Yikes, the piles of clothes are getting out of control, the kid’s schedules have you running ragged and your business work is not getting completed. Are there days that you feel that your life has gotten away from you? Creating a schedule is a great way to get your hands around most aspects of your life.

Work off of one calendar that includes work, personal and family events. This will provide a “big picture” view of what needs to be done each day and how you can incorporate your busy schedule. When adding your children’s events to the calendar, include carpooling opportunities, which will help build flexibility into your schedule.

When you work out of a home office, it is beneficial to schedule “office time”. This keeps you on task and provides time to focus on only work. It also puts your family on notice that you are not available during that time. This doesn’t have to be for long periods of time, especially if your children are very young, but long enough to get blocks of work done while having a sitter or family member watch the kids. During your office times, schedule projects and tasks so your calendar can guide you to insure you will be able to get everything completed.

Cleaning your house can even be added to the schedule. If you slot a room or 2 a day to clean, you stay on top of the housecleaning and it can be done in 15 – 30 minutes each day. Otherwise, if you try and tackle the entire house at one time, it would take more time and you are more apt to procrastinate, which makes the mess even greater.

Each day before you start cleaning, throw in a load of laundry. By the time you are done cleaning the room, the washer should be done and you can toss the clothes in the dryer and you now have a clean room and a finished load of laundry within 30 minutes.

Another time saver is to create your grocery list for the week to incorporate similar menu items. This will not only reduce waste, but it can save on cooking time. If you schedule one or two nights a week to do major cooking, you can prepare meals in advance and freeze. If you have similar ingredients, it will make this process easier and clean up faster.

It may feel like you are over scheduling yourself, and it may seem a little regimented, but in the long run, you may find you have freed up more time to spend with your family and on your work. Also, after a period of time, it will become more a way of life.

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