New Schedule, New Year, New Life

So.. it didn't take long for me to figure out that I am not disciplined enough to be productive in my new 'stay at home life' unless I have a plan.
Last week, I downloaded a couple of things that have helped me tremendously. One was a meal planning form. The other was a month at a glance calendar, that was accompanied by a daily schedule.
I sat down and was honest about what needed to be done around this house.
Now, you should know that I am NOT one of those women who LOVES to clean her house, and gets a perverse satisfaction from everything being perfect and in its place. I'm an artist. And though I can't work in the chaos that I have seen tolerated in the spaces of other artists, I am not OCD about mess. I have my breaking points, though. It will usually take a few days of looking at a mess, before I break down and DO something about it. But I decided that it is less stressful to live everyday ready for someone to drop in (instead of praying that they don't go to the bathroom) and to be hospitable, than to wait until someone is coming to visit and stress out, becoming a whirling dervish of clean and order. No thanks.
So this phase of life is about working smarter, not harder.
Plus I have a fledgling business I'll be getting off the ground shortly, and the shop I already have on etsy needs stocking, so I've been hard at work creating. I apparently need to be able to "see" that I have time to fit in everything that I need to do, and that it all works-- stuff for mind, body and soul.
Here's the basic breakdown:
6:15 is gym time with the hubby. Yuck. I will never like this, but have determined it needs to be first to get it over with.
7:30-9:00 I fix Aaron's lunch (yes, I do:)) and get any prep for dinner done. This will only help me later, when it is time call it quits in the studio for the day.
9:00-9:30 is time with the Lord. Bible reading. Worship music. Prayer.
9:30-12:00 House Stuff!! On Mondays I do our bedroom and the laundry. Tues- I do the downstairs floors. Vaccuuming, sweeping or whatever with any of the guest rooms that need anything. Wed is deep kitchen cleaning day- floors mopped and deeper cleaning than nightly straighten up. Thurs. I am off, since it is Bible Study morning with the ladies of Hope. Friday is the WORST. Bathroom cleaning day. Boo. But it helps to go into the weekend with it all done, and I think it will add to my overall peace.
12-1pm is lunch and What Not to Wear (my indulgence)
1-5pm is studio time. Sometimes I forsake other things I may need to do (like if the laundry is all caught up) and work all day. Or go shopping for supplies.
5pm is time to start dinner. Even though Aaron doesn't get home till 6:30, it helps to change gears and get ready.
Friday is date night, so I don't work in the studio much, in the afternoon. I do grocery shop then. It is nice at the grocery store around 2pm.
I find that having the schedule, even if I don't follow it to the letter, helps me so much. It lets me not feel overwhelmed or like I have to "clean the house" all the time. By doing it in bite sized pieces, it keeps everything moving.
I love things that make life easier. And I have to say- I think I'm feeling more from the bathroom cleaning than from this morning's work out. I am going to mess around in the studio and get ready for my date!