Yesterday we talked about Morning and Evening Routines. Today we are talking about the whole week! Sound overwhelming? It really isn't. It is more like developing a plan to simplify your life and help yourself stay on track to get things done. By having a plan, you are no longer wandering in circles trying to accomplish everything at once. You know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. You are actually saving time.
Women in generations gone by had a task assigned to each day of the week. Every day had its purpose. Monday was Laundry Day -- and they were religious about it. I have even read that the neighbors who were more prone to gossip would look at the laundry hanging on other people's lines and be able to tell things about the other families. Busybodies knew when there were guests because there were more towels and the special table linens were on the line. They knew when a baby had arrived because there were diapers flapping in the breeze. They knew when someone was sick, and if their whites weren't white, the gossip would fly -- she isn't a good housekeeper!!!! Egads!!! (Yes, that's a real word.) Monday was the day to look over the fence and find out all your neighbors secrets because Monday was the universal Laundry Day. Thankfully, we have the anonymity provided by our washers and dryers, and we can do our laundry whenever we want. On Mondays, our neighbors can only stand gazing in wonder at our closed doors.
These ladies of old had a designated day for Errands. This allowed them to "map out" their errands in the most efficient way possible, instead of running to the grocery store nearly every day to pick up just a few things. Statistics show that people who shop weekly spend less money overall than those who regularly pop into the grocery store. People who shop often spend more time and more money than they expected each time they shop. So shopping less means we spend less money and have more time. I don't know about you, but I can always use more of both. Those precious ladies didn't do a lot of mindless running around. They planned their errands so that their time had a purpose. So wise. We can do the same by planning out our meals for the week, keeping stocked up on staple items and doing our errands only once a week.
Rather than scurrying around from one task to another, every weekday had its job. There is so much wisdom in that. By doing our jobs on purpose and at a specified time, we are so much more efficient. And being more efficient means we have more time for the things we really want to be doing. Don't get me wrong. If standing in the produce isle comparing the prices of lemons gives you a thrill, then by all means, go every day. But if you would rather paint your toenails than do your chores, there is a better way. Below is a sample of Daily Tasks the old fashioned way. Feel free to totally reorganize and tweak this to fit your needs. Don't worry. The neighbors aren't watching. They are watching TV.
The Daily Tasks Sunday: Church/Day of Rest Monday: Laundry Day (I personally try to do a load each day, and also have a catch up day each week -- usually on Thursday because it works better for me there. We have a lot of laundry. I have boys. Need I say more?) Tuesday: Bathrooms & Floors Day (Oh come now. You know what this means.) Wednesday: Gardening & Home Blessings Day (You know what gardening is, but what is a home blessing? It is anything you do to bring beauty to your home. For us, it often means picking a bouquet of flowers for the dinner table, or putting some potpourri in a pot to make the home smell nice. It might be preparing a beautiful meal to make your family feel special. I don't limit this to one day a week, but I try to do something simple and special at least once each week. If you only do these things when company comes, your family will begin to think they aren't as important to you as your guests. This is definitely not the message we want to give our family! We want them to feel loved, appreciated and well taken care of.) Thursday: Zone Cleaning Day (Divide your home into areas, or zones. Give one of these areas a deeper clean once a week. Work through one area each week until you've done them all. Then start again. Your whole house stays spring cleaned all the time!) Friday: Baking Day (You remember what that is, right? The smell of fresh bread or cookies will draw the family like flies. If you are having trouble getting the whole family in one place at one time, try this.) Saturday: Errand Day (Groceries, dry cleaning and the like. I personally avoid Saturday errands like the plague because everyone on the planet descends upon my local Walmart at once. There are small wars fought over who has grocery cart right-of-way. It gets ugly. Friday evenings are like this, too. I usually try for the blissfully quiet Tuesday. Because nobody goes out on Tuesday. Tuesday is boring. Perfect. If Tuesday doesn't work, I try to pair my errands up with other activities, like church or the kids' extra-curricular activities.)
The beauty of having a plan for your week, besides saving you time and money, is it really isn't a big deal if something comes up and messes up your plan. You are doing it every week anyway, so if it doesn't get done this week, you can just do it next week. You can also swap days if you have a funny week. I promise, no one is going to fall apart if you do your laundry on Saturday this week instead of on Monday.
Have a great day! Angela
