FRESH START: MODULE #5
Effortless Household Systems
Welcome to Module 5!
This week we’re closely examining our household systems, as these can cause us great stress and chaos as they spin out of control OR they can be the support system that allows us to breathe and have a measure of sanity in our everyday lives.
This week we’ll cover everything from the 4 Pillars of Healthy Family Systems to the 12 Systems Every Household Needs…. and a whole lot more.
And even though there’s a TON of material in this module – and I invite you to remember to rest (remember Module 2?) as you evaluate and plan and give yourself grace for the journey. The most important part of this module isn’t actually the systems themselves, but the space to become students of our homes and our families so that we create systems that serve US rather than us falling into the all-too-common trap of feeling like slaves to our systems.
After all, our goal is to let our systems become effortless. ‘Effortless’ doesn’t mean without work, it means free of straining, exhausting work. When there’s good communication within a family and very clear expectations on what is expected from every member, as well as consistent follow-through on rules and consequences, then the systems you put in place can run efficiently and pleasantly – almost automatically.
It is at that point when household management feels nearly effortless. And that truly is a blessing. 🙂
Got Questions? Visit your dashboard.
LET’S DIG IN….
THE LESSON
How to Get the Most Out of Fresh Start
Listen to the audio in each week’s module FIRST, then use the worksheets and other downloads to think, sketch, and plan. This will help you make the best strides forward and will bring the most encouragement and inspiration.
Resources for Working Through This Week’s Assignments
Task #1: Write a Family Mission Statement
Resources:
How to Write a Family Mission Statement
Creating a Family Mission Statement
why we need to stop trying so hard
Task #2: Create a command center / homemaking binder
Resources:
How to Create a Family Emergency Binder
Keep in mind: There are three reasons we set systems in place…
…One, to minimize and streamline our own workload;
…Two, to bring more joy and peace into our homes; and
…Three, to serve your vision of what you long for your home to be.
So, what is a system? A system is merely a planned, intentional method for making sure goals are reached. So while *most* systems include charts and spreadsheets and measurable outcomes, not all do. Some systems are merely well-thought-out, intentional, repeatable actions.
Time Markers:
- The description of the two parts of the podcast begins at 02:21.
- The background and genesis of why I created this module is at 04:46.
- The introduction to “WHAT are our systems serving?” begins at 05:47.
- The 4 Pillars of Healthy Family Systems begins at 06:17.
- The section looking at barometers of success and becoming students of our homes begins at 16:44.
- The section on Three-Dimensional Living begins at 23:00.
- The twelve systems every household needs begins at 24:16.
See below for this week’s downloads
Keep in mind: These are helpful links, but they’re not terribly useful without listening to the podcast first. The depth and strength of this module is explained in the podcast, so don’t skip it!
Resources for The 12 Household Systems Every Home Needs + Creating a “Command Central”
…find hundreds more resources at the Home System Resource List….
Cleaning & Tidying the House
1 Year Cleaning List on 1 Page from Rebekah Hoffer (love this!)
Deep Cleaning Checklist from Nina Hendrick
Weekly Cleaning Routine from Clean Mama
How to Clean Your Whole House Without Nasty Chemicals from Red & Honey
Printable Chore Cards from Biblical Homemaking (these are super-cute AND super-classy!)
Meal Preparation
Simple blank meal planner from Life as Mom (so simple – just perfect 🙂 )
Other Food Preparation (Pantry Staples, Freezer Meals, etc)
Pantry Inventory Spreadsheet from Pulling Curls
Pantry Organizing Mistakes from Nina Hendrick
Freezer Cooking 101 from Thriving Home Blog
Laundry
How to Stop Being Overwhelmed By Laundry from Red & Honey
Family finances
Keeping a budget is absolutely essential for the efficient management of a home. Whether you merely track spending in a spreadsheet or use a proactive app like You Need a Budget (affectionately called YNAB – “Why-nab”), creating and maintaining this system is of utmost importance. I highly recommend making it a priority to set aside just a few minutes each evening to record the day’s expenditures and take stock of where you want to be.
Here are a few useful tools. I like YNAB the most by far, and its strongest benefit is helping you be in control of your money RIGHT NOW, but it’s not as useful for those who have a solid portfolio and want to forecast spending out more than just a month.
You Need a Budget (YNAB)
Teaching children money management
How We Use YNAB to Manage Allowances from Early Bird Mom
Can You Teach Your Children About Money? This Father of Five Says “YES!” from Beyond the Classrom
9 Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money from Stewardship
Morning routines
How to Establish a Morning Routine for Kids That Actually Works from A Fine Parent
12 Daily Routine Charts for Kids from Carrots Are Orange
Reframe Your Morning Routine from Aha! Parenting
Evening routines
Building an Evening Routine with Kids of Different Ages from Aha! Parenting
A Better Bedtime Routine – Getting Kids to Go to Bed from A Mom with a Lesson Plan
20 Tips for Finding Your Routine with Kids from The Art of Simple
Storage – both daily organization and long-term storage
See skads of tips & tutorials on Nourishing Joy’s Pinterest board, Making a Home
Paperwork – school papers, bills & more
Organizing Family Paperwork: A Simple System from Early Bird Mom
How to Organize Paperwork (and keep it that way!) from The Peaceful Mom
Emergency preparedness
How to Create a Family Emergency Binder from Mom with a Prep
A system of encouragement
How to Have a Family Meeting from And Here We Are
Creating a “Command Central”
Building a Home Planning Notebook from Passionate Homemaking
How to Create a Command Center That Works for Your Family from Unoriginal Mom
Want more?
We’ve gathered 100+ more homemaking printables, tutorials, and how-to’s into one comprehensive Home System Resource List, so if you’d like to get more ideas or dig deeper, just click here.
Resources
PLUS OTHER LINKS YOU MIGHT FIND HELPFUL….
Downloads
These downloads are printables that our family uses in OUR home. However, there are lots more ideas below and in the links provided to deliver practical tools and ideas as you evaluate and tweak the systems in your home.
HIGH 5 CHART
The first page of this printable is the one we use in our home (and includes our children’s names), but the second page is blank for you to use in whatever way you’d like.
TEAM CHORE CHARTS
We do chores as a team, partially to help our preschoolers learn how to do each chore well, as well as keep them focused.
PERPETUAL CALENDAR
To keep track of those recurring tasks…
WEEKLY HOUSEHOLD ORGANIZATION CHART
A customizable chart to keep track of tasks at a “Week at a Glance”
DAILY BLOCK SCHEDULE CHART
A customizable chart with the day broken into blocks
TITLE OF DOWNLOAD
Description of download (optional)