Help! I Cannot Stick to a Schedule!

I tend to see things in black and white. I mean, I even decorate my house in black and white. And let’s just say that in anything I teach, whenever I talk or write about homemaking… I never encourage schedules! Why?

Because I don’t follow a schedule!

Schedules are dumb once you get past college, right?! Chemistry at 10am, and then advanced ergonomics at 4pm. Hmm… maybe I mean economics? The point is, once you get into the “real world”, it’s almost impossible to truly stick to a schedule. All it takes is one thing to go wrong in your day to cause an upheaval!

Here’s an example: I was supposed to be at an appointment at 2pm the other day. We were loading into the car when 3 out of 4 of my kids announced they had to poop. I wish this was something that didn’t happen, but around here, it just does! Needless to say, we were late.

Often things happen in life that make a schedule hard (or impossible) to follow. However…

Routines are a whole different matter. A routine is different from a schedule. A routine is a guideline for your day rather than a strict set of requirements and timelines. If you’re like me, when you can’t stick to a schedule, you feel like a huge failure. Seasons change and what works in our lives changes right along with them…which makes it important to have flexible routines!

I know the distinction between a schedule and a routine may seem small, but I promise – it is HUGE. Let me prove it to you. If you think you can’t follow a routine, consider this: is there anything in your life that you do every single day, without fail, and without really even thinking too much about it? Do you brush your teeth, make your bed, eat breakfast, get dressed, exercise, grab your keys/phone/purse, drive to work, etc.? Then you CAN follow a routine! You’re doing it already! You’re just not applying to other important areas of your life, like homemaking!

If you keep telling yourself, “I can’t keep a home. I can’t stay on schedule. As much as I try, I can’t do that.” Well then yes, every time you try, it will go the same way. You’re sabotaging yourself. Stop the self-sabotage!

Talk to yourself in a positive manner. “I can do this. This is just laundry day; I can do laundry. I can do this routine.” Positivity is crucial! It’s not new-agey mumbo-jumbo or it wouldn’t be in the Bible.

The Bible says in Luke 6:45,“Out of the good treasure of his heart the good man brings forth good, and out of evil the evil man brings forth evil. For from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Henry Ford put it a little differently when he said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

If you want to get your house in control and not feel like a crazy person, then stop the negative talk and just do it. Just stop believing the lie that you can’t do this! Don’t believe the lie that you’re a bad homemaker or don’t have the skills to ever be a good homemaker. That’s a lie from the devil! And you can tell him Stacy said he needs to go back to hell where he belongs.

Y’all, adulting is hard! There are some days that Barry and I wake up exhausted; we just don’t feel like being adults that day. But even though we may not feel like it, we are grown ups and that’s just part of life. Decide each day that you are going to do it, even though it’s hard. If I quit doing everything in my life that was hard or didn’t work out the first time, it’d be a pretty sad state in the Myers house!

Sticking to a schedule is almost impossible. But a routine? That is TOTALLY do-able! I’m saying this with love and encouragement… Friends, you’ve just gotta put on your big girl (or boy!) panties and do it. But I know you can do this!

That is one of the main reasons I created the Home Management How-To e-course. Home Management How-To is made up of 8 simple, easy-to-follow lessons designed to give you the tools and resources you need to be able to make a realistic and workable routine that fits YOUR family – not Susie Soandso down the street…and whether or not you work outside the home. Not to turn this into a full-blown sales pitch, but since you weren’t designed to be overwhelmed by chaos, if you feel like you’re about to drown, can I throw you a life preserver?

If you need some sanity in your home, Home Management How-To will teach you to:

• Create a realistic routine for your family – based on your needs.
• Overcome laundry overwhelm with a simple plan of attack.
• Tackle your paperwork clutter and get rid of the piles.
• Make the best and most efficient use of your time each time you leave your home.
• Enjoy a clean, organized kitchen and employ an arsenal of tips to feed your family well.
• Develop a cleaning routine that will help you maintain a neat and tidy space.
• Build in purposeful time to get ahead and prepare for busier seasons.
• Rest!

Okay, sales pitch over. If you read this post because you felt a schedule would never work for you, you’re not alone. I encourage you to change your thinking and, if necessary, get help establishing workable routines that can be followed instead. You got this!

SaveSave