Life is hectic at the best of times. Add kids into the mix and the days can seem like a never ending stream of meal times, bath time, daycare, school and activities (rinse and repeat).
In this blog post we’re going to cover some simple ways to get your life back on track and stop forgetting events and missing appointments.
First up… the basics
Making Sure You “Get Back To Basics” – Every now and then it’s important to take a step back and review the basics. This will serve 2 purposes:
- It will refresh your memory so you don’t forget those important things you should be doing on a regular basis.
- More importantly, by taking a step back and reviewing the basics you will realize how far you have strayed from them and make the difficult decision of starting to go back to where you once belonged. Let’s start with something simple like exercise.
Writing things down.
STOP FOR A MOMENT AND THINK ABOUT HOW YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBER STUFF. Chances are you don’t exactly “remember” stuff in your head. Rather, you rely on a combination of cues from your senses and some kind of internal mental filing system. Take note of that. It’s a good thing to know. It’s also a good thing to remember.
The first step towards improving your memory is to get yourself out of the “mental filing” process and into the “retrieval” process.
Where will you write this down?
On your planner. On your fridge. Every week.
This is so the whole family can easily see the plan for the week. The small amount of time you set aside each week to plan will be minimal in comparison to missing an important appointment or forgetting a birthday party.
Magically add time to your day
One of the most important things you can do for yourself is…
STOP PUTTING OFF YOUR MEAL PREP MULTIPLE TIMES EVERY DAY!
Plan your meals once a week. Shop weekly and prep the night before.
Here’s why: When you are constantly running late because you are “starving” you tend to grab whatever food is available… which… in most cases, is NOT healthy food. Instead, you need to have “food-like” items that will give you an instant energy boost whenever you start to feel run down. This is one of the best ways to prevent illness, stay healthy and add time to your day. Zing!
Accordingly, the first thing you should do every morning (after brushing your teeth) is…
Eat A Healthy Breakfast!¹
Eating a healthy breakfast will:
- Give you the energy you need to get through the day.
- Prevent you from grabbing the nearest “fast-food” item that will likely put a stop to any progress you may be making towards a trim, firm body.
- Prevent you from having “carb-cravings” which will make reaching your goals even more difficult.
- Make it easier for you to remember all those “basics” we discussed earlier.
Now you have the energy and brain fuel required to focus on your day and carry on with the next step.
Next up, the rest of the household
Organising kids is easier said than done, at first. You need to establish a routine, and part of that routine will involve your weekly planning session. No body likes change and it will take an adjustment period, but once the whole family is settled in, organisation will become EASY.
Case study
Take the case of Grant and Melanie. They had five children between them and were both teachers. Their school life was completely filled up. There were birthdays, holidays, field trips, play dates, parent-teacher conferences, soccer games and T.V. marathons. Not one square inch of spare time remained.
Then, one day, they sat down and made a simple chart of their activities. One space for each day of the week. They listed all the things their children needed to do each week. On the other side of the chart, they wrote any extra activities or special happenings for the week.
Then, they worked out a simple routine for themselves.
To sum it all up
Organising kids is easier said than done, at first. You need to establish a routine, and part of that routine will involve your weekly planning session. No body likes change and it will take an adjustment period, but once the whole family is settled in, organisation will become EASY. Where will you write this down? On your fridge. On your kitchen counter. Every day.
This is so the whole family can easily see the plan for the day.
STOP PUTTING THIS OFF: The small amount of time you set aside each week/day to plan will be minimal in comparison to missing an important appointment or forgetting a birthday party.
Happy planning!