Today, I was thinking about how I am trying to find my way back to some form of regular daily and weekly routines. As I thought about that, I remembered how some of the routines that I had been using in the past helped me to get more work done than I am currently doing now. Of course, I’m not naïve enough to think that simply reinstating my favorite routines will restore my productivity to where it was before our new baby arrived. That said, I am optimistic that our days may run more smoothly and I could get more work done once the routines are reinstated.
What are these routines that I’m talking about? They are things that have nothing to do with my home based businesses, yet they affect my businesses in that they help me to use my time well so that I have more time available to work. They are the means by which I keep my house tidy and my family fed.
One routine is the weekly cleaning schedule. Each day of the week, I focus on a different area of the house and clean it as much as I can throughout the day. This not only keeps the house clean, it keeps me from feeling like I should do some cleaning after the boys are in bed and before I sit down to work. The other routine is weekly menu planning and grocery shopping. Once a week, I plan what we will eat at each meal for the upcoming week. I then use the menu plan and the grocery store weekly sale flyer to whip up a grocery list. This method results in only making one trip to the store each week, as well as always knowing what to make for each meal. I don’t waste any naptime work sessions daydreaming about what to have for dinner or spend my afternoons running to the store every few days for a couple of items.
As a home – based professional, I have found that having routines in place for my household responsibilities helps me to have more time for work. Also, when I sit down to work I can fully focus, knowing that the details of my home life are taken care of. What routines get you through your day?
Photo by seabreeze on morguefile.com.