31 Days Project // Day 4 // Responsibility Chart

Welcome to 31 Days to an Organized Life & Business! For the month of October I will be a participant in The Nester’s 31 days Writing Challenge. Taking some of my own advice and taking you along on my journey to a life reset. I’ll be sharing (and practicing) some tips on everything from bookkeeping, shopping, managing kids, intentional parenting, work from home mom syndrome, work/life balance, spiritual reset and more. Not because I am the expert in these fields, but because they have worked for me in the past, and I so badly need them to work again for me now.

When I say I need this reset I’m not even kidding. When I say I’ll be writing about it, I don’t mean, I’m going to talk about past advice or something that worked once for me 3 years ago. I mean I’m going to hit publish on this blog post, and then go and do what I am writing about today.  That is all I can commit to for today. Which means, if you can relate to any of this, I invite you along on this 31 day journey. Watch me triumph or fail, but I’ll be here daily to give you updates. I’d love if you joined me, and keep me posted on your progress as well. There’s hope and support in community here. 

If you missed Day 1, or would like to catch up on any other day, click the link on the right hand side or right here.

Be sure to also follow along on Instagram as I post updates throughout the day. #31daystoreset @Angelsea Urban

Thanks for visiting!

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WELCOME TO DAY 4: Responsibility Chart

But first, an update on yesterday…

I didn’t anticipate these posts to be a domino off of each day prior, but this – in real time blogging – is kind of new to me and I feel like we need to know what happened the next day right?

So yesterday’s devotional I started a little bit late – but I sat down and started re-reading my sermon notes from this past week, and then my notes from our small group on Wednesday. Something new struck me that I had breezed past several times before.

“WORKS”

Yikes. I had written it out in another context but there it was staring me in the face and I knew that was a prompter for me to dig a little deeper.

In studying earlier in the week the question of “What lies had I previously believed that left an impact on me?’ came up.

For me it was works. 

I believed that in order to be worthy, of anything, I had to earn my way. 

In relationships, in friendships, godliness, work ethic, ministry, community etc.

Instead of accepting Who I was in Christ, I was seeking approval from those around me by my works. Where I volunteered my time, how I prepared my meals for my family, which friends I called often enough, how much attendance I had in church, how many hours I put in to my work. All of it and more.

I ended up in Jonah. But not because I needed to read about Jonah being in the whale. But the part after. The part that many people, including myself often forget.

The story about Jonah and the plant.

That. PLANT. (or gourd depending on your translation).

Jonah was whining that the plant that had provided shade to him, had withered away.

AS IF HE MADE THE PLANT. Or had anything to do with it.

There is a huge difference in personal responsibility and works.

I can’t do works to earn my way to anything. Not favor, or popularity or relationships.

But I do need to take personal responsibility in what God has for me. To serve others. Whether it’s to raise my children, manage my household, be a good wife, or use the gifts I have been given to bless others, through my vocation or otherwise.

Part of that job is to teach my children to same. Both by example and assignment.

Not for them to earn their way into anything through works, but to learn how to serve others, how to bless others, and how to cultivate the gifts they have been given. 

 

If it’s pretty, we’ll use it right?

 

So, instead of a list, my family uses this “Responsibility Chart”. I created it a while back because my son wanted to buy Legos. (As in his billionth lego set). I told him if he wanted it he had to earn it. And since birthdays only come by once per year, and we don’t do traditional allowance I came up with this system to help both the kids learn responsibility, help the family, and earn some extra cash.

While I am not against allowance  at all, (I earned some myself when I was a kid) I feel like, for my kids, saying, “Do the dishes daily earns you $2 per week” gives them an opportunity to say, “no thanks, I don’t want the money.”

So we have chores that our kids are just expected to do because they are part of this family and we all pitch in to help. And of course building character and learning responsibility and all that good stuff. Besides – THEY ARE MESSY! lol So yes, they are expected to help clean up the mess.

Based on their age, they earn points, and they need to do so many points per day. (Chores are assigned in case you are wondering, so they can’t just say, “I’ll take out the garbage” for 10 points, when the garbage is empty. When they need something we buy it. If they need field trip money, we give it.

The problem with that system is that they weren’t learning the value of money and responsibly. So we added bonus points or opportunities for them to go above and beyond, and to give them more control and involvement in what they were doing.

Currently, our 10 year old daughter, needs to earn 50 points per day. Our 6 year old son, needs to earn 30 points per day. I try to assign extra opportunities for them to earn money so they can save up for things, (like the eleventy billionth lego set if that how he chooses to spend his extra money).

The way I use this chart:

• Harmony gets assigned tasks in a yellow highlighter.
• Greyson gets assigned tasks in a blue highlighter.
• When they complete their task (and I check it) they initial the box that it’s done.
• We use one sheet per day (for the both of them).
• At the end of the week, we add up all of the extra points to see if they have earned any extra and convert those points to money.
• Some weeks, they earn nothing, as they did the minimum. Some weeks they earn $2 each. Some weeks they earn $6 or more.

We have this chart hanging in our home. After several comments from visitors, I decided to add it to the Home Management section of the Photographer’s Business Toolbox thinking maybe other momtreprenaurs could use a little tool like this in their home as well.

If you’d like a copy of this one, I’m giving it away for free for my blog readers today! Just use the code 31days14 at checkout. You can use this chart as a printable, but the download includes an editable file for you to customize for your own family if you’d like. 

So – another reason why this topic is included in my 31 days to an Organized Life & Business?

 

I haven’t tallied up their progress in weeks. Womp. Womp. Womp. (Sad kid face). There’s nothing like taking the wind out of the sails of a good system by NOT following through.

So today, I commit to tallying up their progress of the past few weeks, and paying up!

If this was helpful to you, let me know! If you try this system, tell me how it works for you or if you have any ideas to make it better!

Thanks for visiting today!
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Be sure to check the blog every day during the Month of October for new content. Or sign up for the VIP Newsletter for important updates.

East Coast Fine Art Lifestyle Family Portrait Photographer Angelsea Urban

Angelsea Urban is a photographer and entrepreneur helping women use their creative gifts to nourish their homes and cultivate their businesses through practical stewardship. Her unique photography work focuses on Redefining the Family Portrait Experience by telling the story of  family through personalized foundations while creating a space to strengthen family bonds throughout the experience. As a certified tax professional and seasoned business consultant, Angelsea has helped the careers of photographers, restaurateurs, musicians and general small business owners through teaching, workshops, coaching, and hands on consulting. Her ministry work focuses on fostering creative gifts in women entrepreneurs to prioritize family and discipleship. She has photographed for families, brides, Bravo TV, NFL Films, and more and has been featured on multiple blogs and magazine print for her work in photography and in business. Angelsea teaches and photographs throughout the United States, and resides with her husband of 17 years, their two children, and their barely 3 pound Yorkie near Long Beach Island, New Jersey.  

To book your session with Angelsea Urban, please visit www.angelseaurban.com

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