School is back into swing full time now.  YEAH!  The kids are in school!  It means more normalcy,  a solid routine each day, no one telling you, “Mom, I’m BORED!”.  But, wait, here comes all the after school commitments.  There’s piano lessons, football practice, volleyball practice, soccer practice, all-weekend tournaments, sleep-overs, friends over, school projects and don’t forget plain old homework.

When are you going to find time just to accomplish your basic schedule; working out, eating right, mediation/prayer time and dare I say sleep.  It seems there aren’t enough hours in the day to make it all happen.  It makes you want to call 911 for help.

Here’s a simple little secret all emergency personnel already know.  In any crisis situation, the first thing you must do is take care of yourself before helping others.  That means putting on your life jacket, oxygen mask, tourniquet, etc before helping those next to you.  It may sound selfish, but it works.  Here’s how to do it.

1.Take Out the extraneous For just one weekend, eliminate the facebook, tv, hour-long, girlfriend, phone chat, movies, eating out & playing with friends.

2.Focus on the Core   Have each member of your family focus on themselves.  Without distractions, each person’s mind will be free to discover what they need; a nap, to read, a walk, time to talk with family, a hug…….

3.Evaluate Your Surroundings  Once you each have some needs met, you’ll start to look around at your personal space.  Does it need a change? Does it simply need to be tidied?

4.Create a New Reality  Decide what you want your days to look like.  Exercise in the am/pm? Seven hours of sleep? Meditate/prayer with your first cup of coffee? Breakfast as a family?

5.Implement  Start Monday morning with your new reality.  Don’t worry if you have some slip ups.  It’s a new habit you are forming & will take some time to establish.

What is one priority that isn’t currently happening?  Share these on the Styled & Organized Living Facebook Page.