I've unintentionally been making my life much more difficult than it needs to be. (But I may know how to solve the problem!)
If you're familiar with Myers-Briggs personality preferences, you'll know what I mean when I say that I'm an extreme SJ (which basically means that structure, order, and stability are vital to my sanity). I love lists, following a routine, and making a spreadsheet is my heaven on earth. But right now, I pretty much have no daily routine. I am unorganized with the details of my family's life and I often feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants. I'm basically living contradictory to what could help me thrive more as a mom, wife, friend, and just as a person. And I'm driving myself nuts!
Some of my only "routines" as of date:
Putting Nicholas in the high chair so I can get ready I breakfast for me and Nicholas
Mt. Laundry I Nightly week ice cream while I blog
So I'm making a few changes. Nope, I'm going to change overnight. And yup, I'll probably still forget to turn on the crock pot until it's too late. But I think that adding a little more organization to my life is going to make life more enjoyable for myself and for my family.
Here's a few things I already do/am beginning to do, to organize my life:
- Reading this book
- Once or twice a month take a good chunk of alone time. To pray, plan for the month, and evaluate how things have gone. This is often done during Nicholas' nap, or when I ask Brian/ a friend to take Nicholas out of the house for a little bit so I can be alone.
- Going to bed earlier. Doesn't happen every night by any means, but I'm trying.
- I want to start waking up in the morning before Nicholas does. (Arrg.) I love my sleep SO much. But I also love getting dressed and feeling like a human before 11am. So the pros may outweigh the cons :)
- Meal-planning for each day of the week. I've been doing this for awhile, but not becuase I'm uber organized - I'm just such an inexperienced cook that if I don't know exactly what I'm making every day and can grocery shop accordingly, our meals flop. I plan on expanding on this in an upcoming post!
- Remembering what the wise mama of 4 and entrepreneur Haley Morgan says - it's ok if today's schedule and tomorrow's schedule looks completely different. I don't have to set a routine that looks the same every single day. One day can be full of checking things off of my to-do list, while the next can be spent in my jammies, playing on the floor with Nicholas and cooking. As stay-at-home mom (or for work-at-home-moms), our days don't have to look like 9-5 hours, and that's ok.
As a final thought, not all of us need super strict structure to thrive, and that is perfectly ok. (Case and point? My hubby. List-making and too many plans make him crazy.) I know several mamas who are much happier and do much better when life is more flexible - so if that's you, please do your family life in the way that works best for you! No judgment here - I'm just getting too sloppy for my own good :)
What types of structure keeps you sane? Or are you like my husband and thrive more on spontaneity than on structure? Do you have any tips for me? :)

Linking up with Kara-Kae for Tuesday's Messy Motherhood!
I hear ya! Thanks for the book link. I am looking for ways to streamline the home-life, and need to take some new steps too. Looks like a good read!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I know that bringing a baby home in April will change so many things (more than I realize, I'm sure!). But, you definitely make a good point: if you are doing something counterproductive to your personality, it will drive you crazy :) I'll definitely be keeping that in mind!!
ReplyDeleteI could so relate to this post! I'm am the same way - I NEED ROUTINE. We've finally been able to create our weekly schedule as a family, and it's made my life so much more manageable. For the first time ever, I just started creating meal plans! Why didn't I do this sooner?! My husband now thinks I'm Super Woman!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am a lover of schedules and lists and routines also.
ReplyDeleteww.gratefulwithtwo.com