Getting back to routines, Creating a system

Previously, i have learned a lot from using modified versions of FlyLady.  Although the system is geared towards stay-at-home-moms, homemakers, there is a lot of unnecessary stuff, and a has a bit christian bent, i have found the core ideas to be very useful (for the record, i don't have kids, my spouse lives at home 3 days a week, i work a full time job plus a volunteer gig, and have a vague Catholic influenced but also nature based spirituality).

I'm once again finding myself with a focus on my home and have a desire to return to domesticity, and now am asking how i can accomplish ALL THE THINGS without sacrificing other important elements of my world (yes, that comic is terribly accurate).  So i come back to FlyLady, despite the sugar sweetness, silly acronyms and way WAY too many emails.

The dear FlyLady is all about routine.  There is a morning routine, an evening routine and others if you want them.  There is also routine tasks for each day, week, month and even seasonally.  This is probably the thing that has helped me the most, along with tackling things in small, manageable chunks.  

If you're like me, you succeed when you 1) know what needs to be done, 2) know how to do it, and 3) can make time for it.  Although routines can feel monotonous for some, for me this system meets those three needs.  It also helps prevents me from spending 3 days in a manic state trying to accomplish everything i truly meant to do over the last month.

In FlyLady land, you have all these routines written out in something called a Control Journal.  It's the magic binder with all your information.  In the world of service oriented individuals, there is also something often referred to as a Butler Book.  While there are different elements in each, the general concept is the same, a guide for how your (or someone else's) home runs.  I am also associating some GTD systems in with this concept as well, as lists and references are important tools.

My intention is to begin building my personal guidebook with my routines, references, calendar, and so on as i build my habits.  I'll try to find a way to share them here as well.   I will be calling it a Home Management Guide for now (a phrase i have seen used less often, but also contains the elements I'm hoping to create, and isn't as emotionally loaded as the other options).  So stay tuned!