Can we agree that 2020 has thrown most of us for a loop? (Quite honestly, for our household the last few months of 2019 packed a pretty mean punch, as well.)

We were going about our daily lives… each of us, used to living life a certain way and then all of a sudden… BOOM! All of our lives changed overnight. Think about it. One day (most likely some time in March) you could simply drop the children off at school and head to the office for a normal day of work. The next day you had to keep them home, figure out distance learning, and set-up zoom calls. While in the background the news reports sounded like scenes from a movie. Did you think to yourself, “Is the really happening?” I know, I did and some days I still do. I consoled myself with thoughts of this being extremely temporary. Well, hello six months later.

As the days turned into weeks, my normally regimented schedule quickly turned went out the door. Between the business, the telecommuting, the toddler, the bills, the cooking, the toddler, the cleaning, the husband, and the toddler and the cooking some more… I. Was. About. To. Lose. It. The to-do list, in my mind, was pulling my attention every directions. The sudden change to my normal way of life and all the unknown variables felt overwhelming and left me lacking the ability to focus on anything. Not my daughter, not my husband and most certainly not my work.

When I stopped and looked around my home, there was clutter everywhere! For me, that was a clear warning sign. My home was an outward demonstration of what I was feeling mentally. I needed to fix and quick! It was time to push the reset button. Not only did I have to accept that this was my new normal, I had to adjust the way I approached each day to deal with it.

I had to redefine and recapture The Uncluttered Lifestyle that I loved during a time when things felt so unstable. To me, having an uncluttered lifestyle goes beyond the act of organizing. It encompasses every aspect of my day-to-day life. I strive to have a plan and some sort of order to my life. It keeps me productive and fixed on the big picture.

How would I recapture The Uncluttered Lifestyle I love, while living during this crazy time? I needed to regain control over what I could control… my day! These were the steps that I took:

• Make a list of ALL the items that need to get done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Even the mundane tasks like feeding the dog got put on the schedule.
• Create a daily “ideal” schedule with time blocks. Time blocking allows you to focus on specific tasks at set times during the day. Your mind is not being pulled in multiple directions because there is scheduled time to handle everything.
• Add household tasks (i.e. cleaning, laundry) and personal growth related items to to-do lists spread out across the week.
• Meal Plan, Meal Plan, Meal Plan!!! (Listen… every meal in our house has been homecooked since the end of February and the last time I set foot in a grocery store was Saturday, March 14th. I was ordering groceries based on what our standard items were and not meals. Imagine standing in front of the fridge and trying to put a meal together with no clear direction. Exhausting, especially when you can’t just say, “Hey, lets go out to eat.” For the record, I used to meal plan all the time. Not sure why I got away from it, but I am so glad I started again.)
• Create a shopping list from the meal plan.

Don’t forget to add these two essential items to the schedule.

• Schedule time for self-care. Say it with me, “If I don’t take care of myself, I CANNOT take care of someone else.” Whether is waking up before the rest of house or enjoy 30 minutes at the end of the day, self care is absolutely necessary.
• Make time to reconnect with your loved one. Being at home with the children all day, while working full-time and taking care of the home is no doubt, exhausting, but keeping relationships built up are important. (Sometimes we just sit next to each other and do our own thing. The quiet togetherness is sometimes our way reconnecting.)

Creating an organized schedule was a necessary first step to regaining control and adding some sort of order back to my day.

Iesha