Helpful Steps to Address a Sense of Feeling Overwhelmed: Part Two A Household Directive (Continued...)

As part of the current small series titled Helpful Steps to Address a Sense of Feeling Overwhelmed, I chose to include and share something my own household are currently trialling: A Household Directive.

In the previous post about this, I included some possible conversation starters that you might find particularly helpful to get the ball rolling, in order to dialogue and therefore put pen-to-paper to draft out your own Household Directive as a household team.

Depending on the age of your children, you may like to draft out your Household Directive with them also. In our instance, due to the age of our children, our Household Directive has mainly been set in place, this time around, by my husband and I.

However, over time our intention is that that will change, and the children themselves will be encouraged to be involved in contributing to the formulation of our Household Directive. It is by all accounts intended to be a collaborative and co-operative vision.

In this Post, I will share some specific examples of what we are looking to focus on over the next little while, during this the fourth school term. The aims and intentions that we are choosing to specifically focus on, may or may not be at all relevant to your household. They may however spark an idea for you, so for that reason I will share them with you via this post.

Looking back over the initial draft we recorded, as my husband and I first dialogued, there were some areas that repeatedly proved to be those which we wished to intentionally focus on, in the new school term.

You may find, as your look back over your initial dialogue, that that occurs also. When that occurs, it means that they are significant for your household and are worth prioritising and intentionally focusing on.

For example, the following are areas in which our household has some current, very specific aims and intentions over the next little while:

 

Here are some specific examples for each of those headings from our household's current Household Directive:

• DH will continue to actively participate in preparing & leading the Little Stars Sunday School Class, as he is rostered to do so.  

• DW (moi) will actively participate as support helper/or arrange an alternative substitute helper for the Little Stars Sunday School Class, when she is rostered to do so. 

• DW (moi) will regularly blog, aiming to post at least twice a week, as time & energy allows.

• DW (moi) will plan & host two swap parties in our home, and encourage attendees to bring a friend in order to intentionally look to extend the network of those currently involved.

• DD will prepare for & participate in two end of year music concerts, and gradually extend her repertoire of music.

• DS will prepare for & participate in one end of year music concert. 

This was an area we felt really needed some intentional focus.

We often seem to sacrifice having quality time as a family, in order to met other commitments. It often seems that other things have taken over and stepped in to require attention instead.

So in response to seeing this being an area requiring some attention, our intention in the current new term is to consciously timetable in some specific family focused activities.

Here are some examples of some family activities we would like to do over the next little while:

• Make boats and sail them.

• Visit the Hamilton Botanical Gardens.

• Visit Kawakawa Bay.

• Visit & see a waterfall.

• Visit & see a waterdam.

• Have a Treasure Hunt.  

• Visit Glenbrook Train Station.

What does not happen, can be timetabled in again for a future time. It can also be nice to timetable in having time one-on-one with each other. This can also be included in your Household Directive. That way you are choosing to make having quality time with each family member a priority, during the time ahead.

For our family, education is a area of focus that has priority. Hence it is an area that is included in our Household Directive for the coming season.

Here are some examples of specific aims and intentional focuses we have for our children (a pre-schooler and primer) over the next little while:

• Look at seasonal change: that from December 1st it is Summertime.

• DD & DS - Revising learning the alphabet, and identifying each letter.

• DD - Learning her 'Rocket Word List' by Christmas.    

• DD -  Counting forwards and backwards to 100.

• DS  - Counting forwards and backwards to 20.

• DD & DS - Looking at Directions: Left, Right, Forwards, Backwards, Sideways, and able to verbalise directions to direct others.

• DD & DS - Memorising phone & address.  

• DD - Answering the telephone appropriately.

Some of these focuses may be included again for continual focus after the current block of time also, as they are ongoing intentional aims.

Here are some examples of our current short and long term Household Administration focuses:

• DW - To complete the overhaul and re-organization of Kitchen Area.

• DW - To complete painting of Scotch Dresser.

• DW - To begin overhaul & re-organization of Home Office.

• DH - Menu Plan & Cook Meals.

• DH - Maintain Bathrooms twice weekly.

So as you can see, we have several areas of focus as a household, over the next school term (approximately a ten week block of time). Our Household Directive is a documentation of our intentions. It is a documentation of what we would like to consciously endeavour to put our hands to, to achieve and work at, as a household team.

It is not intended to be a burden. It is intended to give direction, to give guidance, to give a joint vision.

It is a means to acknowledge how all the individual contributions, that are made by various household members, fit together to help create a positive contribution to each other's experience of home life.

Knowing what each person is involved in, and how they are contributing, means others can choose to actively get onboard to help make it all happen in a (hopefully) smoother, less time consuming and energy sapping fashion.

As we trial having a Household Directive, we will no doubt find there are aspects that need to be revised along the way. There will be aims that prove to be long term aims instead of short term aims, and that is perfectly okay.

The point, the purpose of a Household Directive is simply to collaboratively set out on a joint vision. However long each aim or focuses takes will vary.

A joint vision. A co-operative communal statement of intention. It can surely only be a positive household move.

Next in this small series offering helpful steps to address a sense of feeling overwhelmed: Stop Comparing!