Friends! I have a treat for you today. If you read my last post, you’ll know I’ve been struggling with organisation so far this year. So when my friend Emily, who is a bona fide organisation guru, offered to guest post about creating a daily routine? Let’s just say I was jumping at the chance. I have my notebook and pen at the ready and I’m poised to take some notes, because this is like rocket fuel for our daily schedules. I hope you’ll make Emily feel welcome! I’ll turn it over to her.
Hey there, A House Full Of Sunshine readers! I’m Emily from The Small Stuff Counts and I’m delighted that Karen invited me over to chat with you today! If you visit my blog, it won’t take you long to figure out that I am obsessed with organization and time management. I’m always working to find ways to be more intentional with my time so I can spend more time on the things that I care about most.
Sometimes I feel like I’m running on a hamster wheel, just trying to keep up with everything. Do you ever feel that way? We tend to fall into the trap of going with the flow, constantly reacting to everything around us. We wake up in the morning feeling behind before the day even begins. If only we could make time to fit everything in and still have time leftover to chase after our dreams and focus on our passions. We desperately want to use our time intentionally, but where do we even begin?
Having routines in place throughout the day is a great way to add some order to your life. Routines create structure amidst the chaos and help you stay on track each day, no matter how crazy things get.
Today I’m sharing six methods to use to revamp your routines. Different methods work for different personalities and situations, so hopefully this list will give you some ideas of things to try!
1| Start by focusing on one part of your day.
Choose one time of day to focus on first. There are numerous routines you can incorporate into your day. Morning routines often get the most attention, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. You could also have routines in place meal times, after school, at work, in the evenings and at bedtimes.
2 | Add onto existing routines.
Rather than start from scratch, think of the times of day when you already have routines in place. It takes time to get into the habit of following a routine, so it is often much easier to build off a current routine rather than creating a brand new one. Identify an existing routine and think of ways to expand it to include something new.
3 | Write it out.
It can be very helpful to write routines down on paper. This will help you visualize all of the actions and tasks that are included so you will remember them. When I’m working on developing a new routine, I often create a mini checklist of tasks that I can follow every day so I don’t leave anything out by mistake. You could write your morning routine on a sticky note to put on the bathroom mirror, or you could type up your routine and hang it on the fridge. Taking a bit of time to write down the tasks in the order you wish to do them is helpful for creating an intentional routine.
4 | Start small with one habit at a time.
While it can be tempting to want to start a bunch of good habits all at once, that’s not always the best idea. If you’re looking to revamp your routine, start small by adding in one new habit you want to develop. I think habit trackers are great for staying motivated and on track with creating a new habit! Some people like to track their daily habits within their planner (by the way, I’m obsessed with Karen’s Dreams by Design Planner!). There are also numerous digital apps and printables that can help you track your progress. Karen shared a free printable habit tracker here, and you can also find one on my blog here along with 7 tips for forming a new habit.
5 | Get your family on board.
Whenever I give advice for creating or revamping routines and schedules, I make sure to mention the importance of involving your family. If there are others in your household, they will likely be impacted by changes in your routine. Make sure they are clued in to your routine so they know what to expect. Or you may want to include the entire family in revamping a routine so everyone can be involved in the process.
6 | Enlist an accountability partner.
My final tip is one you probably hear often, and that’s because it’s super important! Enlist someone who can hold you accountable to following your routine every day. Let your family or a friend know what your routine entails and ask them to hold you accountable to sticking with it.
Establishing routines will help you add order to your day, develop good habits, increase produtivity and ensure everything gets done. Creating an intentional routine will help you make good use of your time, and I hope these tips are helpful to you as you think about how to revamp your daily routines.
I could geek out about routines all day long, so I created an e-course to help you through the process of creating a routine for your whole week. You can sign up for free here if you are interested in digging deeper. I also just published an entire ebook on the subject, Crush Your Week: The Complete Guide To Designing An Intentional Weekly Routine, and would love for you to check it out! It is a guide to creating a weekly schedule so your whole day runs smoothly. I think you’ll love all of the worksheets and exercises in it!
What routines do you follow that work well for you? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you to Karen for having me over today, and thank YOU for reading!
