Organizing a Scattered Life

Life here at Squirrel Haven is written on a huge dry erase calendar board.
We don't have your typical 9-5 chained to the office sort of jobs. No. Not at all. Our schedules are flexible, variable and multi-topical.
There are colored markers for our business dates for Merry Mischief and Harrison Audio & Stage...
as well as for our personal life. And it helps.

BUT

When we are pulled in seven different directions at once, trying also to get music practice in, make recordings, work on a book, and manage a home and property, and also work at our jobs on top of all of that ....well...things can get dropped through the cracks.

Add to this my husband's love for hoarding gadgetry and papers and Styrofoam and wire ties, and you have a cluster fuck waiting to bite you in the arse on a daily basis. Before morning coffee, even.

SO

On our latest trip, we brainstormed "What to Do About It" and while chatting, I hastened back to days of old when housewives had a "Day of the Week" work schedule in order to get things done.

Like, "Tuesday is Laundry Day" sort of thing.
These women have the right idea!

A place for everything...
and everything in it's place!

I also remember doing this sort of schedule when my girls were young, and I had to do so much including hosting Teachers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists and Counselors into my home on a weekly basis for Shawna and her Early Education Program. Not to mention all the Camp Fire groups, 4-H Club meetings and Sunday School programs I was also doing with the girls.

It worked for me then....so I concluded, it should work for us now.

But then again.... I have Harry. :)

No matter.

Here is our New and Improved Schedule and I'm hoping that it will help us concentrate and focus a bit on our mundane tasks in a simplified way, and which also follows the natural flow of our life:
 I also added in special areas for Harry (in bold italics) because he needs a bit of structure too.

SUNDAY: 
A day for Worship, Planning, Being Grateful, Having Company or for Rest.


MONDAY: 
A "Put Away Day" (natural occurrence for dealing with our weekend gigs), also tidying and cleaning the Social areas of the house: Porch/ Front Room/ Kitchen
Van


TUESDAY:
Laundry Day. Also, while there in area, address the Bathrooms and clean them as well.
Yellow Shed



WEDNESDAY: 
Bedrooms.
Wayne's "Dog House"


THURSDAY:
Back rooms, Deck and Car
Barn

FRIDAY:
Desk work, Filing. And afterwards, DANCE!
Basement

SATURDAY:
Create/ Play/ Invent. Also Shopping or Outings.


Already this schedule has helped me NOT STRESS.

Example: Sunday, I pretty much took a day to VEG. After our long trip, I decided I needed a day to lay around and read. And I did so. ALL FECKING DAY. It rocked! At one point in the day, I walked into the upstairs bathroom and saw my newly purchased shower curtain, waiting to replace the one on the shower rod. I thought, "I should probably do that now.... (SIGH)"

But then I thought: "No! Tuesday is the day you have scheduled for the bathroom projects! You will do it then! Go back and enjoy your day off."

YIPPEE!!

These work days are not set in stone. I'm not gonna freak if we don't do things on the list.

They are more like this:

Yesterday was Monday and our first real work day back and I am on track! I figure that if we follow this schedule....at the end of the month of February for starters, that we should be in better shape and in good habits.

We shall overcome!

Why?

Merlyn has a PLAN :)