Category: Routine

zone work.

1/8/2019

This week, as part of the Farmhouse654 12-week Challenge, we are looking at our habits and routines.

We have chosen a few areas of our lives where it would be helpful to have a routine written down so we can follow it for the next month and make it a habit.

I finally feel like I am to that point with my Morning Routine.

I wake up and start my favorite coffee in the Keurig.

I make my bed,
do my quiet time,
start a load of laundry,
shower,
& get ready for my day...

A morning routine...without even thinking about it! Wow!

I'm currently working to get my bedtime routine just as automatic.

Two of the big pieces of my bedtime routine include laying everything out for the next day AND doing a "quick pickup" of the house, where all five of us set a 15-minute timer and do just what it sounds like...PICK UP!

This really has helped the house to not get too out of control lately.

Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge

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This is a group to track our progress over the first twelve weeks of 2019 and share our successes for the Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge!

These daily routines are so important to help keep the house manageable.

And when I started following the FlyLady 10-15 years ago, I learned how important cleaning zones in our homes can be too for those "deep-cleaning" tasks.

The basic concept is for you to divide your home into various zones.

I used to try and make sure I was getting through every single zone every single month.

However, starting this next week, I think I'll put my house on an eight-week zone rotation.

Front Porch, Living Room, Deck
Kitchen & Mud Room
Dining Room & Laundry Room
Downstairs Bathroom & Mattie's Room
Our Bedroom & Office
Older Girls' Bedrooms Upstairs
Upstairs Bathroom & Playroom
Outside the House & Basement

Today, and for the rest of this week, I'll be focusing on deep-cleaning the front porch, the living room, and our deck.

I make a list of tasks to get these three areas "all spiffied up" and I work on that list for 15-30 minutes a day (depending on each night's activities).

Here is my list for this week. ⬆️

As I am working through my list for this week, I'm thinking about my zone for next week (kitchen & mud room) and things that need to be finished in those rooms.

I just work to get what I can finished each evening and try to finish up on Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.

Zone work isn't meant to be stressful.

It's just a way to get some of those deep-cleaning tasks (that we often neglect) finished every eight weeks. If you get to the end of the week and a few tasks aren't complete, just move on and get those tasks finished on the next round.

So...your task for today is to divide your home into zones.

You can decide how many.

You can decide what types of tasks to put on your zone lists.

The important part is to start to develop some habits for deep-cleaning a little at a time, instead of just constantly being stuck in the cycle of having a BIG cleaning day every few weeks.

Working my zones at the farmhouse this morning!

❤️?❤️

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morning routine.

12/12/2018

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One of the things that really helps me to stay on track during the stress of the school year is trying to be productive early on each day.

I'm not a good "sleeper-inner", but there are also mornings that I get up early and do more sitting and wasting time than doing my best work.

Because of this, I've developed a morning routine that is built on habits and not a lot of random time-consuming choices.

My morning routine really starts the night before when we lay clothes out and prepare for the next day (more on that coming in another post).

When I wake up (between 4:45-5:00 usually), the very first thing I do is make our bed (unless Mr. Farmhouse is still sleeping).

It's not always perfect (as you can see in the picture), but it sure feels better climbing in a bed that's somewhat neat every night, instead of straightening it all out to find the sheet before we lie down.

For a long time, I did everything else each morning and either made the bed before we walked out the door or didn't make the bed at all.

However, in August of this year, I decided to make my bed every single morning and build the habit. It stuck. I don't even think about it anymore and when I leave my bedroom, I've already got a little bit of productivity under my belt.

I used to shower and get dressed & ready for the day right after that, but I have realized that in the wintertime especially, I love drinking my coffee and doing my morning Bible reading and prayer time in my warm and cozy jammies. I just have to be sure to set a timer or I would sit there all day!

I have found that taking a nice chunk of time each morning for my coffee, Bible study, prayer time, and running through my day BEFORE THE GIRLS GET UP really starts my day off on the right foot.

I am usually going through a few Bible studies at the same time on my YouVersion Bible app. You can see the ones I was working on this morning in the images below.

If you didn't get to check out my post on the Bible app a while back, feel free to check it out here.

I love the fact that my entire Bible study is at my fingertips from my phone and I love the fact that I can connect with the girls over Scripture.

If you check out the screenshot to the left, the girls and I are going through a study called "Indescribable" right now.

We read the study, read the Scripture that goes with it, and discuss our new understandings and challenges that come along with the information.

After I've done my Bible study, I stop for some formal prayer time. I either journal or talk out loud with Jesus. I read prayers out loud sometimes about specific things or I type my prayers out, as if I were writing a letter to God. At times, I go back and read my prayers and thank God for all He has done for us to see us through difficult times or bring clarity when we are feeling unsure.

I pray for our girls, for our parents, for my students and colleagues. I pray for our nation, for our President, and that our lives would be a reflection of the love of Jesus. And then...my timer goes off.

I have found that I HAVE to set a timer during the morning to keep myself on track or I will get carried away reading or during my prayer time and before I know it...I have forgotten to get the girls up and we are running late.

So by 5:45, I like to have the girls up and going before I jump in the shower. I get dressed, fix my hair, and occasionally whip up some eggs. A lot of the time I don't even eat breakfast...fancy people call it "intermittent fasting" and I call it "I'm just not hungry yet."

My girls always grab something to eat...they are breakfast people.

We are...er, really try to be, out the door by 6:30.

Once the girls are up and running, I know that my day won't be quiet again until they all climb into bed that night.

This is why that morning time in the peace and quiet of the farmhouse seems so valuable to me.

I'm working hard to be centered and intentional with my time and getting up early is just another piece of that puzzle for me.

My morning routine helps me to be the best version of myself, for Mr. Farmhouse, my girls, the rest of my family, my staff, and my students.

Trying to "rise & shine" from the farmhouse,
Hannah

❤️🏡❤️

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zone work.

morning routine.

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