Easy Steps to Wellness
Week 4 - Scheduling for Mental Health
My husband calls me "compulsive punctual" (I’m sure he means it lovingly!), so being late really stresses me out. I can let myself get really grumpy when I don’t feel like we’re getting out of the house as quickly as I think we should. Over our 23 years of parenting, we have developed a system to get our large crew out of the house and to our destination on time…. Well, most of the time!
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Don’t base departure time on how long it takes to get someplace. That is only one factor in the equation. The real question is: How long does it take everyone concerned to find matching shoes, put on those shoes, go to the bathroom, go out to the van, come back in for a book and a drink, go back out to the van, come back in from the van to go to the bathroom again, only to go back out and get buckled in? Also, factor in the toddler who waits to fill her diaper until two minutes before departure.
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Once you've calculated the time your Departure Routine, add that to the travel time. Subtract that total from the time you need to be at your destination, and you now have what we Stumpfs call "Shoes On Time."
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For example: Church starts at 10:30am. We would like to be there by 10:20. It is a 25-minute drive. Our Departure Routine takes 15 minutes in the summer (more in winter - coats and mittens!) for a total time of 40 minutes. Therefore, the Shoes On time is 9:40.
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That is the only time we will mention all morning. That is what we aim for. When that time rolls around, Bryan or I yell out "Shoes On Time," and the flurry of activity begins. I'm not always (ok, never) even ready myself by this point. But I can continue to brush my teeth during everyone else’s bathroom runs and shoe hunts.
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Bottom line, don't think in terms of "What time do we need to leave?" Decide what time you need to put your shoes on!
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Who do you know that is always late? Tag them in this post? If you’re the last one to arrive at the party, raise your hand.
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