3 Simple Steps to get your Family on a Routine

Being able to work from home is really a blessing, but having to balance work with caring for a family can seem impossible at times.  I manage all of my responsibilities with a simple routine that allows for time to get everything done without feeling overwhelmed.  In this post I will share with you how we found a routine that works for us, and try to help you do the same.  

Step 1: Identify the Things that need to happen each day.

First you need to figure out what must happen each day.  Don't confuse this with the things that you would like to do each day - you can fit that stuff in if there's time, but don't cause yourself to stress over it.  For us that fell into the following categories work (for me), free play (for my son), preschool time, meals, and house cleaning.  

Step 2: How much time does each activity take?

Next, figure out how much time you need for each activity.  Be honest with yourself and don't short change yourself time on important activities.  You might have to play around with this until you get it just right, especially when there are children involved.  For me I came up with the following:

Work: 5 hours (can be split throughout the day)

Free Play: As much as possible

Preschool Time: 30 minutes

Meals: 30 minutes each for breakfast and lunch

House Cleaning: 1 hour

Step 3: Fit your activities into a schedule:

Next its time to structure your routine.  I like to put meals on the schedule first and then fit everything else around them.  The routine can also vary from day to day.  For instance, on Thursdays we go to the library so we skip preschool time on those days. Here is an example of how your schedule might look:

8:30  Breakfast 

9:00  Work/Free play (sometimes this means playing in the playroom, sometimes it means "helping" mommy work

11:00  Preschool time (we are currently using the M is for Monster activites with my two year old, and supplementing with ABC Mouse)

11:30  Lunch

12:00  Work/Free Play

4:00    Cooking and Cleaning 

5:00    Daddy comes home, family time

Hopefully this helps add some order to your day!  How do you make sure everything gets done during the day?  Join us on Facebook to share your tips and tricks!