Getting your House Organized: The Family Schedule

by Cynthia Hatcher
(Genesee, Michigan US)

Chaos! Clutter! Confusion! Running late to appointments!
Oh yeah, I forgot …my husband and children need their things too!
“Honey, have you seen my…?”
“Mom, where did I put my…?”

This can sound like a typical family household.
“I know I should be more organized but I just don’t have time,” I can hear someone saying.
The reality is, you really don’t have time not to be organized.

This particular article will focus on some simple steps of getting organized.

Superwoman is a myth! Beware of the images on television, in advertisements or even talk radio. There is no accurate measurement of a woman being just like or as good as another woman. The goal is to be your best self.

Unless you just want a bandage or temporary relief in your situation – getting and remaining organized is a change in lifestyle. It is getting rid of old behaviors and establishing more productive habits.

First, write the vision of how you really want your household to run. For example, do you want the children off to school by a certain time each morning? Would you like dinner on the table in the evening by 5:30pm?

TIP: Don’t set your expectations so high that no one can attain them or be so rigid that one “mishap” of the day throws everything off schedule.

When I decided it was time for my household to run more smoothly, I went into action immediately. I set up this rigid schedule with goals I needed to accomplish everyday by a certain time and I just expected everyone in the house to “get it together.” I tried and tried to help everyone see how this would benefit the whole family if they just followed my schedule.


After many attempts to show them “the way,” I had to throw away the huge poster board that contained the household schedule. What went wrong? My expectations were too high and the schedule was too rigid.

For instance, I wanted to be at the gym by 8:15am. That would give me enough time to workout and be at the office on schedule. This meant my daughter MUST BE out of the house no later than 7:30am. I cannot tell you how many mornings I was running around, getting her things for her, telling her to hurry up so I could be on time!

My schedule was too rigid and my expectations were too demanding for my daughter at that time. When I changed the time of my workouts, our mornings became much more peaceful.

The next thing to do is talk to your family,(before you make a schedule), about what you are trying to achieve and the benefits of being organized.

Remember, getting organized is a lifestyle change so be open to your family not jumping on board right away but gently steer them in the direction.

Last on this list is starting small. Don't try to organize everything all at once. Take a good look at the problem which needs to be solved first that will bring peace right away if there was a schedule in place.

Be sure to include time for yourself. It is imperative for us, as women, to have our time to refuel.