3 Easy Ways to Take Back Control of Your Week

There are some things you can’t control in your week. Work, kids, sports, they all seem to take over our lives if we let them. 

What can you control?

• How you use your time

• Your attitude

• Your priorities

For me, I realized that I was being too reactive in my week. I had to clean the floors again because my mom was coming over and all the girls in my house shed our hair regularly so my floors look hideous. I had to go to the grocery store again because I didn’t have all of the ingredients I needed for dinner because I failed to plan ahead. I could go on and on here, but I digress. 

When I plan ahead, things go much smoother and I am much happier. We all know what happens when Mama’s happy, right? 

Here’s what I do to take back control of my week…

I meal plan.

In my house, I am the primary meal planner. Others have input. I delegate some meals to others, but I am definitely the shopper, so I know what is on the menu. I went into detail about my meal planning strategy over here, in case you missed it. By meal planning, I am able to avoid most of those “extra trips” to the grocery store and the impulse buys that always seem to happen. 

I have a cleaning plan.

I am a lazy housekeeper. I don’t like to do it. I am not gifted with the cleaning gene. I am better at tidying things when motivated by someone coming over. Those days have been few and far between around here, so I need a better plan. I discovered that my avoidance of cleaning probably has to do with the fact that when I get to cleaning, it turns into a huge project because there are so many parts that need to be done. This is where my cleaning plan comes into play. What if I didn’t need to do all of it all at once? What if I did a little bit each day? I know this is not rocket science and some of you are already on this train, but I’m a slow learner. Okay. 

What I have done is write down all the cleaning chores that need to be done. All of them. Not just the room that they are in, but the specific task. I need to wipe the bathroom mirrors, clean the countertops, scrub the toilet, sweep the floor, mop the floor, etc. You get the idea. Then I divided those up into categories for how frequently I really need to do them. Some are daily or every other day, like the countertops in the kitchen. Others are weekly, like the toilets. Next, I plugged those into days of the week for what works for me. I can adjust this as I see fit because it is my plan. That’s the beauty of it all. I do what works for me! 

So, by practicing this plan, I am able to keep up with things much easier and I don’t have to panic clean when visitors are expected. Do I cheat on my plan sometimes? You bet I do, because I made the plan and I do what I want, but at least I have a plan. I can check things off and move on with my day. I used to dread the fact that I had so much cleaning to do on the weekend because I had so much to do. Now, I spread it out over the week and I no longer want to gouge my eyeballs out with a grout brush. 

I have a reconnection plan.

This third secret to taking back control of my life is all about the social connections that I desperately need. If I feel like I am going through my life by my lonesome, everything starts to feel really heavy in life. I combat this by having a plan to reconnect with my family and friends. 

For me, this means a weekly Zoom call with my mom and brothers and all the cousins to just talk about life and update what is happening. Seriously, we have never been more in the know about what is going on with each other until now. The cousins mostly speak when spoken to, but they are mostly having side conversations on other devices, perhaps mocking the adults who make them do this every Sunday. But the truth is, that I love that time. 

In our immediate household, this also means scheduling movie night or game night regularly so we have something to expect and look forward to each week. We treasure these times, especially as my girls get busy with school. My brother and his family with two elementary age kiddos have a weekly bike ride that ends at a local place that has board games that they play together. It is good for the soul to schedule in some recreation. 

For you, this could mean one of these examples or maybe you need to set a regular time for checking in with a friend on the phone or Facetime. Whatever it is that helps you reconnect with other people in your life, just get something on the calendar so you can make sure that it is prioritized in your week. It is that important!

By taking these 3 easy steps, I feel like I have more control over my week. I am no longer chasing things, but setting myself up for success. If you can’t control it all, at least control these three things. You may still have times that go wonky, but if you had a plan in the first place, it is much easier to pivot to a new plan when needed. 

Which of these strategies is the one that you need to focus on in your life? Tell me in the comments below.

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