When summer blew up our family's routine, I turned to a business system from Toyota. It helped curb the chaos.

The author said her family was reluctant to follow a new method for organizing their to-do list at first, but they quickly got on board. Courtesy of Laura Wheatman Hill. I really dislike how disrupted our regular routine is when the kids are home during summer break. This year, I was determined to make the days more productive and meaningful while limiting screens. I turned to the Kanban method, a business system for organization, to keep my kids on task. I am a summer Grinch. I do not thrive in warm weather. I do not have the funds for extravagant vacations. Perhaps the thing I like least about summer is that my family's sense of routine is disrupted. My two kids, 10 and 12, are spending several weeks of the summer in day camp, but also have stretches where we have no commitments .