5 Essential Tips for Creating a Smooth Household Routine During Deployment

GUEST WRITER | Hi, I’m Jana, the creator of The Organized Military Life, a blog that helps military spouses declutter and organize the chaos of this unique lifestyle. As an 18-year military spouse with three kids and two dogs, I’ve navigated 10 PCS moves, including to our current home in Madrid, Spain. After once feeling overwhelmed by clutter, I've developed systems that now help me—and others—manage it all with ease. When I’m not helping military spouses plan and organize, I love to travel, play on social media, and get lost in a good book. Come join all the decluttering fun over on the FB group: Creating Spaces: Decluttering Tips for Military Spouses.

As a military spouse, one of the hardest things is keeping order in your household when your spouse is deployed. Without a solid routine, it’s easy for daily habits to slip, and chaos can quickly take over! That’s why I’m sharing five essential tips that have helped me keep my household running smoothly while my spouse is away.

Establish a Structured Routine

Things inevitably shift when your spouse is away. It’s inescapable! Some routines will have to be relaxed, and you’ll likely need to adjust to a new normal. But without some structure, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you have kids, involve them in creating the routine, so they know what to expect each day. In addition, leave room for some fun things that are special to deployment- my kids LOVE cereal for dinner as a special “deployment only” treat. Little do they know it’s my way to preserve sanity. 

Use a Central Calendar

Having a digital calendar has been a game-changer for our family. Even when my spouse is away for training or deployment, he can stay in the loop with our day-to-day activities. When he calls, he can ask about that choir performance or that soccer game. For the kids, I use iCal to sync everyone’s events and keep a dry-erase calendar with big events on the fridge. One milspouse bestie of mine even uses a giant whiteboard for the whole family to see. Whatever method you choose, a centralized calendar helps keep everyone informed.

Set up a Home Management System

I rely on my List & File Daily Binder to organize all our paperwork and household tasks, and I also created my free Home Cleaning and Maintenance Checklists to keep everything on track. These checklists help me manage daily routines and essential home maintenance, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. You can download them for free and customize them to fit your family’s needs. Sharing these systems with a trusted neighbor or family member is also a great idea, so they can step in if needed while your spouse is away.

Delegate Tasks

As a military spouse, it’s easy to feel like you have to do it all, but that’s simply not true. There are resources to help during deployments, and it’s okay to ask for assistance. I’ve delegated tasks like childcare, yard work, and house cleaning when I needed to. Think of running your household like running a business—sometimes you need to bring in help. Hiring someone to handle these tasks can be an investment, but think of it as an investment in your sanity and self-care.

MAKE Time for Yourself  

And speaking of self-care, make sure to put yourself on your to-do list. Seriously. Schedule yourself in. I know as a stay-at-home parent it’s easy to set your kid’s doctor’s appointment and prioritize that above all else, but what about you? If you have a certain hobby or activity that you love to do, make sure to put it on the calendar. Make it just as important as the kids’ events or the other “mandatory” events. 

When your spouse is deployed, life can feel overwhelming, but a little planning goes a long way. Establish a structured routine, keep everyone on track with a centralized calendar, and use my free Home Cleaning and Maintenance Checklists to manage tasks and maintenance. Remember, it’s okay to delegate when needed, and don’t forget to prioritize your self-care. With these five tips, you can maintain order and balance at home, even when your spouse is deployed. 

Looking for more organization and decluttering resources? Check it all out at  The Organized Military Life now! Happy Organizing, y’all!