Finding a Rhythm: What HAS to be Done

I posted last week about needing to find my rhythm again. Believe it or not, figuring out some sort of daily routine can feel overwhelming sometimes. There can be soooo many things you feel like you need to cram in to the 24 hours each day that already don't seem like enough. And how in the world do I start figuring out what my routine should look like? I've decided I'm going to break it down into three categories: what has to be done, what will benefit my kids, and what will benefit me. Not only will I try to figure out what kinds of things fit into each category, but I'm also going to try and figure out which of those things need to be done daily, weekly and monthly. Hopefully, after all of that, I'll be able to sit down and make my days flow a little bit more smoothly.

So, my focus right now is on what things absolutely, positively need to be done.

Or... maybe... what things should probably get done on days that I'm a semi-productive wife and mother.

Daily Tasks

• Dishes are one of those things that never disappear. 
• Picking up. In our house, we don't deep-clean every day, but we certainly pick up several times throughout the day. It keeps us from having one huge mess to clean every night.
• Showering and getting dressed. 
• Preparing dinner

Holy crap. I totally thought I'd have WAY more things than this that needed to be done around the house. I really feel like I'm forgetting something because I'm sure this can't be it... can it?

Weekly Tasks

• Making a grocery list, coupon list and the corresponding grocery shopping trip
• Giving the girls' baths (they have baths maybe twice a week)
• Checking the status of bills
• Laundry (another thing that never disappears)
• Going to the gym (this is a must for myself and the girls)
• Planning for the next week

Monthly Tasks

• Cleaning the bathrooms (ugh. hate this one)
• Dusting
• Taking recycling
• Sweeping and mopping
• Monthly budget planning

I know that there are probably a lot of other things I could add to these lists and unexpected things always come up that need my attention. But making huge lists of all the things I'd like to do or might need to do just leads me to feel overwhelmed and incompetent when I can never seem to get everything done. The things on the lists above are things that, at the bare minimum, keep my house from becoming a pig sty and keep our family running somewhat smoothly. 

When I'm done figuring out what things need to go into my daily, monthly and weekly routines, the real task will be coming up with a good way to keep track of all of it. Slowly, but surely, I'll get it sorted out.