CLUTTER. QUARANTINE. ROUTINE (??)

NJ Expert Organizer, Marilyn Shain Labendz, offers suggestions to create a routine during quarantine.

Everyone is experiencing the closed in walls of either apartment living, (without an outdoor space, like mine), or too many kids, too many schedules, too many "Do we HAVE to?" What are we now, 9 weeks?

Does this cartoon mirror the activity level in your house? In your brain?

I have been talking to lots of people, with multiple kids, new babies, no kids, significant others, working from home, home schooling, and every other pitfall you can imagine.

Here are a few tips from those I interviewed with children at home.

Be flexible!
If whatever was supposed to happen didn't, or didn't happen at the appointed time, stretch your boundaries a little.
Your kids have limited TV time? Extend it as a treat.
It will get done.
Mix things up a bit!
Are you usually scrupulous as to your family's diet? Bring on some comfort food!
I know someone whose freezer is normally chock full of frozen veggies and fruit. Now it has 20 pints of ice cream! Family dessert time in the middle of the day!
Set a few general times of day for doing stuff:
Wake time and bed time should be relatively constant.
Kids get up before you? Computer time for them.
School work out of the way first.
Set up family exercise around the same time daily.

Not everyone has kids home, and many of my friends live alone. Here's what we've learned: Link your tasks to fixed events:

Go through your paper work the day or night before recycling. That will push you to get it done and you won't have the mess hanging around for 2 weeks.
Feed the birds and change the cage the day before garbage day.
Make tidying up part of your bedtime routine. Nothing like coming into a clean kitchen in the morning.