Weekly "Big Rocks"

This is part of a series I'm doing on the "Big Rocks" and planning, which is part of a theme I'd like to do more thinking and writing about "Rhythm, Reverence and Time".

A couple of years ago, I tried using Flylady. I found that, once adapted to suit me, it helped me get my days and weeks in order. Recently, however, I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit. The holidays always seem to do this to me…and I’ve been taking my time getting back on. But it is TIME!

Planning out my week’s activities keeps me from getting to the end of the week with only the bare minimum accomplished. Without planning, my days just have a way of slipping by, how about you?

Here’s how I plan:

To Do – Make my “to do” list. Make a plan for what to do when (I put a notation down for which day of the week I plan to accomplish what). Refer to this each day to see what you need to do. I like to transfer those “today” items to a sticky note and stick that on my weekly planner page. I use a priority system: A- for those things that MUST be done today, B- for those things that should be done today, C- for those things I might like to get done today, but can wait on if I need to. I have a LOT of “C”, a number of “B” and just a few of “A”.

Each day, I’ll devote a bit of my time to a certain type of task:
Monday – correspondence;
Tuesday - zone cleaning (a little each day, but a bigger project today);
Wednesday – bills;
Thursday – meal planning;
Friday – household cleaning (the weekly chores);
Saturday – family work day (big, family projects) and errands;
Sunday - planning for the next week; missionary support work

Calendar – Look at my family calendar (hubby, kids’, personal) for events, and thinking about whether or not these events require anything special from me or the family as a whole and plan accordingly. (hubby’s late meeting may mean I need to plan to a late dinner; daughter’s ballet means I need to plan transportation; etc.) I WRITE DOWN those things I need to do – I can’t rely on my memory. Then when I review my calendar each day, I won't make mistakes like I did today. (Missed son's Drama Class!)

School – Plan lessons for the week. I especially note on my calendar those projects or assignments that might take a bit extra of my time…or that need supplies I may not have on hand. Then I need to schedule in the time to work with that child and any errands that need to be done to get supplies.

Chores – Review chore lists. Using Flylady’s Zone system, keeps me on track with getting all the cleaning done around the house. I look over the week’s Zone and note what needs to be done from the suggested list. Also, I’ll make a note of any extra chores (monthly or annual type) that might need to be completed.


Because we get a produce delivery on Thursdays, my meal planning is not done with the rest of the planning. I do this on Thursdays:

Meal plan – Get my meal plan done. I make a note of any food supplies I may need. Also, noting any prep. work I might want or need to do ahead (thawing out the meat; chopping onions early in the day to use later). Then I add the food supplies to my grocery list and the prep. work to my “to do” list. Because we homeschool, I plan out Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks, too. I live by the dinner plan, but the other (breakfast, lunch and snacks) or more like suggestions.

Next time … the daily schedule.