The ‘One-Hour Working Weekend’: How to get the rest of your life organised

The problem with attempting to get organised is that we tend to do it when we have 100 other things going on.

We establish to-do lists first thing in the morning when we’re managing everything from school drop-offs to overnight emails and getting to work looking half decent. We plan at night how we’re going to get through the next day when we’re feeling completely exhausted from the day we just put in. We attempt to establish order and cooperation amongst those sharing our household when everyone involved is feeling a little stressed, tired and not at their emotional best.

As we learnt from the Australian Institute of Family Studies this week, some women working full-time are spending more than 14 hours a day on paid and unpaid work, leaving little time to put structures and procedures in place that could actually make managing it all a little easier. We’re doing more of the housework and childcare duties, even when we’re employed for the same amount of hours as men.

So how can we talk about work-life balance when we can’t even get the balance in a relationship right?

I’d like to suggest a new idea: the ‘One-Hour Working Weekend’. This is where, for one hour at some point over the weekend, you sit down with those also managing the household (if you’re lucky enough to have them) to plan the working week ahead. Often all it takes is a little bit of delegation and a few gentle reminders to establish processes and procedures that’ll see the balance get somewhere closer to right.

What does the One Hour Working Weekend look like?

Start with the basics.

1. Find a time when you can regularly sit down together to plan the week ahead. My preferred option is Sunday night just before dinner as we’re usually always home at this time, and feeling relaxed enough to negotiate to-do tasks. The working hour can be followed by a nice meal and some down time, meaning you’re not going head-on into the work week.
2. Ensure the time becomes a set-in-stone, no excuses, must-attend weekly event. This will take a few weeks to establish, and some early intervention should certain people forget to attend or show a lack of enthusiasm during the hour. The best way to achieve it is for those involved to see it actually works – that the house stays organised throughout the week, appointments are less rushed and everybody’s just generally getting along.
3. Start by reviewing the week’s upcoming events. Take a look over each other’s diaries so there can be no nasty surprises during the week. Breakfast meeting to attend? An afternoon seminar? Dinner out? What do the kids have on? Familiarise yourselves with how the week will pan out.
4. Continue by considering when your other half could use a break. Think about deadlines and when your hell days are. This is your chance to be kind to each other, free-up household duties for the other when you know their work-related stress could be at its highest.
5. Move on to the week’s regular activities, and how you’re going to manage them. Now that you know your stress periods, and your irregular events, plan out who’ll do what regarding all the regular stuff you have going down. Break it down to the smallest of tasks, from picking up the kids to ironing, school lunches, watering the plants and feeding the dog.
6. Get the kids involved. If they’re old enough, let them know which parent will be doing what. Show them your diaries, make them appreciate what the “juggle” is actually like. Then, set them their own chores for the week.
7. Plan five meals ahead. This isn’t for everyone. But if you know exactly what you, your partner and potentially your kids will be cooking and when, it not only makes the shopping easier (and a once-weekly occurrence) but also enables each person involved to plan their cooking arrangements (and potentially even get excited over the culinary delights they’ll dish up).
8. Use whatever necessary analogue and digital tools necessary to set reminders. Options here include smartphones with diary alerts, a shared Google calendar, whiteboard, physical ‘to-do’ lists and colourful post-it notes all over the house (the latter’s fun, but not recommended).
9. Ensure everyone sticks to what’s promised. This is a whole other challenge that requires your best management skills, but a challenge that will ultimately pay off. Ensure, on a daily basis, tasks are completed. If not, why not? Debrief on how such tasks were completed in the first five minutes of the next “one hour working weekend”.

Good luck and enjoy the weekend.