Many of us work on Friday, and those of us who only have to work half a day are lucky. Work schedules can pose a challenge when it comes to Shabbat preparations, and it is essential (except perhaps in the summer months, when Shabbat begins late and many leave work early), to make preparations ahead of time. I admit that, even in the 6 or 7 hours between coming home from work and candle lighting in the summer, I feel quite stressed if I haven’t prepared anything for Shabbos during the week, and it is much nicer to cruise into Shabbat rather than frantically sliding into it like “home base.” (How many times have I felt like I this!)
It is a good idea to implement a Shabbat schedule in which the entire family can participate. You should begin by listing everything you need to do to prepare for Shabbat, and then estimate the amount of time it will take. Another good idea is to list tasks that need to be done at the last minue (i.e my husband likes fish made the same day and not ahead of time) and what things can be frozen or a day or days before (putting aside clothing for Shabbat is a job that can even be done on Sunday). Every day, you should do something for Shabbat. This helps to bring the peace of Shabbat into the week, and the whole family will look forward to this special day. Keep lists of tasks and assign them. Give rewards to your kids for completing their jobs.
It is a good idea to go shopping in the middle of the week, on a Wednesday, for instance, and start cooking soups and cakes which can be frozen until Friday. For those who like to make homemade challah, but work on Friday, a bread machine is a good investment. You can let the machine do all of the kneading for you, and all you have to do is to shape the breads and let them have a final rise before baking. Finally, if your Friday schedule is very hectic, you may want to hire some Friday help to do basic tasks so you can relax for Shabbat. This does not have to cost a lot of money; many teenagers who come home from school early will be happy to pop things in the oven or do some cleaning for some extra pocket money.