Your Agile Home

This might sound crazy, but when you've had the same fight or argument over non-preferred tasks, this is a game changer. 

We keep everything on our kids' scrum board. One of us parents sets up the list for the day. This allows us to demonstrate what needs to be done without nagging.

It builds a trust in routines for your kids as well. 

It avoids frustration from both parents and kids.

This is the visual board we use for our kids: SchKIDules 153 Piece Visual Schedule. (aff link)

Are you ready to streamline your day and get more done? Sign up for my free Daily Stand Up Meeting Cheat Sheet.

Quality time with your partner is invaluable and it can be really easy to run out of ideas or put off your quality time because life is busy. 

Listen to this episode for some ideas of quality time with your partner.

What is your favorite thing to do with your partner? Let us know in the Facebook Group!

Large projects can seem overwhelming, so it is important to break them down into smaller sprints.

First, break a big project down into much smaller pieces, just like we talked about in our Bite Sized Goals episode. 

Usually, the first sprint is going to be prep. Planning out what you're going to need to do and what you're going to need to get to make this happen.

Put the things that you want to do but that are not necessary on the backlog. That way you can get to them later.

Your main goal is to get to the minimal viable results - the least that can be done for it to be a success.

What is your biggest struggle in planning a large event? Let me know in the Facebook Group!

It's tough, y'all. I'm not going to lie to you, but working from home with kids home is possible and can even be productive. 

Listen to today's episode and learn 4 things that we do to get work done while the kids are home. 

And be sure to check out my freebie Your Daily StandUp Cheat Sheet and learn how to have a more productive day.

It is very hard to have equitable partnerships when one person carries the mental load - the organizing and managing of all of the daily tasks.

The Daily Stand-Up is so important for us to have an equitable partnership because we are sharing the mental load.

Ask yourself who is in charge of XYZ. If the answer to all of the questions is one person, then your partnership is not equitable.

This is one of the many reasons we chose to Agile. 

Do you need guidance on having an equitable partnership? Ask your questions in the Facebook Group!

Self-assigning means picking a task that you like to do and doing it. You do not have to do something you don't like to do if someone else in your house likes to do it. 

Sit down with your family and talk about all of the tasks that need to be done. Everyone picks tasks that they want to do.

Your children will pick tasks that they like to do. You can teach them how to do all of the tasks that are non-preferred as well. But their main tasks can be their preferred tasks.  You can do that through showing them and leaving instructions if you are not going to be doing a non-preferred task. There are going to be days that you are sick or busy and they will have to pick up the slack.

Picking tasks that they like mean that they won't dread doing "chores."

The main reason we self-assign tasks is that things get done. If there is a task that everyone doesn't like to do, it can become a rotating task. 

How do you handle chores and tasks in your household? Would you benefit from self-assigning? Let us know in the Facebook Group?

We do allowances differently. They happen no matter what, instead of as payment for chores. Chores are a part of our Agile household, and we do it no matter what.

Learning money management is important for our children. We use FamZoo and their allowances automatically go into their account. The app is easy to use.

We give $1 per year of age and we make sure we have constant feedback on how they use their money. 

How does your family handle allowance? Let us know in the Facebook Group!

One of the main reasons I started using Agile in my home was because I was tired of the societal norms that mom had to do #allthethings and carry the full mental load.

It builds in the ability for everyone to say what is on their plate, presented as facts, and allows us to have a feedback loop to improve. It's about doing it together as an entire family.

Self-assigning tasks mean no one person is in charge of everything. This system sets up a cohesive unit where we have different brains working on tasks where they are most effective, increasing communication and overall family happiness.

If you have any questions, let me know in the Facebook Group!

The Daily Stand-Up is probably one of my favorite meetings in agiling my house. This is a time where we can connect and talk about what's going on in our lives and in our day. 

It is so important when trying to make the house more equal in both physical and mental labor. This helps you to avoid conflict of schedule, as well. 

Every day, we have work that isn't visible to our partner. The Daily Stand-Up is a great time for you to connect and make that visible to each other. 

The Daily Stand-Up is the time for you to let your self-care needs to be known. 

If you have any questions about the Daily Stand-Up, post in the Facebook Group.

Work-life balance is hard and the truth is that it is not achievable all of the time. Sometimes you need to be more focused on something like a work project or on being present with your family. 

The balance comes out over time. It is okay to focus in on one area for a time. 

Be okay with some slack. Set your family's priorities for the week. 

How do you feel about work-life balance? Let me know in the Facebook group.