the pandemic, I fell in love with curb-side pickup. Having two younger children, it has always been a struggle doing grocery shopping efficiently and without stress. Not only is it convenient for you to have someone else get your groceries and load them in your car while you stay put, it also allows for you to keep your cart at a friendly budget and eliminate impulse buys, like those double stuffed oreos on sale!
A little bit of advice is to place your order at least two days before you want to pick up depending on where you shop. Some stores in my area, like Aldi, have been able to fulfill my orders within hours of me submitting them. The downside to this is they don’t always have items you need. Others, like Walmart, have a multi-day wait because they are so busy. This wasn’t typical before the pandemic, but I’m pretty sure they’ve increased their curb-side orders significantly, which causes the delay.
One other perk to online grocery shopping is you can “star” your favorites. When I log in, I can go to my favorite items that I purchase weekly and pop them in my cart.
4. Use Alexa
I will probably do a whole blog on how Alexa has made our life eerily more productive, but for now, I’ll just talk about the benefits of keeping lists on Alexa. When I am in our house and realize that I need to put something on my grocery list, I just tell Alexa to add that product to my grocery list. That alone has been a game changer, but even cooler than that is when I pull up my grocery list, Alexa has organized it by sections in the store. This has been SO helpful when actually needing to go into a store for some last minute shopping. When I make my own shopping list on paper, the items are in no order whatsoever which can cause a lot of going back and forth mindlessly between aisles. Having all of the items organized by store sections eliminates all of that!
5. Prepare items the night before
Before bed, I fill my coffee pot with water and coffee grounds. When I wake up, all I have to do is press brew. Our pot has a fancy timer that can be set so the coffee is already made before you even wake up, but we often unplug our coffee pot, which resets that every time. It doesn’t work for us, but it may work for you! I have an irrational fear of causing fires in our home.
I also pack all lunches after the kids go to bed. There are two reasons I do this. The first is it’s so easy to grab your lunchbox out of the fridge and is a huge time saver in the morning. I get to sleep in those extra 15 minutes because I don’t have to scramble making pb & j or a salad. The second reason I do this is because I do Weight Watchers. I weigh everything, and this takes time. By doing this in the evening, I can take my time and ensure I track all of my points. I put them in for the next day as I’m doing it, so I don’t even have to take time during my break at work to put in the points. It’s already done! I can be a lot more mindful this way, too, because if I wait until morning, I’m more likely to grab higher point items because they take less preparation.
Pick out your outfits the night before. My kids know to lay out before bed what they want to wear the following day. They are at the age now where they can pick semi-matching outfits, so I leave this up to them. By doing this the night before, there’s no arguing in the morning about what works and what doesn’t. You can also ensure they are weather-appropriate. My kids would wear shorts and dresses during snow storms if I allowed them.
Picking out my own outfits saves me a ton of time, too. I’m too tired in the morning to make decisions. When I don’t have my outfits picked out, I spend precious minutes going back and forth in my closet, putting items on and then changing my mind. At night, I’m much more alert and am able to coherently put together an outfit I know will look and feel good the following day.
I shower in the evening, too. The main reason I do this is because part of my routine is to workout at night. I’m too sweaty to go to bed after workouts, so I need to shower. If you are able to work out in the morning, it wouldn’t make sense for you to be a nighttime showerer, but you do what works for you. I have to leave for work by 6:45 AM. I’ve tried to do morning workouts, but getting up at 4:30 really burned me out. I’ve had more commitment to my workout routine if I do it at night. My point is, by showering at night, that is one less thing I have to do in the morning. (If you can’t tell, mornings aren’t my jam.)
6. Schedule time for family
I really don’t like that I have to put this as a topic because family should be first and foremost in our lives. The unfortunate reality is families run around all day long, passing each other with a quick hi/bye on their way to work or extracurriculars. I’m not saying this is ok, but I do believe it’s important for kids to have their own interests, which can take up a lot of everyone’s time.
My family is into camping. We spend many weekends unplugged at campsites, fishing, swimming, and enjoying family games around the campfire. This has done wonders for us. In winter months, we play family games or do family movie nights. We even have campouts in our basement. I’ll be writing a whole other blog on family activities later.
A non-negotiable for us is church. We have that on our calendar each Sunday, and we don’t miss it unless there is an absolutely important event we need to attend. If we can’t be there in person, we participate virtually. We currently aren’t attending with the pandemic, so the virtual option has been a great choice for our family.
Even if it’s only for a half hour, we read books together before bed. I read to the kids each night or they read to me. We cuddle up on the couch and enjoy a few chapters. This is an opportunity for us to spend quality time together, even on the busiest of days.
7. Create a space and time for kids’ work.
Everyone is doing schooling differently. We started out homeschooling our kids because it worked best for us with my husband being home during the day and I having the ability to ensure all standards were met. Our District opened up a virtual option, so we decided it would be best to re-enroll our kids to give them more connection to their school. With both types of learning, we have created a routine that our kids would wake up, get dressed, brush their teeth, take vitamins and fluoride, and start the day. Getting dressed makes it more official and has helped them with some normalcy.
We created a home “locker” where all of their school materials are kept. They have designated work spaces, and just like during a “normal” school day, they work on assignments by subject. When we homeschooled, my husband did all of the subjects except ELA. We would do English as soon as I came home from work. Once we were done with that, dinner went in the oven, and we had our evening meal together.
There are times I now work from home if our school is shut down due to COVID cases or weather. We have quickly found that I also need my own designated space in order to separate myself from the kids doing their work. Without doing this, the kids would incessantly talk to me about things they really didn’t need help with. I love being home with them, but for our work to be successful, it is important for us to be in separate areas.
Whether I’m at home or at work, when my day is done, I review all of their assignments on Google classroom to make sure it’s all completed and turned in correctly.
8. Work around regularly scheduled events
If you need to add something extra to your day, be sure you choose a day or time when you do not already have a standing event. Things we regularly have in our household are softball, baseball, dance, board meetings, date night, tennis, and music lessons. As I mentioned before, these are all in the calendar, so when I am scheduling something in addition to what we already do, I know what days and times we have available to avoid scheduling conflicts.
9. Do all the “you” things after kids are settled in for the night or do them together
If I have leftover work from my “real” job, I do this after my kids go to bed. If I have orders for my business or need to work on blog writing or my website, I do this after the kids are in bed. I wait to do these things because I cannot give them my undivided attention or do my best work when they need me. These things can be difficult to complete at the end of an already long day, but your kids will appreciate you focusing on their needs when they are with you. They are worth it.
There are things you can do as a family, however, in order to get things done around the house and spend time together. Make doing chores a family affair. My kids know when they are finished with dinner, their dishes go in the dishwasher. They know when they get snacks out, snacks go back in the pantry when they’re done. Remember, they are kids, so they can need reminders sometimes, but by teaching them these responsibilities now, they are learning how to be functional human beings who will be just as successful as you are someday. I will also be creating a blog on how kids can contribute to running a successful household. (I hope you’re intrigued by all of these upcoming blogs!)
Creating schedules and routines can be difficult at first, especially if you aren’t a very organized person. My best advice to you is to choose one small routine to start with. Perhaps setting your outfit out at night would be a good start. That literally takes a few minutes that saves a lot of hassle. Once you master one routine, add another, and another. Remember, our bodies and minds crave organization and a set schedule. You will find a lot less stress if you pin down a routine that works for you and your family.
Feel free to comment below with any questions or other tips you have found to help you!
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