Where to start getting organised at home!

Planning With Kids is about getting organised at home, setting up solid foundations, so you can spend more time with your family and on the fun bits of family life.

I have put together this list of key posts on the blog to give you a quick guide through some of the key plans, templates and processes that we have used to help simplify and add fun to our family life.

If you are thinking, I just need to do something now! Then this post lists the three key routines I would implement to make a start – Where to start getting organised at home?.

Getting started can be the hardest part. Think about what area of family life is causing you the most stress, find a routine to eliminate that one, spend time to make sure it is established and then move on to the next area. One routine, one step at a time you can get there. Good luck!

Menu Planning:

Stress free meal time is essential when you have a busy family. Meal planning allows you to simplify the eating and shopping process in one hit.

Night Time Preparation / Smooth Mornings:

Going to bed organised, means that mornings will run so much smoother and allow it to be an enjoyable as opposed to a hectic time of the day.

Children’s Timetables and School Activities:

Once kids start school, there are a number of plans you can put into place to allow kids to manage themselves, so they can become independent in getting themselves ready for school.

The associated paperwork  and activities that come along with school mean you need to have systems in place so you can stay on top of it all.

Productivity

Productivity = using your time + energy + attention effectively to achieve your goal. I deliberately used effectively instead of efficiently in my definition. We can be efficient in our days, working on tasks in a very organised manner, but if those tasks are of low value or come at the expense of more important tasks, then we are not being productive.

I focus on productivity in the home so I can complete tasks I need in a minimum amount of time, so I have more time to spend being with the family, not doing for the family.

Home routines

Home routines are just like habits. Habits work because they take the thinking out of the minutia of the everyday activities you have to do. Scientists generally believe habits emerge because the brain is always looking for ways to save effort. Left to its own devices, the brain will try to make almost any routine into a habit, because habits allow our minds to ramp down more often.

By being conscious about the habits we develop for the home, we can make our own life much easier.

Children’s Jobs:

Allocating age appropriate tasks to the kids, not only reduces mum and dad’s work loads, but begins teaching them responsibility.

Family Relationships:

Communication is the key to keeping the relationships in the family in a healthy shape. Here are some ways we manage the relationships in our family:

Play:

Play is such an essential ingredient of a happy family. Play can take many different forms and you will find ideas in the post listed:

Mum:

It is essential for a mum to have a range of activities in her life, to ensure that you can best take care of your family. Planning time for your work, rest and play means it is far more likely to happen.