Why do you need a weekly routine? Family life can be crazy and chaotic even when each day follows a similar pattern. I mean, you are juggling the needs and activities of several different people all at one time.
Then throw in a variable like shift work, working full time, caring for young children or even heath issues and you can easily feel OVERWHELMED!
YOU NEED A PLAN!
Here is how to plan a weekly routine that works for you and your family! One that will make a big difference to feeling like you are in control of your time. A simple routine of daily and weekly activities will enable you to enjoy your days again!
How To Create A Weekly Routine
1. Decide On Your “Must Do” Daily Tasks
The first step in creating your weekly routine is to choose what tasks need to be done every day. Keeping on top of a few tasks every day is easier than trying to make time for everything once a week.
Becky Rapinchuk, of Clean Mama, in her book, Simply Clean, describes daily tasks as “Every day a little something.”
Spending 10 to 15 minutes every day on a few tasks will make your weekly routine work for you and your family.
Daily tasks may include:
- Make beds
- Check floors and sweep or vacuum as needed.
- Wipe counter tops in the kitchen and the bathroom.
- Declutter or tidy up from the day.
- Do a load of laundry from start to finish.
Update: Think about personal daily tasks to include as well!
There is no right or wrong with what you choose to put on your daily task list.
My Daily Tasks Include:
- Making the bed
- Breakfast Dishes
- Cleaning up the kitchen and wiping kitchen bench tops
- Sweeping floors as needed
- A load of laundry (washing, hanging out and putting away if dry)
My Personal Daily Tasks Include:
- Going for a walk along the river
- 12 minute meditation
- Reading my bible
- Scrolling on my phone
Learn what works best for you and your family!!
Keeping up with daily tasks is the SECRET to sticking with a weekly routine. It works because most tasks take 10 minutes or less to do. So staying on top of things at home becomes doable when you a do a little more often.
2. Decide On Your “Would Like To Get Done” Weekly Tasks
This may include:
- vacuum or mop floors
- food shopping
- a perfectly acceptable spot clean of the bathrooms
- dusting
- laundry
Write down times for how long these tasks will take and be realistic. Choose a time to do them when you are not so tired. Share the responsibilities too with other family members!
Laundry
If a load of laundry is not on your daily task list, then try having one or two days a week designated as laundry days. Run multiple loads of laundry on those days, fold all the clothes and put away them away.
A Surprising Home Cleaning Tip: You really don’t need to clean your home as often as you think you do!
After spending many years cleaning homes, hotel rooms and commercial offices during my University student days, I hardly spend any time cleaning my home now. Yet my home looks and is fairly clean.
Check out How Often Should I Clean My Home to find out how you can have a clean home with minimal effort and time.
Update: Think about fun activities you want to include during your week!
3. Weekly Planning Routine
My weekly planning time, is one of my favorite times in the week. I use the 2 hours I have while watching the kids’ gymnastics lessons on Saturday mornings to reflect on my week and to plan for the coming week. The benefit is that it sets me up well for the week ahead!
A planning time is even more important when your daily schedule and/ or activities vary so much! Getting everything down on paper or digital calendar relieves our minds from the stress of remembering and juggling all those details.
Check out My Weekly Planning Routine to find out how you can plan your week and stay on top of things.
Update: Plan in adventures!
4. Use A Few Shortcuts
Plan Your Meals
Meal planning, is one thing that is important to include in your own planning time as it can save you so much time with shopping and prepping meals.
It can be as simple as writing a list of possible meals for the week in a notebook or by using a monthly meal plan service such as Real Plans that creates a weekly menu especially for you.
If your hours vary a lot, think about whether you need to prepare dinner in the morning or even the night before. Slow cookers are a great way for getting dinner done earlier in the day.
Another idea is to prep meals for the week, ahead of time or double your portions regularly so you can stock up the freezer.
More Home Organizing Hacks:
- Hire a cleaner to do the bigger cleaning tasks once a week or once a fortnight.
- Use an online food shopping service with delivery.
- Consider freezer cooking or pay a friend to cook up some meals for you.
- Get the whole family helping out.
5. Write Up A Rough Plan Equals A Workable Weekly Routine
You will be on track for calmer and more organized weeks when you know what your daily tasks and weekly tasks are.
Next draw up a weekly plan on paper or use a spreadsheet. Block out the times you will be working or not available, including getting ready and travel time.
Take note of the times available where you will have time and energy for the quick daily tasks. Write in those tasks for each day. Make note if some of those jobs will be shared with other family members.
Write in your meal prep times and who will be responsible for getting dinner on the table each night, as well as any other task you have decided are important for your family.
Tip: Break up large tasks, into smaller tasks which can be completed in a shorter amount of time. Sometimes it’s easier finding 3 lots of 10 minutes than 1/2 hour.
6. Plan In Margin Time
Remember to give yourself lots of margin time, hence it only being a rough plan for the week. Evaluate what works and what doesn’t, and change things around until you have a weekly routine that works most of the time for you and your family.
Adjust your expectations when life gets extra busy or the kids all get sick etc. Stick with the daily tasks and simple meal planning, the crisis will pass.
Also remember to give yourself plenty of encouragement when implementing a new daily or weekly routine!! It takes time to implement new ways of doing things.
If you have tried something like this already and life still feels chaotic and messy, consider whether the amount of stuff you have is thwarting your attempts to have an organized home.
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