Get A Schedule, Get Rid Of Stress!

With the busy holiday season we can get a lot of stress. You can relieve some of this stress by knowing what your routine is. When your home is clean, you are automatically going to feel less stress. Remember that your family feeds off your stress level too. So create a calm and peaceful environment for them. Lead by example for your children!

Make a schedule and stick to it.
There should be a time for everything and everything will be done in it’s time.
Your children have due dates on homework and your husband has deadlines that he has to meet. Well as housewives, we too have deadlines and due dates. We have projects that need completing and jobs that need to be completed. Begin by looking what we do as a job and your attitude will automatically change.


When we were out in the workforce and held paying jobs, we had responsibilities. We were responsible to complete our work in a timely manner. We took a lunch hour and maybe two ten minute breaks in an eight-hour day.

As housewives, we have more control of our time, but we can sometimes be too lax in our scheduling. It is very easy to sit around in our pj’s and play on the computer in the mornings, and then before you know it its noon. The breakfast dishes are still in the sink, the beds are still unmade, and there is nothing out for dinner. Stress starts to creep in. Now were behind on our job. We must be extremely disciplined with ourselves. We are the managers of our homes. We should be managing it just as we would any business. A home that is maintained on schedules and routines will run smoothly. Find a routine that will suit your needs. We are all in different phases of our lives. Some have infants, some have school age children and some are empty nesters.

You have to have your morning routine. Making breakfasts, beds, cleaning up, getting dressed, and general daily tasks must be completed every day. Discipline yourself to get things done before you take your break. Doing things in the same order, every day and they will become habit.

Have your children on a very specific and disciplined routine. For my boys they get up at the same time every day. They make their beds, get dressed and then come downstairs for breakfast. They then go and brush their teeth, get their backpacks and are ready to go to school. There is never a change in this routine. They know what is expected of them in the mornings and they do it out of habit. When they come home from school, they put their backpacks away, sit down, have a snack, and talk about their day. Then they get their homework done. After homework, they have one or two small chores. They have free time when everything else is completed. They know what their routine is. There are no surprises.

Here are some tips to get you into good habits and routines

Make a list of what needs to be done everyday in each room

Make a schedule of what time each chore should be done. Give yourself a deadline for vacuuming the living room, or a “due date” to go grocery shopping. Make it the same for every day and every week.

Try to schedule doctor, hair or dentist appointments always on the same day. I always try to schedule appointments on Tuesdays.

Keep calendars for every member of your house. Both boys have their own calendar as do myself and husband. I also have a master calendar that I can put all appointments on. However, with individual calendars we can do a quick glance to see what is coming up for the week. The boys put due dates for projects on theirs, sports practice, birthday parties, and dr. appointments. This is something that is personal to everyone and you need to find what works for you and your family.

Create a chore list for each member of your household, and specify when you expect each of those chores to be done.

Do not procrastinate. It is essential to get things done when needed. If you put things off, you will get behind and you will become stressed. You will not be prepared for the curve balls that life throws us. Remember its easier to keep up than to catch up! Also remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

SAMPLE SCHEDULE
MON
Daily routine (wipe up bathrooms, make bed, straighten out house, load/unload dishwasher, laundry)
Clean our the refrigerator
Go grocery shopping
Do any vacuuming that may need done or mopping
Dinner
TUES
Daily routine
Go to any appt. scheduled
Project day. This is the day I will do out of the ordinary cleaning. Such as clean a cupboard, closet, or work out in the garden
Dinner
WED
Daily routine
Strip beds, and big clean the upstairs (bedrooms and bathrooms)
Dinner
THURS
Daily routine
Big clean the downstairs
Order out
FRI
Daily routine
Free day…I have it done for the weekend.
Dinner
SAT/SUN
Daily routines
Cooking, relaxing, reading, going out, boy’s games, family time etc.

This is every day every week, there is no change. I always know what I am doing and I am less stressed because of it. Remember, after doing something for 28 days in a row, it will become a habit.
Another good habit to get into is a night time routine. Have the kids pick out their clothes for the next day, have their back packs ready to go, any permission slips signed, lunch money ready, etc. Be sure they have a set bedtime and stick to it. Obviously there may be certain occasions where they stay up a bit late, but in general try and keep it the same each night.