For most families, back to school time is when their family schedule gets chaotic. Between school functions, sports, and family obligations, there are a lot of things you have to try and fit on the schedule. Sometimes you may even wonder wow you will manage to keep it all straight.

Having a set schedule is a great way to help you stay on task for the daily things. By creating a family schedule, everyone will know where they need to be and when and what they should be doing.

Hold a weekly family meeting. If you meal plan, include that in your weekly meeting as well. This way you can get everyone involved in that week’s activities and family diners.

Now, write it all down! Break your day down into the times that you are awake. Next, make sure you include the time to get ready in the morning and complete any household chores you normally do. Make spaces for your meals and other necessities that you do each day. Then look at how much time I left. Don’t be scared when you see how little time there is. The purpose of a schedule is to make the most of the time you have.

Next, prioritize the events and tasks that need to be completed first. Find a way to work your schedule to make the best use of time. You can try running all your errands at the same time or on the same day. Group similar tasks together. Then take your schedule with you and try to follow it. Adapt where needed.

Make the schedule accessible. Putting the schedule in your planner or on your phone’s calendar is great but can everyone access it there? If not, you need to make sure you keep a copy where everyone can see. We use a white board on the fridge so everyone can see it when they are in and out of the kitchen.

It takes some time to adjust to having a schedule, but assessing your time, prioritizing it, and filling your available time with the tasks you need to complete will help you get done everything you need to do in a day.

Members to ListPlanIt will find the lists they need to prepare for homework, schedules, after school activities and more in Student Planning.  Not yet a member?  Join today and make school days a breeze.