Okay, I figured it out. This is my first time doing this, so I wasn't initially sure what to do, but here goes...my question...
Okay, the thing I've been wondering is what your schedule looks like now that you've reached the end of your 1955 year. I have set up a rough schedule since our move, yet I still seem to discover kinks were I wonder to myself, "Why didn't I think about that before?". For example, I recently discovered that instead of scheduling a specific date for cleaning out the refrigerator, that it works well to clean out the fridge just before I do my larger, once a month, restocking shopping trip because that's when my fridge is its emptiest. Have you had light bulb moments like that where you discovered "built in", in you will, opportunities to get things done? I would like to make my schedule more practical and efficient in that way. Do you, or any of you, have scheduling tips that you can share which will help me to use life opportunities to build my schedule around? The fridge light bulb moment made me realize that there are probably plenty of obvious scheduling opportunities like that that I'm just not seeing.
I don't know if this will help you at all (and I would love to hear/see what D's schedule looks like!), but what I have done is this:
ReplyDeleteWrite down every single thing you need to do during the day.
Write down every single thing that needs to be done in a week.
Write down everything that needs to be done in a month.
For example, every day I need to empty the dishwasher. Once a week the refrigerator needs cleaned out (old food tossed), and once a month it needs a deep clean. Once you have everything written down, write out a schedule of when you will do it. I think we forget about everything that we do!
I agree with Jenn. I always, first thing, make my list of 'the day'. However, for me, I will often find things can change and be added.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is true for you as it is for me: we are of a generation (I am at least) that was not expected to learn homemaking. It was never talked about it school and other kids did not seem to ever have those, 'help mother with sunday dinner', 'learn how best to do the wash' so for me, lightbulb moments are just a part of the learning process. I have come into 1955 fairly bling and had to rely solely on books and magazines of the time and my own ingenuity,that said, there is much to be said for lightbulb moments because then we can use those in the future. Now here is the important part and why I am glad we have started this site and community. COMMUNITY! Having others to turn to and to give and recieve advice from. I would love there to be a list we can all compile on what does help to make a better schedule etc. We could really make a modern 'homemakers' manual, don't you agree.
Now, for MY schedule, I have a base or 'skeleton schedule' as I call it. There are hard line facts to the week, such as Wash is done on Monday, Ironing on Tuesday, Bathrooms are Wed and Sunday. Floors Tues and Fri (except kitchen is everyday unfortunately) and so on. And then, the list adds the 'meat to the skeleton' if you will.
For example, this morning my list includes with the skeleton, create forum for website. Upload three finished pictures for personal challenge, finish labeling and storing away christmas items, plan cake for friends party on tuesday, post blog. I have even more, now with the site AND continuing the blog and considering compiling last year into a book, if I do NOT have a list, I would live in complete chaos. HOwever, when you become ill,as I did in December, you sometimes have to set it all aside and then is when you are happy to have a loving hubby as I do who loves our new lifestyle but is not upset when it has to be set aside for my illness.
So, LIST LIST LIST and also, communiy. Let's get the word out there to all you followers, let's start compiling our own tips to better scheduling, how we manage our weeks and good tips to stay on top of things.
Oh, I also like bullet points for the list, if you have something like, say plan cake for friend, I will have bullet points, check this or that cookbook, test frosting today, that sort of thing, so as to prepare you for the actual time it takes place, which could be a precursor to those 'light bulb moments'
Oh and finally good job for figuring out how to post on here, I am glad it worked out!
I mean fairly BLIND not bling!
ReplyDeleteI understand what both of you are saying and I actually do have a skeleton schedule, including chores broken down into daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly. I guess what I was trying to say is that I realized instead of saying that the fridge would get a deep clean on the fourth friday of the month, it made more sense to do that deep clean the day before I do my monthly re-stocking regardless of what day that fell on, whereas before I would clean it on the scheduled day, even if that meant that I had more to move out of the fridge to clean it. It just dawned on me that it made more sense to have it coincide with re-stocking. Does that make more sense? I know things like this are probably obvious to all of you, but I had always just followed my schedule I had written out without thinking about how it coincided with my pattern of shopping, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis will be wonderful for me to learn from. I have to manage my time in a better way most definitely, as I start back to classes tomorrow with a really hectic rotation. I must learn that time management is my friend and how to schedule in a better way.
ReplyDeleteLPM
OH and when you post, as this post is, don't forget to say who you are and your blog/website address so we know who you are.
ReplyDeleteAnd again, I hope people realize I still have my blog and this is in lieu of a forum until I get the forum up. I know I keep saying that, but I am so happy to have all of you follow my blog that I feel I may have confused you away from it! DOean that make anysense?
I do get what you mean about the scheduling and it is true that now you can have your schedule reflect that big ice box clean happens day of big shop and that can be independent of date. Very good idea, indeed. Though you are better than I for I could never shop for the month. I need to think of it in weeks or I might get too overwhelmed. Good for you.
PL, I see where you are coming from and that is the beauty of the list! Using your example, you can do one of two things. One, you can schedule your shopping trip and then you know to schedule the deep clean of the fridge before hand. Or, not schedule it, and just refer to your list. When you refer to your list and realize that during the month you need to do a restocking trip, that will trigger the "clean out the fridge" memory (or, it could be on the list too). Make sense?
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I just feel like I'm in a suspended place right now with my scheduling. Now that I've had this light bulb moment, I feel like I need to sit back and re-think how I schedule. I think, like many, I fell into the idea of compartmentalizing my scheduling, and now I'm not so sure that that is the best way to do it. Sometimes I think when we compartmentalize different aspects of our life that it may actually make things less natural, therefore, more difficult because we are essentially not allowing for natural connection to exist. I'm just starting to see this, but I feel a tiny bit overwhelmed (not a lot...just a WOW moment) at the idea of re-thinking how I do things, and overhauling the way I do things. I look forward to doing this though as I assume it will streamline my pattern of doing things, which will make things easier and save me time.
ReplyDeletepl-that is a wonderful moment, I think. I really think that a schedule is an 'idea' we carry about with us as homemakers. A homemaker MUST be elastic in her thinking and planning, in fact without being open to a new way of looking or restructering we would soon stale and stagnate and nothing should get done. Perhaps you are onto a new concept as well, follow that rabbit down the hole and see where it leads, you may end up with some great tips to inspire and help all of us. What fun!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this is 50s gal and sometimes I will show up as apron revolution just so you all know.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support. I am going to sit down with my current schedule and see what natural connections I can make and get a more stream-lined version.
ReplyDeleteBTW, do you think that having the forum and this blog is too much? I'm asking because these types of discussions could be had in the forum section, thereby keeping these topics of conversation in the forum with the other conversations that will be going on over there. It just seems like having this blog still is splitting up conversations/topics into two areas of the board. What do you think?
Pl, I agree with those that make daily lists. I do so every night before bed otherwise I can't sleep. I have a basic schedule too based on other things that are scheduled. For example my day to clean out the frige is Tuesdays because the garbage is picked up on Wednesdays. I plan our menus On Saturdays because I do the grocery shopping Sundays and Mondays. My maid comes on Mondays so I declutter the common areas and put out fresh towels in the bathrooms while she's here. I also have the laundry done by Sunday so she can fold what I haven't and put it away. She brings the laundry down so I start the washing on Tuesdays.
ReplyDeleteNot to bore you with the details but you can see how I do things as it makes sense, just like your lightbulb moment.
I think you just have to see what works for you and adjust your schedule acordingly.
S
Once you have everything written down, write out a schedule of when you will do it.
ReplyDeleteWork from home India