S * I * M * P * L * I * F * Y

Do you ever get the feeling that trying to simplify your life is an incredibly complicated process? Or maybe it's just me. Every time I feel like I really need to get organized, I come up with some crazy and/or elaborate scheme and system to get myself organized, to simplify. How's that for ironic? The hubby's favorite one [insert sarcasm here] was when I had a detailed plan of how my day and the kids' day would go, right down to 15-minute increments. I admit, that wasn't the greatest idea for people like us. People like us, meaning, a family. I have no doubt I could be that regimented in my own life if I didn't always have these four other pesky people constantly horning in on my plans.

And, honestly, I've tried it all. Flylady, Manager of Their Homes, Motivated Moms, Organizing From the Inside Out, books, blogs, independent concoctions from my own streams of consciousness. All of it. Tried and failed miserably. Some work a little, some don't work at all, but I'm constantly searching for The Perfect System. Hmm...kind of like my constant search for The Perfect Bag...but I digress.

So anyway, I had a revelation one day: I don't need a system! What? No system? Well, no superficially concocted rigid and regimented system, anyway. Instead of imposing an alien set of rules and time limits on us from the outside, I would take what already works for my family and go from there.

I've been following this principle lately, and wow, talk about simplify! Doing what already works and throwing out everything else (idea-wise but also material-wise) -- how simple can you get? I feel like I can really take a deep breath and, to be completely cliche, like the blinders have fallen off my eyes. Right now Flylady's "born organized" are probably seriously amused by this and shaking your heads at me. (Hi mom.) So it takes me longer than most people to figure things out, so sue me.

In the off chance that this might help anyone else, I'd like to share the framework of our non-system. I don't do these things in a "do this, do this, do this" mindset, but rather I think of them as our family's goals. They're tried-and-true, so I know I want to work toward them because I know that they already work for my family.

• Have a FLEXIBLE schedule posted where everyone can see and follow along. The only time-sensitive things on our schedule are meal and sleep times and school, because I am anti-hunger and anti-overtiredness in any of us and I think it is important for Hannah's sake to try to "do school" at the same time every day. Everything else just either falls in to place or goes with the flow of the day. If we get to things, we get to them. If not, eh, I really don't care anymore.
  

• Have routines, but very, very short ones. I have five things to do in the morning, five things to do in the afternoon, and five things to do at night. This is probably where I am the most regimented, but I can sacrifice 45 minutes total of my day to rigidity for the sake of a harmonious home. I know that if I stick to getting just those 15 things done (and they're smallish things, like "make the bed"), it frees my mind up to actually get more things done of my own volition. It's like productivity begets productivity.

• Stay home. This is the number one best way to get things done and spend more time as a family. I haven't quite mastered this yet, but I am really getting there. I've cut down my commitments drastically in the past few months, and now I'm working on only going "to town" a couple days a week, besides church. I had a revelation that if our action as parents is that we are trying to get out as often as possible, we're conveying an attitude that home is boring and the only fun stuff happens when we're out. Being out is 99.9% equated with spending money and the kids usually get something as well, and that's really not something I'm comfortable with.

• Stay off the computer. I know, irony again, right? I'm not talking completely, but I was really racking up the hours there for a while. I've been trying something new for the past week and a half -- getting up before everyone else and having "me time" when it's just me. My choice of "me time" is always connected to the computer somehow. I wake up at 5:30 a.m. and get in my cozy recliner with the laptop. I start with an online Bible study and then on to everything else. I'm working toward not being on at all between 7 a.m. and when I put the kids to bed. As a bonus, it is a great feeling to be able to say good morning to the girls as they wake up instead of them jumping on top of me begging for me to get out of bed and feed them...like they need to eat or something in the morning. When I get that morning time, I don't feel like jumping on the computer every 15 minutes throughout the day just because I can.