Step 2--Alloting Time

The good news is that we all have the same number of minutes in a day, the bad news is that there are definite time constraints. One must prepare meals, clean up messes and get some much-needed rest. That's a given. Those of us with younger children will have more of those minutes dedicated to the care and nurture of the young ones, but each minute spent to that effect will be well worth it.

Now that you have your list of EVERYTHING you want to do, it's time to assign a specific amount of time for each item. For example, on my list I have the following items:
Morning Chores
Bible Study
Writing
Math
Lunch
Sewing

Now I need to go and figure out how much time we're going to spend on each item and put this in the "Duration" column. It's important to figure in transition time and to give yourself and your family a little amount of a buffer, so that if something spills or some disaster occurs (which happens quite often in a house full of young children), your schedule won't be completely off for the rest of the day. You don't want to allot TOO much time, however, otherwise it will become too easy for inattention to take over and for frustration to get a foot hold, and that's what we're trying to avoid! We want to keep that habit of attention at the forefront. I should also mention that one of the incentives of having a tiny bit of time left over is that when assignments are finished early, there is a bit of time as a reward, time to fill with whatever suits your fancy, even if it is only a few moments.

So now I have:
Morning Chores (30 minutes)
Bible Study (20 minutes)
Writing (10 minutes)
Math (20 minutes)
Lunch (30 minutes)
Sewing (30 minutes)

Make sure you assign an amount of alloted time to EVERYTHING on your list. At first it may seem ridiculous. After all every day only has so many minutes in it...but remember, not everything is going to be done EVERY day. Seeing the time also helps to set your priorities and realize how valuable time really is.

So you have your list and you have a specific duration for each item. Now is the time to determine how OFTEN you want each of these to occur. Certain things will be done daily ie: Lunch, chores, clean-up, etc. and others will be done a couple of times a week, some weekly, some bi-weekly and some monthly. Put this in the "Frequency" column.

Here is an example of my "brain storm":