How can we simplify our lives and make things easier especially when we are taking care of others? Do you ever wonder how can you do that? Often we spend a lot of time taking care of the household and everyone else in it. What would happen if you had to go away or spend time recovering from an illness and you could no longer do what you’re accustomed to doing at home? Would someone else be able to step in? Does anyone else besides you know how your house runs? Have you ever delegated some of those responsibilities to anyone else or hired help so that you wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed?
If the answer is no to any of the above questions, you may want to take notes on what I’m about to introduce to you!
Every major corporation has what they call standard operating procedures aka SOP. This is a handbook, a manual or a playbook that tells everyone what they do and how they do it to continue to run smoothly. The CEO runs this company and everyone operates under these guidelines. Guess what if you are a caregiver or the head of your household –you are the CEO and I’m pretty sure that you have a certain way of doing things. You have systems for the way things are run. All of the major and minor responsibilities from preparing meals to finances probably are run by you. This can get more complicated depending on how many people are in your household and especially if any of them have any special needs. I know all too well how complicated this can get especially when both of my parents ended up in the hospital at the same time. There was so much to stay on top of and each of them had very different needs. In times of crisis it can be tough to keep up and even when things are going normally there can be ups and downs. This is where asking for help becomes crucial. If you couldn’t be present because of work or if a loved one needed medical attention, would you be prepared to tell someone what they could do to help? This is where having that SOP or Playbook would come in handy. Have you ever seen one of those wife swap tv shows where the wife agrees to live in another family’s house for a week and do things according to their rules? This is the same concept. She leaves a manual that outlines her daily duties and what is needed to run her house for the week.
I know that you’re probably saying- “really Denise.. I don’t have any time to do this let alone keep up my own to do list!” I know….. I don’t mean to add something else to your to do list, but trust me you can’t afford not to do this and it’s really simple. You can start by just making a list of tasks and then breaking it down into 3 core things:
- Procedures or tasks that need to be done
- References or list what’s needed to get those tasks done and where you can find the tool or resource to do it
- Checklist or worksheet to track what needs to be done or helps you complete the task
If you’re not sure where to start or don’t have any idea on what you could possibly need help with, you should check out the Caregiver’s Prep Guide. Now you don’t have to do this all at once. You can start with the most important area. Think of an area that you might need the most help. For example when things got to be too much for me, we decided to get a home health aide to come and assist with my parents daily activities. There was a certain routine that my parents were accustomed to. However, would someone new coming into our home know that Friday is laundry day or that my Mom eats certain things for breakfast and what her daily schedule is? Nope! I may tell them when they first start but it could take some time until they get used to the routine. Having a playbook could help, especially if I wasn’t around. This would allow someone to come in and take care of what my Mom needs while I’m at work or if I’m away. If you are not sure if you should delegate and get some help take a look at the Caregiver’s Prep Guide. Often we don’t want to let go, but your life can be so much easier if we allow someone to come in and help us. So there you have it, this is just a quick tip that I think can help make sure your home continues to run smoothly so you can have peace of mind and tend to other things.
Leave a Reply