A Daily Routine

When my mind is overflowing with too much to do, it helps a lot to have a list of what I'm SUPPOSED to do. Mine hangs on my refrigerator, and I can peek at it all day long.

Preparing a List

It's fine to fill my day with lots of activity, but is it the right activity? Is it work that I want to do... or work that God wants me to do? How can I know?

Hopefully you've already decided what your priorities in life are and you've made goals that match those priorities. (You can download a sample goal-setting worksheet here.)

Quite simply, I try to remember that I have 5 priorities:

1. God must be first. I do this by being sure that I have set aside time to spend with Him in Bible reading and prayer.
2. My husband is next in importance. I keep him there by asking him what he wants me to do with my time, and then I discipline myself to do those things first.
3. My children are next. They have many needs from me, their mother, including nutritious meals, teaching and training, and love.
4. My home is next. For me, this priority is often already met as I clean the house for my husband and children.
5. Finally, I need to care for my spiritual family (my church) and for others in the "world" whom I'm trying to reach. Work responsibilities might also fall here.

Making the List Pretty

I enjoy not only making a list but making it pretty. As Edith Schaeffer writes in her book, The Hidden Art of Homemaking, God has created us with a desire for beauty all around us. He is a creator God, and He receives glory when we also create beauty in our service for Him.

If you have Microsoft Word, Open Office, or similar software on your computer, it's very easy to design something that's functional and pretty. Give your list a nice font, add a beautiful border or picture, put in a splash of color... and print!

Using the List

Now that your list has been printed and hung on your refrigerator, you need to get in the habit of using it.

I make a new list every few months, since things change in my life. The first few days I use a list, I slip it inside a plastic sheet protector and check off the boxes with a transparency pen as I accomplish each task.

After a few days, I might notice that one task is rarely accomplished, or maybe the list needs to be reordered. I write notes on the plastic so that I'll remember to change things.

The following Sunday, I make changes to the list on my computer and print a fresh one. Usually this list will serve me well for several months.

A Sample List

You're invited to download my sample list. I'm sure yours will be much different, since our homes, our children and our husbands are different.