The Anti-To Do List

On Tuesday, I wrote about trying to establish a new routine.  One of the comments I got asked if I had ever heard of the "Anti To-Do List".

I think this sounds like a great idea. No one likes to be bossed around, though having a to-do list, and getting to cross things off that list can be pretty motivating. What if we flipped that philosophy on it's head though, and started writing down the useful things that we actually get done?

Today my day would look something like this:

-  write Thursday's blog post
-  do some online housekeeping for the CFPN

What does your Anti To-Do List look like today?

Trying to Establish a New Routine

As I've previously mentioned, I'm working two days a week outside our home now. This has required me to think about how I would like to establish new routines for the days I am home.  A few weeks ago, I had a lovely, productive day, but ever since, I've been fighting to get back to that.

Here are some things I would like to incorporate into my daily routine on the days I am home:

1)  Bible Reading--This needs to be incorporated into every day, but I'll have more time for it on the days that I am home. Our church always reads through the One Year Bible, and my sister got me one for my birthday this year, so I do try to read it regularly, though I have not cemented it into my routine as much as I should.

2)  Women's Bible Study lesson--I have Bible study every Tuesday night during the school year, and I need to get better about doing my lesson throughout the week, rather than leaving it until the day before.

3)  Daily Housework--Ideally, I would like to do one load of laundry as needed, and keep up with the dishes.  Both of these are an "as needed" type of chore, but the dishes need to be done every day, and the laundry needs to be done every three days at minimum.

4)  Weekly Housework--Since it's still just the two of us around here, most of the housework really doesn't need to be done THAT often. In fact, I think a few things might even be able to be done every two weeks. I'm trying to decide whether I want to do everything one week, and then nothing the next week, or do the kitchen & living room one week, and the bathroom the next week?

5)  Piano practice--We have a keyboard now, so it would probably be a good idea to practice! (I want to anyway!)  I'd like to put in 30 minutes a day. Music really speaks to my soul and I feel so much better after I take some time to play.

6)  Stephanie's Crocheted Creations--I really haven't done much crocheting this fall, and I should probably get back at it so I can list more things on Etsy and/or Facebook, or take more items to the consignment store.

7)  Prep for the days I'm NOT home--Since I'm gone two days a week, I need to take some time on the days I AM home to prepare for being gone, whether that's by preparing Tuesday's dinner on Monday, or doing an extra load of laundry.

The Ultimate Goal: Avoid "Can't Have Anyone Over" Syndrome and be able to invite people over for Sunday lunch or dinner without having to schedule it six weeks in advance. Living 20 minutes from church means that we're kinda far away from everyone else, and it can be difficult or time consuming to get together with people during the week. Some of my favorite memories growing up were when we'd have people over for lunch on Sundays after church, and I'd love to be able to continue that tradition.

I'd also like to avoid having to do housework on Saturdays when Daniel is home so that we can do the things we want to do on the weekends, rather than hang out at home catching up on housework.

How do you structure your day? Do you schedule your whole day, or only schedule half to allow for interruptions?