How to tame your scatterbrain

I’m not a super-organized person. I enjoy being organized; I’m just terrible at it. That said, I’m juggling so many different things right now, that my life is pretty hectic. I used to think the reason I was so lousy at housework and finding time for things like mom-crafts and practicing music was because I had too many things on my plate. 

I do have an insanely ridiculous amount of things on my plate. But I realized that’s not my problem. My issue is that I’m terrible at time management. I decided to try something that could help me be more productive. 

To help minimize time wasted when transitioning from one task to another, I began by making a detailed schedule for myself. I then created the Glorious Daily Planner to help keep myself organized. It has seven unique designs for each day of the week, each with a different Bible verse to color. 

I’m currently homeschooling my daughter, so I made her a schedule that runs concurrently with mine. Brilliant idea, right? I barely follow this at all. This is just my starting point. Problem is, there are too many variables from day to day and week to week. So what I use this for, specific as it appears, is a guideline. 

The real tool that helps control my scatterbrain is the custom schedule I make every day when I start my morning. I’ve found I’m somewhat able to stick to it, within thirty minutes or so. I use gel pens to make it sparkly and pretty, although my writing is pretty awful, which is why I general prefer to type everything up. 

In addition to this I have one more chart that I use to help me be productive. This is my household chores chart. It doesn’t include daily tasks such as sweeping the floor and doing the dishes, but rather the weekly or monthly ones that I despise the most and usually procrastinate until I feel like a disgusting person. Like sorting through the stack of mail and schoolwork by the microwave *shudders*, which for some reason I can’t force myself to do, but when I don’t, it makes the whole kitchen look messy. 

I’ve found consistently that on the days I follow the schedule and finish one or two items on the monthly chores chart, I feel so much better at the end of the day. I feel like I’ve been accountable for my time as a work-at-home-mom, and I’ve been somewhat productive. 

Everyone needs a little time to gel out and relax. I try to include a reading and craft break every day (probably actually happens about three times a week). I’ve found I’m happier if I’m more productive during the day, rather than taking extended social media breaks where I’m basically just checking my notifications (yay! Someone retweeted my status. Almost nobody is following me on Pinterest. Figures. Gotta check my blog stats! Twenty times a day!). When the kids are in bed is when I can relax with mindless behavior like reading or checking social media.