Regularly Scheduled Programming

A.A. Milne, the creator of the Winnie the Pooh stories, once said, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”  Wise words for a “bear of very little brains,” don’t you think?

I mentioned in a previous post that I had recently overhauled our daily schedule.  I try to do this on a fairly regular basis so that life around here does not get “all mixed up.”  In her book, Choices that Lead to Godliness, Donna Morley relates a story of Philipp Melanchthon, who lived during the Reformation. 

“To hold himself accountable, Philipp kept a record of how he spent his time.  And each day he calculated how much time he had wasted and confessed it to the Lord.” (pg. 99)

I have almost always had some sort of daily schedule to organize my day.  At first, it was nothing more than a daily to-do list.  That worked fine for a while, but after Hannah was born, I began to understand just what it takes to run a home (budgeting, cooking, cleaning, all while caring for a child…Thanks Mom!!).  And, my simple little to-do list began to evolve into the slightly more complicated system I use now. 

I know that some will hear the word schedule, or routine, and think immediately of rigidity, or restriction.  Like anything else, it is a tool that can be (and often is) misused.  But, when used correctly, it offers great flexibility and freedom.  For me, it is a method of personal accountability and discipline in the area of my time.  My husband has entrusted the day-to-day care and operation of our home to me.  Using a daily schedule allows me to see what needs to be accomplished, and go about doing that in an organized and efficient manner, ensuring that I do not waste, or fritter away precious time.

I like structure, organization, and routine – sometimes maybe a little too much!  It could be easy to get caught up in following the almighty schedule.  But, I have to remind myself of Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  Sometimes, despite the most rigid schedule, life happens.  Toddlers have potty accidents just as you are getting ready to walk out the door.  Children (or parents!) get sick.  Cars break down, and spend days in the shop.  As hard as one might try, there are just some things that cannot be planned!

But, there are events that allow for, and even require careful thought and planning.  And, as children, and families, grow and change – and so do their needs and abilities.  Just before Christmas, I realized that a few things in our life had changed, but, they were not being reflected in our daily schedule and routine.  There were also some new activities that I hoped to include in our day at the start of the new year.   On paper, things still looked good.  But, a closer look at the dusty furniture, or my unmopped kitchen floor, revealed that what was taking place in reality did not even remotely match what was on paper.  So, I spent a “typical” week writing down everything that we (Hannah and I) did – not what we were supposed to do, but what we actually did – and how long it took.

As a result, I realized that there were some things that I had started to forget, put off, or just did not have time for, and I needed to reevaluate the usefulness of our schedule.  Things that I thought were only taking a few minutes were actually taking much longer (because I now have the constant company of 2 very eager, but very small, helping hands!).  And large blocks of time were devoted to activities that were no longer a part of our daily life!  (For example, I had never changed our daily schedule to reflect the fact that Hannah had dropped her 3-hour afternoon nap!)  Although I try to plan for regular tweaking and evaluation of our schedule, this time, the changes were so drastic, it made me realize that Hannah is growing up – fast.  The time I have left with her is so short!  I want to spend it purposefully and intentionally teaching and training her to be a godly woman…whether we are sorting laundry, scrubbing toilets, learning to read, or memorizing verses!

In reevaluating my time, and subsequently overhauling our daily schedule, I used a few simple questions from Donna Morley (Choices that Lead to Godliness).  As you look at your own to-do list, calendar, or schedule, maybe consider these questions for yourself:

• What could I eliminate?
• What took too long?
• How could I save time?
• Was I giving enough time to the most important tasks, such as studying God’s Word and prayer? (pg. 99)

(To be continued…)