On GAPS, there is so much to do. In addition to the usual responsibilities of parenting, work and personal care there is sauerkraut-making, cooking from scratch, etc.
One of the approaches that helps me most is the “Day In, Day Out” one. (This wasn’t what you thought I meant when you read the subject line, is it?) I schedule my life based on having every second day at home.
Home day:
- laundry
- setting up a ferment
- washing dishes (no dishwasher)
- tidying, cleaning
- bath
- writing to you
- paying bills online
- in-home appts (such as with my son’s occupational therapist)
- posting to Freecycle
- phoning (making appointments, arranging thrift shop pick-up, etc)
World Day:
- banking
- post office
- appointments
- returns
- shopping
- recycling
- most importantly: letting everything under “Home Day” go
Before heading out for World Day, I make a list and (I’m not kidding) a map! Well, not a map so much as a route. I write out all the stops I need to make, then re-write my list for the most efficient journey. This makes the whole trip go quickly and smoothly.
Having a Home Day lets you multi-task most efficiently and also gives you time off the most mundane chores. Having a World Day lets you transport yourself more effectively as well as enjoy people and sights.
Tip: Did you know lots of professionals will now come to you? Occupational therapists for your kids, mortgage brokers, you name it. Let them spend the hour on a return trip driving, parking, etc. You stay cozy, getting stuff done right up to the minute they arrive and then getting right back at it as soon as they’re out the door.
I have been doing this instinctively for years (including the route for my errands! Maybe I have a touch of OCD, but it works to reduce stess). Since my family is so large (now 6 at home, but at one time was 9), I do have to cook and deal with dishes everyday, but, beyond having the kids help (and having a dishwasher), I try to plan braises that can be cooking in the oven all day for the days out. Or something that the kids can make–and they are good cooks.
You make it so clear why I have resisted overbooking myself or the kids as homeschoolers. Sitting at home getting bored is a great education! It’s amazing what the kids can invent, learn, do, when left to their own devices. In the long run, taking time for ourselves is GOOD for the kids.
I’ve always dealt with my overwhelm issues by dividing what I need to do into “In Days” and “Out Days”. I also always functioned better with at least one day in to each day out. It is lovely to see this approach confirmed as healthy instead of worrying that it’s just an outgrowth of my own neurosis or weakness. I realize there are many lives that would make it impossible, but thank you for encouraging others to examine it as something that might be positive and useful.
P.S. I also make a “map” for my out days so I’m not exhausting myself to spending unnecessary travel money on zigsagging. We are SO on the same page.
I have read your in and out days with interest, a good idea but what about people who work fulltime and have an “out” day everyday. I was at home for years and now i work so I am wondering how to do that.Thanks
Hi Nancy,
Ah, there is an important detail…One can work full-time *away* from home or one can work fulltime *at* home! I don’t track my hours, but I work several contracts, all almost entirely from home. (I do have a meeting now and then out.)
Many regions have free career-planning courses that can help one tune in to what kind of work they are best suited to. Working independently demands intense discipline, but if a person’s profile shows this would be a good fit, such a program can help a person figure out a good match, etc.
Some examples of homebased jobs: massage, call center reception, studio, hairdressing, spa/esthetics, tutoring, photography, daycare, technical writing, property management, virtual office assistant, graphic design, desktop publishing, web design, doggie daycare, etc. With all of these, one can set the bone broth to simmer, then check it every few hours, no problem.