Routines Make the Hard work of Organizing Stick!

What is a routine? Routines are orderly schedules we set up for ourselves or others to make sure we get to everything we want to in one chunk of time. Sometimes we have routines before bedtime. My children have morning routines in their classrooms at school. We often have routines we use to guide us into starting our workouts or work days.

Sometimes people get upset when routines are talked about. "Routines are boring" or "routines don't let me be spontaneous" are some of the most common things I hear about routines. If you currently think this way, do this:

Stop.

Stop thinking about routines as cramping your style; stop thinking about routines as your enemy; stop thinking about routines as taking the joy out of your life and instead, start thinking about the routines in your life as pathways to joy, pathways to calm and peace and especially as the pathway to achieving your goals and dreams. Routines set you up for success. So embrace the idea of routines and watch the magic of them unfold in your life.

Routines can often become almost habit-like as we go through the motions day after day, doing the same things and because of this, we often tell ourselves that "I shouldn't put 'a,b,c' down on my task lists - those are already habits". 

This is completely true....if you live alone and can completely and totally control every part of your day, day after day, without exception. 

Since you are human, I'm going to guess that is not quite the case. 

When you actually write out your routines - and look at them daily - you will be amazed at the habits you do create and the goals that you achieve. 

For example, if you wanted to reach a goal of going to bed by 10pm every night, you might have a nightly routine that encompasses everything from starting to wind down by 9pm to checking your calendar and task list for the following day. The best part about having a routine is that you can 1) be sure you are ready for the next day and 2) go to sleep easier and sleep deeper with the list of things running through your head safely written down. 

Some examples of routines you might set up:

Night Routine –

*Clean Up Dinner

*Pick up house - 10 minutes, super quick (get the kids to do this, especially their own things)

*Check Calendar for Tomorrow/Pull things from freezer for tomorrow’s dinner

*Ready for Tomorrow –

Ex. Errand day: library books bagged up; keys by purse; checks signed to take to bank; returns with receipts; DI drop offs loaded up; store cards and coupons ready, etc.

Ex. Cleaning day: get out cleaning supplies, take laundry baskets to the laundry room, make sure the house is picked up so you can vacuum and clean without hindrance. 

*Clear off desks and counters

*Ready for Bed

*Go to Bed Early

Morning Routine –

*Prayers/Scriptures/Journal

*Exercise

*Get completely dressed – do hair/face

*Pick up bathroom/Make Bed

*Empty Dishwasher/Make Breakfast

*Check Calendar and To Dos

*Start Dinner

*Specific Day’s Activities

Of course there will be interruptions. Of course things will never go completely to plan every time. Do not give up. This is why we write things down - so you remember what is next when you've attended to the interruption.

Here's my home ready routine - ready for the night: (all of the kid’s things to get ready is on their lists now, but I keep it on mine just to remind me to be on top of things if we've had an extra crazy day)

Many of these things I don't have listed as individual tasks, but some I do. The more help I need remembering to do a certain task, the more in front of my face I put it, thus making it part of the routine and not something tucked away to be forgotten about. 

Here is my own personal night routine that I like to do after the kids are in bed or after their lists are done and I can breathe for a minute. I prefer to get ready for bed as soon as I can. If I decide then to stay up and watch a show with my husband or spend extra time reading to my kids, it's completely easy to relax and know that I'm ready for bed when I am tired.

Write down your routines. Put there where you will see them daily and commit to yourself to stay on task. Once these routines become more like habits, keep them in front of you. If you have a hiccup of sick kids for a few days or a vacation, you will know exactly where to jump back in and you won't have to take the time to remake the routines or use brain power to think through the problem (again) of why things are not working. 

Routines. What routines will you set up today?