“Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1Cor. 14:40)
Yesterday, we saw that, because God is a God of order, our lives should reflect order, too. Here are some tips that can help you stay organized and reduce stress.
TIP #1: Assess how long it takes you to drive to church (or wherever you are going). If I am going someplace I don’t normally go, I will look it up on my GPS the night before so I have an idea of what time I will need to leave in order to be there on time. Time your drive to church one Sunday so you will know what time you need to leave in order to be there on time.
TIP #2: Realistically assess how long it takes to get yourself ready. Most unorganized people underestimate the time it takes to do things, therefore they are always late. For example, they think it only takes them half as long to get dressed than it really does. If you are constantly 15 minutes late, begin getting ready 15 minutes earlier than normal, the next time.
TIP #3: Save yourself time and stress in the morning by preparing everything the night before. Preparing your family’s Sunday clothes on Saturday night will help ensure you don’t waste time on Sunday morning trying to decide what everyone should wear and getting it ready.
TIP #4: Invest time in training your children to help with cleaning chores. Most moms stay tired and stressed out because they feel they can never keep their house clean. They are constantly running around picking up after their children. If you have children, teach THEM to pick up after themselves. One mom said her philosophy was this:
- If you can get it out, you can put it away.
- If you can open it, you can close it.
- If you can turn it on, you can turn it off.
Even a toddler can be trained to put toys away. A great way to teach them is by making it a fun game that you play along with them until they can do it by themselves. The time you invest at first, will pay off great dividends later.
No one has it all together 100% of the time, but these four simple tips will go a long way toward helping you organize your life and reduce a lot of day-to-day stress.