Simplify Scheduling for Family Success

How many times have you started the day in a chaotic rush? You know the ones where you wake up late, can't find clean clothes for the kids to wear and are out of Johnny's favorite breakfast cereal. You might even be thinking that every day starts like this.

Now is the best time to enact change. Check out GO MOM !NC's tip list for simplified scheduling and family success:

Chart Your Course
Nothing like a roadmap to guide you in the right direction! If at 4:00 p.m. daily, 70% of mothers don't know what they are going to make for dinner that evening, 100% know it won't be taken care of for them without planning ahead. Guiding a family requires forethought and structure even for the most spirited of souls. Using a mom-oriented calendar system that provides tracking for all family members schedules and important reference information is the first step in streamlining the mothering paper trail. From completing school registration forms to new doctor visits, menu planning to car pool rosters, using a planner alleviates confusion and encourages success.

Follow Your Family
After adopting a mom-oriented calendar system, sit down with your family to outline the year's activities. Using an advance planning tool, such as an 18-month calendar, Moms can identify over-commitment hot spots where rescheduling will be required to alleviate simultaneous events. Enlist the help of each family member to identify priorities and suggest choices that allow them to enjoy their time and grow. Assess individual schedules using family principles acknowledged by both Mom and partner alike, such as attending a place of worship weekly or enjoying dinner together nightly. By spreading out each family member's activity levels and managing the busier times with additional support systems, the entire family will have a more positive year.

Take Inventory
One major cause of Mom stress is lack of organization at home. For many Moms, being organized is a learned skill. And oddly enough, it is quite possibly the most necessary trait of all when seeking a simplified schedule that leads to family success. In January we have National Organize Your Home Day, sponsored by www.organizedtimes.com. The first Monday of the month is all about the New Year's Resolution to be more organized. Plan now to work through your home to streamline how you live. From organizing the laundry process of hampers, cleaning, folding and putting away, to having a pantry stocked with numerous 15-minute dinner ideas, or having an efficiently laid out mud room with coat hooks and shoe racks to a family in-box on your desk near your planner for each child's school papers. Having a process to accommodate how your family flows through the house will make for a very smooth day and a happier group altogether. And while you're at it, make time in your planner for this type of home focus once every 3 months to keep you on track both inside and out as the seasons change.

Make Time for You
Renew your commitment to care for yourself. Census Bureau Studies show for the first time the number of mothers going back to work dropped. This is due in part to the difficult task of achieving work and family balance. Many Moms want to change lives in their work both inside and outside the home, often overlooking that with every minute of every day, they impact the youngsters around them. Making positive mothering a daily reality requires that Mom feels good about herself both emotionally and physically. Carve time out for simple pleasures, like a cup of tea or an early morning run. Create a peaceful corner in your home with candles and treasured objects as your own personal haven to recharge yourself easily. Encouraging those around us to be true to their hearts requires nothing less than the same from ourselves.

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