A Schedule That Works? Part 2

(I talked about the need I had to figure out a schedule that would work for me in THIS post. Please read it first as it gives the "why" for what follows.)

I have THREE areas of responsibility that just didn't seem to ever get as "completed" as they ought. In the past three years, I had try to do them all at once. A typical day would be my making breakfast, throwing in some laundry, typing up an invoice, fielding some calls, trying to work in getting dressed, getting the language arts under way for my son, and then answering the phone. By the end of the day, everyone to varying degrees was fed, dressed, taught, billed, and vacuumed. Many, many things were NEVER gotten to, though.

My thought process began with that "three" number. The three areas were equally important. If I didn't bill the customers, we wouldn't be paid. If we didn't get paid, we wouldn't be able to buy food, etc. If I didn't feed my child, he would languish away and not care about schooling. If my son was languishing in dirty sheets and the health inspectors came, they'd send for backup and take my child.

Noooo! Not my baby! This called for extreme scheduling measures!

I considered a few very important factors to determine the order of things:

• When am I at my physical best during the day?

• When is my son the most willing to concentrate on the schoolwork?

• When is my husband best able to answer business questions while he's out working?

My answers came fast and furious:

• When am I at my physical best during the day?
  Definitely in the morning, when I first get up.

• When is my son the most willing to concentrate on the schoolwork?
  After he's had some physical activity.

• When is my husband best able to answer business questions while he's out working?
  NOT the first thing in the morning. He's just getting set up and working at the jobsite. Afternoon would be better.

Eureka!

I divided my day into THIRDS for the major tasks!

MORNING (After Breakfast):
Housework tasks including cleaning, meal prep (more about that in my next post), laundry, exercise. Son is involved in these things to help with his extreme energy.

LATE MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON (includes lunch):
Homeschooling prep, work, projects, activities.

LATE AFTERNOON:
Business paperwork--depends on what needs to be done.
Home paperwork--each day has its own task.
M: Bills, T: Debt Reduction, W: Menu planning, errand lists & prep, Th: Errand Day, F: Filing for both home and business.

At 5:00 things change gears. The major responsibilities have been COVERED!

Here's my "After Five" general routine:

Finish supper prep and the next day's breakfast, clean up kitchen.
Sweep and mop kitchen floor.
Freshen myself up. Hair, makeup, clothing change if needed.
Have J dust and vacuum the entry area (see HERE for explanation about this in my "The Good Wife" series), and set the table. Play games or read with J.

6:30 begins the Evening which involves supper, bedtime ritual for J, free time, and GETTING TO BED at a decent hour.

I have been following this schedule in a loose way for six weeks now. It is VERY easy to accomplish, toss out when needed, but get right back to immediately. Hopefully my posting about this might prove useful to someone!

In my next post I'll briefly talk about some details like my meal planning revelation. For someone who struggles mightily in this area (read "I detest cooking") this has helped considerably.