Wake up determined, go to bed satisfied.

Dwayne Johnson

Being in charge of my own production everyday has been a challenge. I like everything neat and tidy, yet I don’t like to make things neat and tidy, if you know what I mean. I am also the sole conductor of alllll of the family things- doctor appointments, school happenings, sports practices and games, horse activities- you get the drift. Add on to that the daily upkeep of the home, the garden, making sure everyone has food to eat, pets are cared for, and it just gets to be a lot.

So how do I keep it all going, without fail or mistakes? I don’t. Ha! I have found myself many times in a panic because I forgot something. When I first started down this stay at home mom role, I was really hard on myself if anything went sideways, and while I still struggle with my want of perfection, I have learned to give myself a little grace. There is one thing that I have pinned down to determining how my day is going to go. Any guesses? It may shock you to learn that it isn’t coffee, although coffee is necessary for my smile.

It’s my bed! Yes, you read that right. The key to how on task my day is going to be is my bed. I feel like when I start my day with making my bed it just pushes me to get the rest of my daily tasks done early in the day. It also contributes to the “neat and tidy” feel overall and makes me feel more at ease.

Of course there is more to staying on task for me than just making my bed, so I thought I would share just a few things that help me manage myself.

Daily Cleaning Schedule

This may seem like a no-brainer to most, but as a newly devoted homemaker, I find a schedule for cleaning helps me keep up on it better. For me, the thought of having “house cleaning day” and having to clean the whole house at once is just completely overwhelming to me. For full disclosure here, my house isn’t large. We aren’t talking about me dusting a 3,000 square foot home here, but still… I don’t like cleaning, but again I need it clean. It’s quite the predicament.

This is where my daily cleaning schedule comes in. Each room in my house has a designated day and on that day I commit to an hour or less in which I clean that room from top to bottom. Each day of the week I run my vacuum, do laundry, and each night I do a quick reset on the whole house (tidy up toys, put shoes back where they belong, straighten couch cushions, etc.) and I always make sure to “put my kitchen to bed” which includes loading and running the dishwasher, wiping down the counters and our dining room table. Waking up to a tidy home helps keep my anxiety at bay, and sets me off on the right foot… after I make my bed.

Daily List and Planner

I have been trying my very hardest to write down all of our family appointments and engagements in my daily planner. This helps me first of all, not miss appointments, but it also helps with meal planning and knowing what extra tasks I will have time for. For example, if we have a cheerleading practice for our oldest daughter, I will not be cooking a 5 course meal. We will be dining on leftovers or a freezer meal.

I have also recently gotten back into the practice of starting a daily list of tasks each morning. I put things on it that aren’t part of my daily cleaning schedule or already on the daily planner. Things like “process tomatoes” or “bath dogs” or “clean chicken coop”. These are things that I don’t want to skip over, but they don’t occur on a schedule that would need to be placed on my daily planner. Being on a list helps me remember that they need to be done, plus crossing them off of the list is so satisfying!

The Most Important Thing

Be kind to yourself! This has been hard for me. I wrap a lot of my self worth up in the amount of things I can get done, and get done well during the day. I was raised in a “get sh*t done” kind of family and it’s hard to shake things that have been intwined into your DNA for so long. If I go to bed with dishes in my sink, or a load of laundry left unfolded, it REALLY bothers me. I am working at letting go of those feelings, because let’s be honest, when we get down to it if my animals and kids are fed and happy, and my husband is fed and happy, I am doing ok. There will be distractions that pop up every single day. A clingy toddler who just needs cuddles, a chicken who flew the coop, a horse stuck in a fence, something breaking- there will always be something amuck and the more animals and kids you add, the more things will be amuck. Give yourself grace, pour a second cup of coffee, and just roll with the schedule and the chaos that comes with it.

~Tara