Each Thursday–Clean Your Hard Floors and don’t forget the baseboards
Every Day–Declutter for 15 to 30 Minutes
Make an Appointment
As you plan your week, plan the things you want to be part of your week.
Do you want to exercise? Morning, afternoon, or evening? How many days a week? Monday, Wednesday, and Friday? Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday?
The routines I share with you each day can be tucked into time pockets in your day. When?
Make appointments with yourself, and keep them.
Most activities from housework, to exercise, to taking care of bills and paperwork, can be done in 15 minutes or less. If we don’t have an hour, we assume we don’t have time. Fifteen minutes of exercise in the morning or when you get home from work or even short (5 minutes an hour) exercise breaks at your desk will make a big difference when done faithfully over time.
The same is true of your home. You can even declare commercial time on television as family quick pickups. When commercials come on your family can scatter to different tasks—gather the laundry, gather the trash, move clothes from the washer to the dryer and bring back a load to fold, during the next commercial break everyone takes their laundry to their room and puts it away.
Your family can also scatter to different rooms—bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living room and do a five minute pickup.
Laugh and make it fun.
Take care to not overschedule. If you do not have time to take care of yourself and your family, it may not be that you have too much to do but that you are doing too much. Examine your priorities and make time for Quiet Time, worshipping with your family, intentional time with your husband and children, and what needs to be done before what you think you should be doing or what you want to do. I believe in planning down time to read a book, have lunch with friends and a date night but unless you are intentional in your planning you will not have time to enjoy your family and your life.
Let’s review Philippians
Read the whole letter—it isn’t that long and then focus on the first eleven verses.
Philippians 1:1-11—Paul Opens His Letter to the Philippians and Shares His Love and Prayers for Them
Paul wrote this letter on joy while in prison.
Who wrote this letter?
- 1This letter is from Paul and Timothy,
- slaves of Christ Jesus.
Who was the letter written to?
- I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi
- who belong to Christ Jesus,
- including the eldersaand deacons.
How are the people greeted?
- 2May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you
- grace
- and peace.
What does Paul express about the people that he has written the letter to?
- 3Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
- 4Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,
- 5for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
What is Paul certain of?
- 6And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished
When will the work be finished?
- on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
How does Paul feel about the Philippians?
- 7So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you,
- for you have a special place in my heart.
- You share with me the special favor of God,
- both in my imprisonment
- and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.
- 8God knows how much I love you
- and long for you
- with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
How does Paul pray for the Philippians?
- 9I pray that your love will overflow more and more,
- and that you will keep on growing
- in knowledge
- and understanding.
Why?
- 10For I want you to understand what really matters,
- so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
- 11May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation
- —the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—
- for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Tomorrow is Friday the 19th Day of December 2014—Wrap Up Your Week Day
Wrap up the week by:
- Cleaning out your car
- Cleaning out your purse, backpack, diaper bag, computer case, or whatever you carry with you as you go out your door.
- Vacuuming the traffic areas. Give special attention to your Area of Focus.
My Heart is at Home 