Be Intentional Baby Step 18 – Why It’s Important To Write Out a Daily Schedule

As a reminder, the 30 Be Intentional baby steps are designed to get you on the right foot, the right track and give you energy, efficiency and organization which will propel you into a life that is able to develop an overall financially smart, happy and frugal home. 

So we are now ready to move into the 4th category of 5 in our Be Intentional 30 Baby Step Challenges as we work to take baby steps to change 5 major areas of life! So that next category is the SCHEDULE! We have a few steps and a few fun downloads for this category, but today’s is quite simple…….

Be Intentional Baby Step #18

Why It’s Important to Write Out The Daily Schedule

This one is all up to you and your family.  Every family and household is different and each family has their own daily plan – but we encourage you to plan it out and get your day scheduled!

Here’s why this is important:

• It is a quick and easy way to stay on track and stay on path!
• It clears your mind so that you can think on other important things.
• It ensures that you take care of yourself, your home, your daily needs/requirements, etc.
• It let’s you and your family begin to develop a routine each day, which ultimately leads to a more productive life.
• It leads to healthy habits for children in both life and in growth.

What this is NOT:

• A to-do list (this is coming, but it is different than a schedule!)
• A goal sheet (we’ve already done this during the baby steps!)
• Suggestions

Further details: 

Now while we can’t tell you what exactly to put on your schedule as no two schedules are alike, we will encourage you to put some of the former baby steps on your schedule: they are baby steps that you can incorporate to your day to make it much smoother, to feel great and accomplish much.

The home items to include in your schedule are:

• Make your bed (1-5 minutes)
• 20 minute quick clean (20 minutes)
• Your nighttime routine (10 – 15 minutes)
• Stretching and breathing exercise (5 minutes)

Of course menu planning could be once a week or once a month depending on how you do it.  This total list of daily home items adds around 36- 45 minutes onto your schedule, but they are very intentional items that if you literally had the busiest day ever and could do nothing more around your home, this short list will keep it tidy and in order.  Then on the day’s you have time for more, it means that you are that much more ahead on your tidy and home tasks!

In addition, the sleeping and waking schedule, and hydrate and taking vitamins really add no time, just make you feel better and more productive! This list of things you do for yourself adds a very miniscule amount of time to your day, but it actually gives you extra time as you are much more efficient and feel great too!  If it helps, on your daily schedule, have check boxes for your water intake as well as check boxes for your vitamins and stretching/breathing routine across the bottom or on the margins of your page so you don’t forget to take care of yourself!

How to do it:

Just make it a simple list!

We can make one schedule that hangs on our fridge, but then we have a calendar for special events, etc. On those day’s our schedule changes slightly.  But for the most part, we have the same schedule everyday (at least M – F). If you have many things going on, but it is the same each day of the week (like every Tuesday is piano lessons, etc.), considering taking a few minutes to write out the schedule for all 7-days and then each day put that day’s schedule on the fridge for all to see.  Even laminate them so they last longer 🙂

Our schedule just simply states what times things will occur (Wake times, breakfast, lunch, dinner, school times, work times, play times, bed times, etc.) along with the daily personal and home tasks.

One final thing…..

We also have a Facebook Group where you can engage in discussions, receive encouragement and talk to others that are participating in the challenges too for more ideas! Head to the Be Intentional with The Thrifty Couple Facebook Page HERE and ask to join us there! You can also invite friends and spouses too!