Routines
The definition (as described by Merriam-Webster) of the word routine is “a regular course of action” or a “habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure” and my beloved (and much dog-eared) Roget’s Thesaurus says that some of its synonyms are: custom, cycle, habit, pattern, procedure, system and formula.
Sounds simple right? Do something (your routine) over and over again and it will become a habit. I love CREATING new routines to simplify my life, but WHY is it so hard for me to stick to them? Y’all, I know I sound like a broken record because I talk about this ALL OF THE TIME! So… I’m just gonna be real with my readers for a second.
Don’t know what “shiny object syndrome” is? Go read more about it here or here. I get all excited about creating these new routines to help make my mornings better, make my work day go more smoothly, or help me keep my house clean (yeah right), but after a few days of following these new routines (to a T, I might add), life gets in the way and my new routine that was going to solve all my problems gets pushed aside for real life. I’ve done batch scheduling routines, clean 1 room each day routines, elaborate “open and file all mail so the mail basket doesn’t overflow” routines, impressive school morning routines, etc.
BUT there is 1 routine that I’ve been successful at sticking with for a while now - my morning routine. That being said - the success of my morning depends 100% on the night before. So my morning routines ACTUALLY includes some evening things too. Let me show you what I mean…
Evening Routine:
Fix coffee and turn it on auto
Fill a big cup of water and put on my nightstand
Start the dishwasher (if it’s full)
Lay out clothes to wear the next day
Morning routine #1:
Trigger: Steve getting in the shower
Get dressed and make the bed
Drink 32-ish oz. water before coffee
Straighten living room pillows and blankets
Straighten kitchen table
Empty dishwasher
Wipe kitchen counter
Pack lunch for Steve
Lay out vitamins
My time management coach has been great in helping me figure out some new routines to get me into the groove of work each day… I’ve been doing these (pretty consistently) for about a week now and I can definitely see how following these routines is going to help me stay in “work mode” during the day (let’s just HOPE I can stick with it…). Here’s what that looks like:
Morning Routine #2: (otherwise known as my “work wind-up” routine)
Trigger: Steve leaving for work
Turn on computer (do next 4 tasks while computer is starting up)
Determine the end of my day and set an alarm for 1 hour before
Put my phone on the shelf
Review my planner for the day
Get out my brain dump book (so I can write down things and I won’t get distracted)
Turn on music
Read emails but don’t respond
Open Bonsai (my project/client management system)
End of Day Routine: (otherwise known as my “work wind-down” routine)
Trigger: that alarm I set to indicate I had 1 more hour of work)
Wrap up my current task (and don’t start another one)
Transfer brain dumps from book to my Trello Board or my planner
Check email (but don’t respond) and make notes in planner for tomorrow
Write tomorrow’s TOP THREE in my planner
Straighten my desk
Turn off my computer
Spray desk (vinegar/water/relaxing essential oils) and wipe down
All-in-all my morning routines take about an hour to accomplish. However, when I say “1 hour”, I don’t mean I’m actively doing routine-tasks for a solid hour. My morning routine #1 may take 5 minutes here, 2 minutes there, and 4 minutes there. My Morning routine #2 (“work wind-up”) takes about 10 minutes from start-to-finish. I just spread it out a bit.
BUT… my daughter starts high school (virtually) this week and I am actively working on changing-up these routines that I’ve set for myself. We’re having to get up a bit earlier (I’ll be getting her up and started on school before Steve leaves for work every day) and I also want to try and end my work day when she’s finished with school for the day. And just as soon as we get used to these new routines, they’ll probably change YET AGAIN when she starts in-person school.
But that’s real life, right?
What do your routines look like?