Manic Monday: Establishing a routine...

Source: Urban Outfitters

I think there's a huge difference between a routine and a schedule.  In my opinion, a routine is series of regular events that happen throughout the day, and a schedule is something strictly adhered to where specific actions take place at designated times.  I have a bit of OCD, and I married a former Marine.  So you'd think I'd be all for the structure of a schedule, but I'm not.  For my family, scheduling just flat out sucks when it comes to everyday activities.  Something always comes up and the next activity has to be pushed, and then the next, and the next, and then someone (me) is pissed that the day fell apart.

This is how my routine functions like a schedule to avoid chaos taking over, but doesn't get anyone's panties in a bunch if it doesn't go perfectly;  I think of it kind of like a school day.  At school, The Kid has specific blocks of time for each subject, but each day the lesson is different.  So I treat my day the same way.  It usually looks something like this...

~Scramble Block...make coffee, make lunch, check backpack for things that shouldn't go to school, then either walk The Kid to school, or on bonus days my mom comes over and walks him to school, and I have an extra 5 seconds to wear pajama pants.
~Chill Block...if mom came over then we have coffee for a while once The Kid is at school, then I have computer time to blog, check on my Etsy shops, and cruise Pintrest for new project ideas.  If Mom didn't stop by that day, then not much changes other than me drinking the whole pot of coffee myself and getting up to pee a lot more while having computer time.
~Go-See Block...ever watch America's Next Top Model?  If not, you're probably better off because you're not addicted to the senseless babble like I am.  But anyway, the contestants are often sent out on what they call in the modelling world, a Go-See.  It's where they run around like crazy trying to find little fashion houses in big cities to go see prospective employers (fashion designers) and try to get hired to walk in shows or be in one of their ad campaigns.  I'm not trying to get hired for any modelling gigs, but it does make going to the grocery store a hell of a lot more fun when you pretend to be doing something way more fabulous.  In short, this is my go-see the public block. 
~Project and Fitness Block...I lumped them together because sometimes the project is strenuous enough to be considered fitness, and sometimes it's boring, and it's nice to take off outside for a brisk walk when I'm done.
~Study Hall...there's a floating block of time in the afternoons because some days The Kid gets picked up early in the afternoon, and some days he stays for the after-school program.  On the days he gets picked up early, this is the time that we hang out and do homework.  If it's a late pick-up day then I can choose a project that takes longer, or spend more time on my go-sees.
~Evening Block...game time (if homework is done), dinner, shower, bedtime for The Kid.
~Grown-up Block...hang out with the husband, watch Dexter, or South Park, or CSI, and talk about all the crazy, stupid, and really interesting stuff we each heard during different time-slots on NPR (basically anything that we know isn't appropriate to watch or talk about when The Kid is in the room, so it totally cements the fact that it's grown-up-only time).
~Sleep Block.

By having "Blocks" I can insert different activities into them, and not be totally bent out of shape when something doesn't get done at the exact right time.  It also allows me to not totally lose my shit during school vacations, because the routine can accommodate changes for when The Kid is home all day.

Do you have  a routine, or a schedule, or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal?  I'd love to hear how different folks manage their time.

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey