How to Keep it Together in a Busy Household

Today's households seems busier then ever. School, work, chores, sports, church and volunteering seem to boggle our lives with busyness and chaos. We love it and this is our life, but how to keep it together is a major undertaking.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Organize your day by making a to do list for each day. Plan and organize a family calendar. This will help each family member see what is going on for the week with each person. Plan daily chores for the whole week. Or plan 1 day to do them all. An example of this could be: Monday: dust, Tuesday: laundry, Wednesday: bathrooms, etc. Check out the chorebuster website for tips on how to include everyone in helping around the house.
2. Plan to eliminate things that do not add quality to your life, family and household. It is very easy to become over committed during the day. Write down all of your to do's and "rank" them according to whether they add quality to your life. Try to cut out the things that are not benefiting you or your family. This will free up your schedule to enjoy life.
3. Make sure to plan family fun time. If you can enjoy happy moments, the mandatory things do not seem so huge. However, if you only trek through the chores of life and never enjoy it, you will begin to resent everything and everyone. Be sure to include fun activities that you can do as a family. This could be as much as going on family vacations, weekly outings, nightly walks or simply sitting down together to play a board game or read a book. Planning family time, despite your daily chaos, keeps your family relationships a high priority.
4. Plan to keep your marriage refreshed and rejuvenated. A family needs to be built on a solid foundation with a strong marriage. It is key to maintain your relationship by doing engaging activities that allow you and your spouse to connect with each other one on one. Plan a date night or simply plan time together after the kids go to bed. Allowing time together will help you stay in communication and be a strong team.
5. Take care of your self. You are only good as you can give and if you do not have any energy left to give, it is time to make sure that you are well. Plan to take some time for yourself. This could be as simple as taking 20 minutes in the morning for quiet time; or as big as going on a weekend getaway. Be sure to find time to do fun things that YOU enjoy. If you have a hobbie or a passion, make sure that you can take time to do those things that make you happy and identify what you like or desire.