In organizing a household, you can find all manner of checklists for daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks. But much of life doesn't fall so neatly into checklists. Sometimes you have to take whatever each day throws at you.
I like the daily draft by Ann Voskamp. I decided to try to follow it but my printer wouldn't work. That turned out to be a blessing. I used a plain piece of copy paper and started sketching it out myself. Then I started personalizing it to how my day works for me.
I kept The Dire. I like summing up the day's most important tasks in three parts. When I started this, we had just come back from a trip so laundry was a top priority. Another day, the younger three kids had a stomach bug so the priorities were keeping the diet bland, kids clean and cuddles. Some days, cooking a big meal might be a priority and others may be eating up leftovers. It takes each day, one at a time.
I have a personal section. This includes things like making up my bed, washing face, brushing hair, working out, shower, drinking water and brushing teeth.
My Domestic section contains laundry, dishes and trash. I include three bubbles after wash laundry and dry/hang laundry. Some days may only have one load but some days have three. Then a bubble each come after gather, fold, and put away. Dishes include load dishwasher, unload dishwasher, wash stones/pots and wash bottles. Then I have take out the trash. Things like dusting, vacuuming, mopping and such will get done when I can get to them.
I included a Notes and Shopping section. I can keep track of phone numbers or appt times that I get when making calls or checking email. These can be added later to the contacts and calendar but I am no longer trusting my head to keep track of them in the meantime. The shopping list can be compiled from several days whenever we are planning to go to town.
I included The Diner section to include breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. This is beneficial to me because I shop sales and then cook from my pantry and freezer. I find when I menu plan a week or more in advance that it is hard to work best. I often think of what I want to cook with what I have instead of what can I cook with what I have. My wants may require unnecessary extra ingredients that I end up buying when they aren't on sale. A day at a time is the way I plan when money is tight and I'm a much better steward then. I can be creative. I can be diligent about using my leftovers to create new meals.
I added a section for my kids. I listed each name and it gives me a place to record symptoms of illness, school objectives/events, needed clothes/other items, achievements, extra curricular activities, etc. My oldest asked me when the little ones were sick earlier this month how many times he had thrown up in his ten years of life. He is blessed with superb memory but I am not. But if I keep my lists in a binder, I can review before going to the doctor and have an accurate report of when symptoms started and any details related to their health.
I included a place for the date and the day (as in feast day, holiday, or weekday)
I included a section for spiritual things like Saint of the day, devotions, scripture readings, prayer (doing the St Peregrine cancer novena), light a candle, and memory verse. I keep track of my memory verses with Scripture Typer but writing them down also helps me memorize them.
So all in all, my New Year's resolutions are going well. I'm learning to focus on one thing at a time. Writing down my objectives so my mind is free from distractions. I really think slowing down helps to make the day longer and rushing seems to make the day shorter. It makes me think of the people on a rush on the road. They rush up behind you. They brake and pass, weaving in and out of the traffic. But oftentimes, the red light catches them and you end up right beside them. Rushing just stresses and doesn't provide any more forward traction.
