Start Young

The easiest time to learn how to follow routines AND reward yourself with something fun after the day's work is done is when you are a kid. 

You can't go back and train yourself as a child to learn these two things. However, you can teach your children and you can treat yourself as a child in this way: if your list seems to be too much, write down everything you need to get to in a day and feel the pleasure of checking off even the small things. Everything you work on is a step in the right direction. 

Here are some pictures of my children's lists - their charts. These lists help them do the things that are important to me and their teachers AND they allow them to take charge of their own day and have some say at a time when they are told everything to do and when to do it. 

(Earrings means for my daughter to twist hers or change them)

One day around the dinner table my husband looked at my kid's lips and said, "Wow, your lips are cracked and about to bleed! Maybe 'putting on chapstick' should be on your chart". The next day I put it on there and the kids have been taking care of even the most basic things themselves. 

In this app it's easy for my children to see the things they need to do - and those things change from day to day. The gray boxes are things that are not "due" that day; the yellow boxes are the things they need to do that day. Only the yellow boxes can be "checked" off so there's no confusion. Even my 3-year-old has this app figured out and LOVES checking off her own list. It's has nothing to do with the kid, but the fact that she has seen her siblings work on their own lists every day for her whole life. 

Think it's your job to remember when library books or homework is due? Give all those responsibilities to your children and watch them grow and develop as people. 

Seriously. 

It is amazing. 

My kids have a day once a week where they help me make dinner. It's not always perfect, but we have to start somewhere and kids love to help cook when you let them. 

I wanted my 5-year-old to learn our address and phone numbers. I made it part of her responsibilities and she takes care of it. 

When it's time to learn to tie shoes, practicing that goes on the list. 

Kids can learn how to look at the next day and prepare for it - picking out clothes for the following day or getting everything in their backpack are some ways they can start learning this important skill. 

It's easy to turn over responsibility to your children when what is expected of them is clearly laid out. It's difficult to remember what you are supposed to do, let alone what everyone else is hoping you'll help them remember. When the only thing you have to remind them to do is "check the list", your job just got a lot easier and they are on their way to learning how to take care of their own responsibilities - something you will both be grateful for when they are headed off to college. 

If you need to simplify your lists, try writing out every little thing you need to take care of. This will help you see the big picture and help you feel like you have accomplished something, even if it was "only getting dressed". Even sleeping and eating take time out of our days.