Being able to fly by the seat of your pants is an attribute that spontaneous people love– my husband being one of them. Unfortunately, for people like me, it is also a common cause of stress, chronic fatigue, and burnout. Working without a schedule can place unnecessary stress on entire families, which can easily be avoided without having to lose your love of spontaneity.
Every week has a rhythm. It is generally accepted that Monday is the first day of the week, and that the week ends on Sunday. Some calendars based in certain religious faiths claim Sunday to be the beginning of the week. No matter where you begin or end your week, there is a rhythm and cycle that the week follows.
Within that week lies the plans for activities and various expectations that fall on you and your family. Sorting through those activities and expectations and finding a designated day of the week for them can help reduce stress and burnout.
Let’s take a look:
Everyone expects certain activities to be on the to-do list. Items like work, school, and sporting events are central to most schedules. There are additional items that impact this list, such as doctor appointments, church, chores, errands, and leisure activities. The key is to set a day aside for certain designated tasks, and do all that you can to maintain the rhythm you have created.
For example, setting a particular day of the week to schedule doctor appointments is something most offices can accommodate. When making non-emergency appointments, ask the clerk for the day of the week you have designated as your “appointment day.” Chances are you will have no problems finding an opening.
Now, set a day of the week to finish specific chores and stick to it. Set a day for food shopping, errands, and date night. Before you know it, your schedule may look something like this:
Monday- work/school, errands, kids make (or help make) dinner night
Tuesday- work/school, all doctor’s appointments, crock pot dinner night
Wednesday- work/school, grocery shopping, take-home pizza night
Thursday- work/school, mow lawns, garbage to curb, family tv night
Friday- work/school, date-night, gather all laundry to prep for wash
Saturday- housework, laundry, pay bills, casual dinner night
Sunday- church, family dinner, family game night
These are only a few of the items you might have on your list to cover in a week, but by assigning the main tasks to a day of the week, you create for yourself a rhythm that is predictable and manageable. You have thought ahead, realized the honest magnitude of what needs to be done, and decided when to do it. If need be, you can delegate tasks to family members, budget to hire out help, or find another helpful resource to make the load easier.
Setting a rhythm for your week can help you avoid burnout by spreading out your week’s activities into manageable chunks, as opposed to stumbling through the week trying to make sure everything happens organically.
Daily Challenge:
Set a baseline weekly routine for the things you know your household needs to do.
If you share your routine with a spouse/partner, teen, or roommate, set up a shared virtual calendar where all appointments can be seen by everyone (and no one schedules something when everyone needs to be home).
