Household Activity Board

This will not be a new idea for those with kids. Chores lists are fairly common when children need to be reminded and rewarded for their responsibilities.

The idea of an activity board is another visual to share results and progress. It can be used to remind everyone about the goals and how the household is doing against them.
When my toddler gets a little older, we can start using it to give him star stickers when he completes helpful tasks like picking up toys, brushing his teeth and hopefully using the potty.

I have also heard this area called a "command center." It is a place that the family communication is posted (meal plans, schedules, etc), mail is sorted and chores are assigned.

Things to put on an activity board:
- mission/vision/goals
- cleaning schedule (5S sustainment)
- daily tasks checklist
- focus areas/goals/action plans
- improvements you are tracking (lower utility bills, grocery bills, etc)
- daily/weekly dinner plan (I try to plan on Sunday to build my shopping list)
- family schedules (events, activities, etc)

Smart goals

When putting together an action plan, you want to use goals that use the Smart criteria:
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
Time based

One of my Priorities is Health. What are my goals?

1. Eat healthy meals that include whole grains and vegetables.
A. Plan weekly dinner menu (at least 5 meals at home) that plans for leftovers (lunches);
B. shop at Farmers market on Sundays for Organic produce.
C. Use Cooking Light, Pinterest and cookbooks to try out seasonal healthy recipes.

2. Schedule physical activity several times a week.
A. Plan weekend activities that include hiking or walking.
B. train for half marathon
C. Bring tennis shoes to work to walk before work or during lunch.
D. Investigate Zumba class after work (once a week).
E. invest in a bike carriage to take the baby on bike rides.


How did I do with smart criteria?

Mission, Vision and priorities

Most organizations have a Mission, Vision and Goals that help them stay focused and working on the same set of objectives.
Having a Mission and Vision for your life also helps you keep focused on priorities.

Wikipedia definition:

• Vision: outlines what the organization wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be (an "idealised" view of the world). It is a long-term view and concentrates on the future. It can be emotive and is a source of inspiration. For example, a charity working with the poor might have a vision statement which reads "A World without Poverty."

• Mission: Defines the fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise, succinctly describing why it exists and what it does to achieve its vision. For example, the charity above might have a mission statement as "providing jobs for the homeless and unemployed".

Examples for me:
Mission- to make positive change in the world.

Vision-  Happy, Healthy and Secure family.

Priorities
A read a blog once that recommended having Top 5 Priorites in your life that all your weekly and daily goals would support. The author suggested reviewing these annually as well as taking time weekly to review weekly/daily goals.

My Top 5 for this year are as follows:
1. My son (raise a well balanced young man)
2. My husband (continuous improvement on our relationship)
3. Support/social network (create a strong social and support network in our new location)
4. Health (build total body health, strength and wellness)
5. Financial (financial stability and independence)

To make these even more effective, I can break each of them into an Action plan, with specific Goals and Measures for the year/next couple years.

Where to begin?

Whenever faced with an insurmountable task (like reducing waste from your busy life), the first thing I do is prioritize.

Where do you spend most of the time in your house?
What do you spend the most money on?
What do you spend most of your time thinking about?

For me, a new working mother, the answer is:
#1 my son and husband (living room and bedrooms)
#2 keeping the family healthy, cooking (kitchen)
So those are the areas I will start focusing on organizing and simplifying.

Next up: 5s - organizing your stuff.