Last week’s action plan was to help you organize your home, one room at a time, by making a list of the areas in your home needing work either by cleaning, organizing or decorating the room.  Hopefully, as you began this process you realized that there should be a central place where you organize all the needs a household has:  groceries planned, appointments made, carpools scheduled, play dates arranged, etc.  So now, it is time to get the most important area in your home organized:  The Command Center.

It’s time we realize that being a homemaker is a real job!  It is a profession just as a doctor, lawyer or teacher is.  It is a profession which requires a tremendous amount of work, sacrifices, abilities, hardships all without the tangible salary that, in our society, defines the worth of a woman.

The first step in becoming more of a professional in this line of work is to have a place where you can manage all of the home management decisions.  The name I have come up with for this place of running the business of your home is a command center.  And that means a desk, fully furnished with everything a professional office would require.  This area is strictly for you and off limits to all others.

Next, you must have a calendar.  This could be a large one that you keep open on your desk, a small one you carry in your purse, one on your computer, on your phone or a giant one on your refrigerator or wall.  But, no matter which type of calendar works best for you, it is crucial to have one.  Your calendar will be the foundation that you develop your family’s schedule around.  On your calendar or nearby should be ongoing lists for all your errands, carpools, groceries, etc.

Action Plan:  Make a list of everything you have to do in a given week.  Next, plot these items on your calendar.  Then, make a list of everything you want to do in this same week.  I know those of you who are nursing would like to just be able to walk to the mailbox!  But, seriously, make a list of everything you really want to do in a week as taking a walk every day, reading more, taking a nap, painting a room or another house hold project, taking a bubble bath, etc.  There are no right or wrong answers because each one of you have different wants.  Now, look at your calendar and you will see some blank places where you haven’t posted anything from your “have to do” list for that week.  These are your extra time spots!  And you can now plot anything from your “want to do” list in these blank spots.  Remember that when we plan nothing, that’s what we get.  But if we plan something, then we will probably get it!  So, plot on your calendar something you want to do from your list. When we are able to do more fun things in our life, our stress level goes down and our enjoyment of life goes up!

Manna from Heaven:  “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

If we aren’t being good stewards of our days, then how will we have time in our days for being with God?  One of the main reasons I am writing this blog is to help women find more time in their lives for the life that God has planned for them.  We need to do less, focus more on the Lord and arrange the things we have to do in an orderly way.

Emotional Check-Up:  As you begin to write down everything you have to do, you may come face to face with the realization that your life is way too busy.  If we can’t hear the voice of God, then we need to stop some of the “things” in our life which are pulling us in too many directions.  God wants us to spend time on His “best” thing for our life rather than lots of just “good” things.

Healthy Fit-Fact:  Did you know that stress is one of the leading causes of heart problems and many chronic diseases? That of all doctor visits, 75% are due to stress-related illnesses?  One answer to help you keep from stress is to find time everyday on your calendar that is for you.  It may only be 15 minutes of prayer or reading or walking, but that short time will bring huge dividends to your health.

Next Week:  Tips for Calendar Planning