How to use a Loop Schedule to Have Greater Peace

Use a loop schedule to have greater peace.

How to use a Loop Schedule to Have Greater Peace

When I first heard of a loop schedule, I thought, “What in the world is a loop schedule? There are so many schedules out there, after all! Do I really need one more type of schedule?” It turns out, the like the idea of a loop schedule is really great!

What is a loop schedule?

In case you are in the same boat I was, wondering what a loop schedule is, I’ll fill you in. It is very simple. A loop schedule is a schedule of items that you do in order. That is a super simple definition!

So, what does a loop schedule look like in practice?

First. let’s look at an example of an ideal weekly schedule. It may have decluttering on Monday, dusting on Tuesday, vacuuming on Wednesday, moping on Thursday, and meal planning on Friday. In an ideal week, these tasks will get done on these days.

However, you know that things come up. Sometimes they come up on the same day of the week. Repeatedly. So, if you have a schedule change every Wednesday for a few weeks, so much for vacuuming. Either you need to add vacuuming to a day that already has a task, or you don’t vacuum at all that week. (On many weeks, skipping vacuuming is usually what I would do!)

How a loop schedule works

A loop schedule works to help you get all the things done that you need to do without getting off track. Instead of planning tasks for specific days, plan them in the order you want to do them. You can plan to declutter first, then dust, then vacuum, mop next, and then plan meals for the next week.

In your weekly schedule, you can create a space for these loop tasks. On Monday, spend this time decluttering. On Tuesday, dust. If you have something come up on Wednesday when you planned to complete your loop schedule task (vacuuming), you can vacuum on Thursday. On Friday, if something came up again, you’ll do the next scheduled loop task-mopping-on Monday. Tuesday you’ll have meal planning, then on Wednesday start the loop over again.

See how super simple it is?!

When you use a loop schedule, all the things will get done once before you go through the cycle to do them again.

Create a loop schedule that works for you.

To create a loop schedule that works for you, first, think of what needs to be done every day. It may be helpful to write down this list. These things may include laundry, making sure your kids clean up after themselves, and dishes. Decide when in your day you and your family will get these things done.

Next, think of the things that need to be done a few times a week, weekly, or once or twice a month. This list may include vacuuming, meal planning, cleaning out the car, or sweeping the front porch.

Now that you have your lists, decide how often you want them to be done. For example, you may want to vacuum once a week, yet clean out the car twice a month so it doesn’t get too cluttered. Create separate lists for your weekly tasks and your bimonthly tasks.

Decide what order you want to put the weekly loop tasks in. Then, plan a time in your day to accomplish them. If you plan to do one weekly task each day, make sure you don’t plan ten weekly tasks, or else you will need to double up on some days. If you will complete your weekly tasks on Monday-Friday, plan five tasks so you will have the time to do them all in an ideal week. If you usually have something come up each week at least once, you may like to plan just four weekly loop tasks.

For the items you plan to get done less often, like once or twice a month, decide when you will do them and put them on the calendar so you don’t forget. You can also plan a time once a week for these less frequent tasks.

Sample schedule

Your schedule may look something like this:

Monday-Friday:

am routine:

laundry in washer

breakfast dishes

weekly loop schedule household task

laundry in drier

Your loop schedule is a separate list of items you want to get done. It may look like this:

Weekly loop schedule for household tasks:

declutter

dust

vacuum

mop

plan meals for next week

Use a loop schedule for anything you want to schedule.

A loop schedule does not only need to be used for household chores. You can use this method for anything you want to put on a schedule.

You can create loop schedules for scheduling your kids to do dishes after dinner so that everyone has a turn, for working on your goals, or for decluttering your home.

Use a loop schedule to get things done for yourself.

Do you have a list of things that you want to get done, yet have a difficult time deciding which one to do since you want to do all of them? I hear you!

Do you have an idea for a book that you want to write? Do you want to pray the Rosary or read your Bible more often? Do you have a long list of books you want to read? Do you want to call your long-distance friends more often?

You can create a loop schedule for your personal goals and tasks that you want to accomplish. You may want to add a “personal loop schedule” section to your schedule each day, once a week, or a few times a month so you can work on your own projects and goals.

Write out what you want to get one, pick the order in which you want to do them, and decide how often you will work on them. Then, put “personal loop schedule task” in your schedule or on the calendar so you remember to do it.

Enjoy the peace of mind that using a loop schedule brings.

The most important thing about a schedule is to remember that you created it to serve you, not for you to feel like a slave to the schedule. A schedule is a tool to help you to stay focused and accomplish necessary tasks as well as fun tasks.

I am sure you have heard the saying: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” This can be applied to having a schedule for what you need and want to accomplish. When you have a designated time or day to get something done, you won’t have it on your mind, trying to remember to do it. When a task has a home in your schedule, you have a plan in place for when you will get it done. This can give you peace of mind and free you to think about other things.

If after a while you realize your schedule is not working for you, take the time to figure out why.  Make any necessary changes, then try out your new schedule.

Sometimes, it is not the schedule that is the problem, but your commitment to it. (Raising my hand here!)  If you are having a difficult time sticking with it, take the time to re-evaluate your schedule and look at what you really want to accomplish.

Did you put things on your schedule that really are not that important to you after all, so you are not doing them? If these are necessary things that need to be done (like vacuuming!), find a way to make them more enjoyable (like praying for your family while you do the task) or see if someone else in your home would like to do that task.

Perhaps you scheduled time to work on a project (like a book you want to write), yet find yourself avoiding working on it. Take the time to re-evaluate this goal. Is it really as important to you at this point in your life as you originally thought it was? Are you scared to move forward with it since you have never written a book before? May the time you scheduled for it is not the best time to actually work on it. Look honestly at what is holding you back, pray about it, then make any necessary changes to your goals and your schedule.

Summary: Create and use a loop schedule to have greater peace in your daily life and work to accomplish your personal goals.

To recap, a loop schedule is a schedule of items that you do in a specific order. Create a loop schedule that works for you and what you want to accomplish. Use a loop schedule for anything you want to schedule: household chores, personal goals, children’s chores, homeschooling courses, etc. Use a loop schedule to get things done for yourself. You will be happy to see the results! Enjoy the peace of mind that using a loop schedule brings.