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Family life can be one of two things. You can be riding the wave feeling positive, motivated, and feeling like everyone is happy and thriving. Or you can be stood there feeling like the waves are crashing on you. Overwhelmed, exhausted, and struggling. There often doesn’t seem to be a happy medium, which can be frustrating. But, you can smooth things out and feel more on top of things, especially when life is busy. This is why I wanted to share with you some of the things that you can do to help you do that.
A family planner or organiser can help
One of the first things to consider would be a family planner or organiser. There are a few different options that you could consider. Why not set up a family command centre to keep all the important dates, newsletters etc. in one place. You could try a diary or planner or use a wall chart so that everyone can see it for themselves. Inside you can keep everything from appointments to after-school clubs.
The problem many families have is the commitments for each day and at the weekend. In some cases, if you can’t check what you already have on, you could potentially double book yourself or cause issues with logistics. Having one place to keep track of it will help you to plan your days and weeks.
Helpful Hint – Find something that works for you. Not everyone is a “write it down” sort of person as others prefer to keep things distal. Using iPhone calendars or similar options with Google may even allow you to sync calendars together so you can always keep track.
Don’t discard a cleaning schedule
Cleaning your home is one of the many things that need to be kept on top of. If you don’t, it can become a bigger task that takes much longer to complete. Cleaning, however, shouldn’t be left to just one person. The whole family should get involved in some way. Of course, depending on jobs and time commitments, it might not be possible to split the household jobs equally. But any little extra help from other members of the family can lighten the load.
Consider a cleaning schedule where you spread the jobs across the week. Add more labour intensive chores to the days where you have more time. Make sure you then delegate jobs to other members of the family. Some children will be old enough to clean their own rooms or put their washing away. Partners could take over the dishwasher loading/unloading in an evening or take the bins out.
Helpful Hint – There isn’t a one size fits all model. There is plenty of inspiration online of methods that you could try but don’t be afraid to take the good bits from each one and work up your own system.
A decluttered home can make a huge difference
If your home is tidy, it can help you to feel less overwhelmed. But getting to that stage can feel like such a task. Decluttering your home doesn’t need to be complicated, and you can start the process anytime and work at your own pace. However, the more decluttered a home is, the calmer it will feel. Start with five minutes a day, or set yourself challenges of doing a room at a time. You could sell unwanted things, donate to charity or recycle the things that are no longer usable.
Helpful Hint – There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to decluttering your home. Do what feels right for you. If it feels better for you, then it’s working.
Self-care is very important
When you feel overwhelmed it is hard to get out of that headspace. This is when self-care can play a vital role. Try and allow yourself some time each day to do something for yourself. This might be a hot bath at the end of the day with some candles and aromatherapy oils, or maybe it is an early night. It could even be extra time spent on your skincare routine. The more self-care and time you give yourself, the easier it will be to feel calmer and think clearer.
Helpful Hint – Everybody’s version of self-care is different. So pick out things you know will make YOU feel good.
Plan for the week and future
Finally, make sure you take some time to plan for the week and for the future, such as holidays from school etc. We can often feel overwhelmed because we are turning up at the last minute for things or are forgetful of commitments. A Sunday evening is a great time to sit down with your planner and work things out. The more you think about future times like summer holidays, the more time you will give yourself to plan your days and feel more in control.
Helpful Hint – This is where a planner or family organiser can be useful.
Hopefully, these hacks will help you when it comes to dealing with family life overwhelm.
Win a Rachel Ellen A5 Busy Family Organiser
To help you create an organised family life, smoothing things out and feel more on top of things, especially when life is busy, we are lucky enough to have a Rachel Ellen A5 Busy Family Organiser to giveaway.
PRIZE: Rachel Ellen A5 Busy Family Organiser
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Rachel Ellen A5 Busy Family Organiser
