What is it?
At Grace in the Race, weâre continually encouraging moms to do most of the things, most of the time. Most, being the keyword.
MotherShip Weekly Routines and Weekly Races are designed with âmostâ in mind. They provide actionable steps that will help you make consistent progress on your weekly to-do list. As a result, youâll gain a sense of accomplishment and peace of mind with less overwhelm because the system propels you to keep moving forward with grace.
Weekly Routines helps you to get more intentional around the tasks youâre already doing each week. Adding intention to these tasks invites you to consider your time and energy in order to set reasonable expectations for what you can actually accomplish on a weekly basis. With a plan in place – set to cruise control – your task list will become less daunting and more manageable.
Weekly Races give you peace of mind in just 5 minutes a day! You might be thinking that 5 minutes is hardly enough time to accomplish anything, but how often do you tackle something that youâve been avoiding for months, only to realize it took you far less time than you thought it would?
Races work in a similar fashion only preemptively. By giving just 5-minutes a week to these tasks, youâll save yourself the guilt, dread and agony of procrastination from the above scenario. Youâll be shocked at the difference 5-minutes will make!
Why do moms need this?
We all have things we need to do on a weekly basis, however, chances are, you address these things in a reactive fashion rather than a proactive one. In other words, you let the piles (of paper, laundry, etc.) accumulate to the point that they are driving you mad and then feel overwhelmed by having to address them. Or, you find yourself running to the grocery store five times per week when you realize youâre out of something.
Thereâa a better way! Weekly Routines spread those tasks over the whole week and breaks them down so they are more manageable.
Weekly Races account for the smaller tasks like cleaning out your purse, and your car, and tackling those piles that tend to build up all over the house. With a quick daily ârace,â youâll stay ahead of the problem areas that can sneak up on you.
How to use Weekly Routines and Races
Weekly Routines are designed to put life on repeat. It takes those tasks that we regularly chase and sets them to automatically repeat on the same day each week. This eliminates decision fatigue, frees us up our time and energy and helps us to feel productive.
Are you ready to fly through your tasks with ease?
Hereâs your Weekly Routine:
MONDAY: Monthly Home Targets
Monthly Home Targets focus on deeper cleaning, organizing, restocking and decluttering around your home. Any one of those tasks could feel overwhelming, however, we make these tasks more manageable by breaking them into four Home Targets that correspond to four areas of your home. The goal is to address one target each week so that by the end of each month, youâve canvased your entire home. Weâll address this practice in detail in the MotherShip: Monthly Home Targets. For now, simply note that on Mondays, youâll address your Monthly Home Target.
TUESDAY: Paper Clutter
Paper clutter comes in many forms: bills, receipts, abandoned drafts of computer printouts, coupons, random scrap paper, kidsâ schoolwork, etc. This is the time to address it. File what you intend to keep, recycle what you can and trash what you canât. Donât just organize the piles, aim to clear away the clutter!
WEDNESDAY: Errands & Appointments
Get in the habit of scheduling all of your appointments on the same day of the week. Consider this example; when you call the pediatrician to make an appointment for your childâs physical and they ask you for a day/time, you can look to Wednesdays knowing that youâve already made yourself available for that day.
The same goes for errands. If you know thatâs your designated day, you can consolidate your drive time and plan accordingly. For example, on Tuesday, when you organize your paper clutter, you can grab those return receipts along with your items to return and put them right in your car knowing youâll be out and about to make returns on Wednesday.
THURSDAY: Clean the house with grace
Take this day to do a basic house cleaning. Weâre not talking about taking a toothbrush to your grout or reorganizing your linen closet. Find a simple routine that addresses the basics and stick with it. The result should be a tidy, clean home that gives you peace of mind.
If you have limited time, or if you have a large house, consider cleaning half your house each week. Bedrooms & bathrooms one week, living spaces the next week. Grace is key here, mamas – remember the âmostâ approach.
FRIDAY: Meal Planning & Grocery List
Today, youâll plan your meals for the next week. Coordinate this process with your calendar and your Refrigerator Race (see below).
Evaluate your scheduled activities for the week taking into account which nights youâll have time to eat dinner as a family and which nights youâll need an grab-n-go option.
Then, create a meal plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks for each day. Based on your menu, add needed items to your grocery list. Be sure to add any necessities like toilet paper, soap, medications, etc. to the list as well.
Weekly Races
Races are 5 minute mini-routines that compliment your Weekly Routines. Youâll focus on a single task for 5 minutes and race through them. You wonât believe how much progress youâll make in only 5 minutes a day.
There is a race for each weekly routine.
MONDAY: Blackhole Race
- We all inevitably have spaces in our homes that attract ‘stuff’. Dining room tables, islands, laundry rooms are common hotspots.
- Set a timer for 5 minutes and put away as much ‘stuff’ as you can. One approach is to grab an empty laundry basket and move from room to room gathering things that arenât where they belong and putting them away.
TUESDAY: Workspace Race
- Following your Paper Clutter routine (from your Weekly Routines), clean up your workspace as fast as you can by putting pens/accessories in their place and giving the tabletop a quick wipe-down.
WEDNESDAY: Car Race
- Take a small garbage bag and a damp cloth out to your car.
- Pick up loose items.
- Toss any garbage.
- Wipe all hard surfaces with the damp cloth.
- Take any items into the house that donât belong in the car.
THURSDAY: Purse Race
- Empty your purse and shake out any debris into the garbage.
- Toss any trash (gum wrappers, receipts you donât need to keep, etc.) and put away items that donât need to go back into your purse.
- Place necessary items back in in an orderly fashion.
- Restock any ‘mom supplies’ like bandaids, pain relievers, wipes, hand-sanitizer, cash, pens & anything else that is depleted.
FRIDAY: Refrigerator Race
- Swiftly clean out your refrigerator. This is not the time to wipe down drawers and shelves.
- Toss anything that is old.
- Inventory supplies (like condiments) to add to your grocery list.
The Weekly Races go hand in hand with Weekly Routines because⌠When youâre cleaning your house it makes sense to manage the areas that collect âstuffâ. When youâre cleaning up paper clutter, why not wipe off the desk and have a clean space? After a day of running errands, itâs an ideal time to clean out the car. After your errand day, youâre likely going to need a purse clean-out. And, when you clean out that fridge, youâll have space for the items you put on your grocery list for the week to come.
Give yourself grace!
If youâve never implemented a weekly routine like this one, it might take some getting used to. Furthermore, if your schedule dictates that you approach these tasks on a different day, the app is customizable and designed to accommodate your plan. So, give it a try and give yourself grace at the same time by doing most of the things, most of the time. And, have peace of mind knowing that what doesnât get accomplished this week will pop up in your app again next week.
If you could benefit from a system that gives you peace of mind, get the MotherShip app and get your ship together!
đ§ Podcast Playlist | 2/10/21