Schedules and routines are not one size fits all.

Some of us are single focus people. A Simple Sally (like me) does best when she can really immerse herself in a project.

Too many things going on at once frazzle Sally's brain and interfere with her calm, methodical nature. Because I have four (soon to be 5) small children, my days have plenty of interruptions and complications for my one-track brain to grapple with as it is.

Simple Sally's week might look like this:

• Sunday: Worship, Family, planning
• Monday: Laundry
• Tuesday: Baking
• Wednesday: Errands
• Thursday: Cooking
• Friday: Cleaning
• Saturday: Laundry 

Because I'm a Simple Sally, I feel less scattered when I confine almost all laundry related tasks (ironing, washing, mending) to my two laundry days. (Although I'll throw in an occasional load at other times.) On baking day I bake enough for the week, and on Cleaning day, I do the whole house in a manner similar to Jeff Campbell's Speed Cleaning. There is no need for me to be distracted with cooking or laundry on cleaning day--those tasks are neatly compartmented into their own days.

Simple Sally finds variety enough in homeschooling, tending the children, and doing daily tidying chores each day. Cleaning one room per day, and never have the whole house clean at once would deprive her of fulfillment. Likewise preparing one meal at a time just to see it immediately gobbled leaves her feeling that she can never get ahead. She prefers to make a several meals at once and have a few for the freezer.

Multi-Task Maxine, on the other hand, would be bored and feel stagnant trying to work with Simple Sally's routine. Maxine thrives on variety! She thinks quickly on her feet, switches gears easily, and isn't easily overwhelmed. A lively and busy environment energizes her. While Sally thrives on a single focus, having a day consist of load after load of laundry fills Maxine's heart with dread.

If, like Maxine, you are a multi-tasker at heart, then plan your week accordingly! Break major chores into bite-sized chunks. By focusing on one room at a time, Maxine avoids the drudgery of cleaning the entire house in a day. She might attack the bathrooms on Monday and Wednesday, dust and clean the living areas on Tuesday, scrub down her kitchen on Thursday, tend to bedrooms on Friday, and then vacuum on Saturday. Every day she'll throw in a few loads of laundry, and do a bit of this and a bit of that as time allows.

What method do you find more rewarding and fulfilling at the end of the day? Which style works better with your brain's wiring? You may lean more toward Sally in one season of life and be a bit more of a Maxine at other times. Have your plan of attack take into account your unique personality!

Whether you are a Sally, a Maxine, or a delightful blend of both, leave a comment, and share how you divide your daily and weekly tasks! Or blog it, and comment to direct us to your blog