Creating a SANE Haven: Family Command Center

In the Fall, activities are in full swing and schedules are at max capacity!

How do you manage to keep track of everything and everybody?

How do you make sure you have time for your spouse and kids when everyone is flying in different directions?

My solution is to create a SANE Haven! Let’s get a handle on it before the holidays make it even more chaotic. It’s time to nail everything down in one place so you can decide when to say yes and no to certain activities.

In my life, I need to “schedule” family and spouse time because otherwise I let other activities eat up time that I need to spend creating quality family bonds. I also need to make sure that I have time to complete my daily and weekly chores. If I say yes and it pulls me away from jobs that need to get done at home, then I allow disorder to interrupt the rest of my week.

I think it is best to create your schedule based on your priorities. For my family, that means I create time for:

My faith- going to church, reading the Bible, taking my children to faith-related activities
Spouse- spending time together daily, going on a date weekly/monthly, getting away
Kids/family-spending time individually and as a whole family and with our extended family
Work-
Everything else- Hobbies, friends, career events, etc.

That is the order of my priorities. Of course, it’s going to look a little different translated into a schedule, but these are the priorities that you should see happening daily/weekly/monthly. In some seasons, it takes everything you have to just keep up with your spouse and kids. In other seasons, it’s easier to spend more time with friends or pursuing your hobbies. You just need to find the right rhythm for your priorities, in your season of life.

Once you’ve defined your priorities, you can nail down your schedule for the week. Think about how often you want to eat dinner as a family, and how many nights a week you want to commit to the kids activities. Then write it all out. One of my friends sent me a picture of her command center on the side of her refrigerator. She writes it all down so her whole family can see. I like to use Google Calendars to keep up with my schedule and commitments. It is a great program and lets you schedule things on repeat so you don’t have to write it out by hand.

What have you found helpful for getting a handle on your family’s schedule?

Now that you have created a SANE Haven in your home, learn how you can create a SAFE Haven, clear of toxic chemicals. Check out the rest of littlegreencloth.com for tips on how Norwex can “green up” your life!