4 Tips to Help Implement Your Schedule

The biggest challenge surrounding schedules is implementing them. Many times we tend to dive in head first trying to work in the entire schedule on the first day and wonder why we fail. We then become discouraged and believe a schedule isn't a right fit for us or our family. The schedule will work if you work the schedule. And you need to take it slow.

We somehow get this tendency to be successful at everything right away and if we are not, there must be something wrong with us. We think that everyone else can do it but us. But success does take time and slow, baby steps.

4 Tips for Implementing Your Schedule

1. Begin gradually. This was one of my downfalls. I tried to implement the whole schedule at once and it failed in utter disaster and discouragement. I highly recommend you work it in slowly. You can set yourself a goal on how many items you will implement per week, until they are all covered.

2. Choose an important task to start with. Looking over your schedule, choose something on it that you have not already implemented, but that is a foundation for your day. For me, this would be getting up early, before the children do, so I can have my quiet time with God and preparing for the day. This one, small task sets the tone for the entire day. Use caution: If you find the task to be especially challenging, please choose something less challenging so that you do not get discouraged. Starting new habits can be hard as it is. Choose something you can succeed at so you are encouraged to move forward.

3. Build the skeleton. Your schedule should have a foundational "skeleton". What I mean by that is, there should be certain defining tasks each day that make up the skeleton of your schedule. For example, your personal time with God, devotions/Bible reading with your children, meals, naps, bed times. If you homeschool, your skeleton comes complete with skin! Homeschooling takes up a good majority of the day and it's something that must be accomplished. So, build the skeleton of your schedule first, and then fill in the holes.

4. Consider a 3-month implementation goal. Rather than trying to squeeze your schedule onto your family in 1 or 2 weeks {with the possibility of falling off the wagon because it was too much change too fast}, consider spreading the implementation out over 3 months. It would cut down on "schedule shock" for you and your children and allow you to become comfortable with one thing before moving on to the next thing.

Recognize the importance of the schedule for your life and for your family. Keep in mind that the slow and steady implementation is much more likely to reap results than the fast paced, I-just-want-to-get-it-going mentality. The slow pace is more likely to succeed. Be careful, too, of becoming lax as things go smoothly. They are going smoothly because you are following your schedule--stick to it!

Do you have a tip for implementing your schedule?

For His Glory,

Christin Slade
ChristinSlade.com