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 Reclaim
Your Life™ and Get
Organized for Good
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CBN.com –If
summer has turned your regular routine upside down
and chaos is settling in, you’re not alone! Summer
brings special organizing challenges to family and
work life. Parents miss the structure and adult
supervision that school provides and must adapt
their calendars and resources to prepare for a new
schedule.
If families don’t plan ahead for summer break,
the household order, schedules, and daily
processes can begin to deteriorate. The good news
is: even if your summer has begun a bit rocky, you
can still experience a fulfilling and organized
summer by stepping back and making a few small
changes.
Planning
If you haven’t already, set aside some time (two
to four hours should be sufficient) to create a
plan for your summer. Use that time to sign up for
any desired activities, consult caregivers, and
arrange details. Design a plan that takes into
account the big picture, like family trips or
scheduled camps, and a weekly plan that keeps each
person’s needs in mind.
Scheduling
In the absence of a school schedule, begin
implementing a regular schedule at home for your
children. Set a reasonable time by which they
should be out of bed in the morning and a regular
bedtime. Regulating your children’s sleep will
bring more harmony to your household!
Balance
Your children’s weekly schedule can include time
for fun activities with peers and family, helping
with household chores, and even work if they are
old enough. Since they have more time, this is a
great time to work on some age-appropriate life
skills, like potty training, organizing their
rooms, laundry, cooking, or yard maintenance.
Don’t forget to include intellectual
stimulation, like implementing a reading plan or
family field trips, along with physical
stimulation, like a summer soccer league or camps.
Resist over-extending yourself. Many parents
feel they have to entertain and program their
children, especially during the summer. Remember,
too, that it’s healthy for kids to have an
imagination, play in the yard, build forts, and
occupy themselves.
Calendar
Add each child’s schedule to a family calendar.
Whether you use an electronic or paper calendar,
assign a color to each person to keep track of
their activities. This way, you can see where one
person might be out of balance or where you have
conflicting events. Post the calendar in the
kitchen for easy reference.
Add to each activity the following information:
location of activity, person responsible for
transportation, and contact information.
Getting Help
It is not a sign of weakness to seek help during
times of need; it indicates that you are savvy
enough to realize that you can’t do it all, and
you can’t do it alone. Summer is a great time to
enlist the help of grandparents, other family,
friends, neighbors, carpools, and even
professionals to meet the increased demands on
your time. Hiring a professional, like a nanny, a
house cleaner, a gardener, or a professional
organizer can help you maximize your time and
navigate your summer successfully.
Remember, organizing your life will help you
put first things first. By taking just a little
time to order your family and schedule, you’ll be
able to seize the joy of summer!
Adapted from:
Restoring Order™ copyright © 2006 by Vicki Norris
(available now at
www.RestoringOrder.com and in July 2007as
Reclaim Your Life™. Copyright © 2007). Published
by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by
permission.
About the Author: Vicki
Norris is an expert organizer, business owner,
speaker, television personality, and author who
inspires people to live out their priorities. She
is author of Reclaim Your Life™ © 2007 by Vicki
Norris (available now at
www.RestoringOrder.com) and of Restoring
Order™ to Your Home, © 2007, a room-by-room
household organizing guide, both published by
Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Norris is a
regular on HGTV’s nationally syndicated Mission:
Organization, and is a recurrent source and
contributor to national lifestyle publications
including Quick & Simple magazine, Better Homes &
Gardens, and Real Simple magazine.
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