Wondering how to add a little structure to your days? Try creating a daily routine!
For several years as a stay-at-home-mom, I fought daily routines.
My life revolved around my babies’ sleep schedules. I tried to fit in what I could on any given day just depending on my mood (or my kids’ moods).
I thought all of the freedom of life without a routine would be freeing.
But it wasn’t.
Instead, my life without a daily routine only brought chaos. It added confusion to my mind and my days.
And it was only after I created a basic daily routine that I discovered a lot more freedom … and a lot more satisfaction to my days.
Depending on your personality type, routines may be a welcomed necessity. Or they can seem (extremely) constricting.
As someone who does appreciate routine – but also loves flexibility – I’ve found that daily routines help me stay on track each day. Since I don’t schedule my entire day, I do still have the flexibility I enjoy.
I’m willing to bet everyone has some sort of routine already set up each day – you probably do the same thing after you wake up each morning and before you go to bed each night. You may pack a lunch at the same time, or you could set your watch by the exact time you walk your dog at the same time each day. If that routine is ever disrupted, you feel off – like something’s not quite right.
The beauty of YOUR routine
You can choose to make your daily routine as regimented or laid back as you prefer – I suggest including the things you know you want to accomplish each day.
I’d also suggest making a few routines for different parts of your day – I prefer morning, late afternoon, and bedtime routines.
In the morning, make sure you’re planning for things you know you need to do before your day gets started – and that you know you’ll have time for.
And in the evening or before bed, work ahead to make your next day a little easier.
Doing the worst first
As I’ve created my daily routines, I’ve adopted the attitude that I need to plan for the one thing I don’t want to do in my day – and in my home, I try to do it before my children wake up.
My ideal morning routine begins with getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, drinking a glass of water, and then spending time in God’s Word. Once I’ve done that, I’m a little more awake and ready to tackle what I don’t want to do: exercise. Once my exercise is over, then I take a shower and make breakfast.
When I can stay focused and follow my routine, my day is off to a great start and I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot. When I don’t, I feel like I spend my day playing catch up.
Other routines I typically follow are:
- After meals: I clean off the table, put away food, and wash the dishes.
- Late afternoon: I pick up the house before my husband gets home from work and start supper preparations.
- Bedtime: For our kids, it includes brushing teeth and going to the bathroom, changing into pajamas, reading the Bible as a family, then reading a chapter in whatever book we’re working our way through. As for my own bedtime, it’s drinking some water, taking vitamins, brushing my teeth and going to the bathroom, changing into pajamas and setting my alarm.
Most of my routines are EASY. (Except for my morning routine, but it only seems difficult because I’m not a morning person.)
And the routines have become an automatic part of my day.
They’re nothing fancy – at all – but they add some structure to each day, freeing me up to do the rest of what I’d like to do.
I can appreciate my routines because they help me stay on track each day and maintain a haven in my home, and the simplicity of them also gives me the flexibility my personality type craves.
Creating your own routine
After trying different routines suggested by different blogs and books, I found I could borrow different ideas, but they only worked out when I created my own routine. It worked best for my personality, preferences and schedules.
Likewise, I suggest finding what is right for you. Try what other homemakers recommend, but tweak the routines (and keep tweaking!) until you find a good fit for your current life situation.
What things are part of your daily routines?
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I love m routines. The one I struggle with is my bedtime routine because I stay up then skip the routine. That would be the one I have on my list to work on more. Great post.
Favorite routine, bedtime and exercise, because they help me to live at my best.
This is not so much a homemaking routine, but a couple years ago I set a routine for getting ready to leave the house, since I was always running late. I developed a routine (shower, brush teeth, fix hair, and so on…) that I do from start to finish without doing anything else (other than answering my son’s rapid fire questions) , because I realized that I was constantly getting distracted by household chores, watching something on TV, checking my phone, etc. Focusing on this one task of getting ready and having a set routine for those times I do get distracted by an unavoidable interruption, has significantly reduced the time it takes me to get myself and my son ready to leave the house and keeps me from being late all the time.
I love this idea, Brandy! Like you, it feels like I’m always running late when trying to leave the house, because I try to cram too much in ahead of time. But you’re on to something … focusing on the one task of getting ready would solve a lot of my issue!