3 Routines That Make Life Less Stressful for (Almost) Everyone
Keep reading this post to learn:
⋒ How to get your mindset right when it comes to routines
⋒ 3 routines to implement to make your life less stressful
⋒ What each routine looks like in my season of life
I want to start by making sure we get our mindset right when it comes to routines (hey-o shout out to Key 01 to Hustling Sanely – Get your Mindset Right) – routines are meant to support you, not stress you out. Design routines that make sense for the season of life that you’re in. You’re the boss of your routines – the routine is a tool, not a chain.
I sing the praises of routines all the time because routines really are a tool that I use to help me steward my time and energy well and that help me to be present because I’m not wondering when things are going to get done or how so and so thing is going to fit in my week – I have a blueprint of my week with my routines pre-mapped out so that I can just show up and do what needs to be done. It’s glorious.
Now, if you’re new to designing intentional routines or you just feel like your routines need a refresh, this is a great place to start!
I truly believe that the 3 routines I’m going to share with you today can work for anyone. Obviously how you implement the routine in your life is going to look different from how I or someone else does it because all of us are living different lives and have brains that are wired differently.
The point of me sharing these isn’t to overwhelm you or make you feel less than or like you’re “doing it wrong” – remember what I said earlier – routines are meant to support you, not stress you out. Design routines that make sense for the season of life that you’re in. You’re the boss of your routines – the routine is a tool, not a chain.
Use this blog post as a guide not as your lifeblood, okay?
So the way we’re gonna do this – I’m going to share the name of the routine, its purpose, how often I recommend doing it, and I’ll tell you what that specific routine currently looks like in my life (keep in mind – how I do these routines changes throughout the year based on my season).
01: Morning Routine
Purpose: Designed to set the tone for your day and position you to take ownership of your mindset, time, and energy. Some time at the start of your day to fill up your cup before life starts happening.
Interval Recommendation: Every morning – but I think it might be helpful for people to have different versions of their morning routines for different types of days. So for example, if you work out of the home, maybe you have a morning routine for the days you have to go to work and the days that you’re off. Or if you’re a mom, you might have a morning routine for the days your kid wakes up early and a morning routine for the days your kid sleeps later. A morning routine can be 10 minutes or 2 hours - there isn’t one superior morning routine.
My current morning routine: My morning routine is when I prioritize my mental health hygiene habits and spending time with Jesus. I wake up between 5:45 and 6 – usually I’m up before my alarm which goes off at 6. I go into the bathroom and while I’m peeing, I take my temperature to log in my cycle tracking app. Then I grab my journal, books, watch, and phone and head up into the kitchen. It’s usually 6 by this time. I make my half-caff coffee with collagen and ice roll my face while that’s brewing. Then I sit down and read 10ish pages of a personal or professional development book. Then I take out my Peacefully Productive Journal and read my monthly affirmation, Focus Goals, and value statements. I fill out the morning journal prompts and then I write a prayer on the On My Heart page in the journal. While I’m writing my prayer, I do some intentional breathwork. After that, it’s usually 6:30. If Everly is still sleeping, I’ll read my Bible (currently doing a reading plan to read through the whole Bible). If she’s awake, I’ll get her out of her crib, give her her bottle, and then sit back down to read my Bible. I usually finish up just before 7 and then we usually go play in Everly’s room until 7:30 and then we wake Adam up and get ready to go for our family walk!
02: Evening Routine
Purpose: Designed to set you up for a peaceful evening and to prepare for getting good quality sleep. One of my goals in 2024 is to create an evening routine that really elevates my sleep quality. I started making shifts in December and I’m already noticing a difference! Getting good quality sleep is so important for living a peacefully productive life because the amount of sleep we get affects our mindset and our energy.
Interval Recommendation: Every evening and same as my morning routine suggestion – it might be helpful for people to have different versions of their evening routines for different types of days. So for example, if your kid has soccer practice 3 nights a week in the evening, you might have an evening routine that is for soccer practice nights and one for non-practice nights.
My current evening routine: I have 2 evening routine plans – one for when my husband is working (he works a few nights a week) and one for when he’s off work. My evening routine starts at Everly’s dinner time around 5:30 or 6 PM and goes until I go to bed around 10 PM. We do dinner and once that’s done, we do Everly’s bedtime routine. We finish that and have her in bed between 7-7:30 depending on when she woke up from her last nap of the day. After she’s asleep, I do a quick home reset that usually takes me 15 minutes. I clean up anything left in the kitchen from dinner and I clean up the bathroom from her bathtime. And if there are any toys in the living room I pick those up. Once that’s done, I usually head to my bathroom and do my skincare routine. I make it a VIBE – I put on comfy PJs and turn on a book video on YouTube. I usually finish this by 8 PM. After that, I go in the kitchen and make my nightly magnesium drink…I’ve noticed a huge difference in my sleep quality since taking magnesium. I sip on my magnesium drink while I fill out the evening prompts in the Peacefully Productive Journal. Then I usually scroll on my phone and catch up on texts and stuff because I am off my phone by 8:30/8:45. I got an actual alarm clock so being able to plug my phone in away from my bed has been a game changer for sticking to my phone hours. Once I finish on my phone, I either read fiction until I fall asleep or I spend time with Adam. I head down to bed around 10 PM.
Having intentional morning and evening routines helps me take ownership of my life – they ground me and act as bookends to the day. Morning and evening routines have supported me in so many different seasons of life – when I was starting my business, when I was pregnant, as a new mom, as a working mom – my morning and evening routines help me take care of myself so I can show up for my life in a way that I’m proud of.
03: Weekly Home Reset Routine
Purpose: Designed to help you get home tasks done efficiently and consistently so they’re not taking up mental space and so that you don’t feel like you’re constantly tending to your home because that is an exhausting way to feel. It’s basically a specific time dedicated to home/life maintenance so you don’t feel like you’re chasing those kinds of tasks around all week. It’s a way to batch caring for your home.
Interval Recommendation: Once a week – I like to do my Weekly Home Reset routine on Fridays because it’s a day that I don’t work.
My current weekly home reset routine: I did a detailed episode on my Home Reset Routine and gave you steps to create your own in episode 166 so I’ll link that episode in the show notes for you if you want to go back and listen. My Home Reset Routine shifts as my season shifts – are you picking up on that being a common theme with my routines? Since that episode, my routine has shifted some. Here are the tasks I do right now as a part of my Weekly Home Reset routine:
+ Tidy all rooms – basically just putting stuff that’s not in its proper place away
+ Water plants
+ Wash all bedding
+ Empty all trash bins
+ Plan meals
+ Order groceries
The whole thing usually takes me an hour or less and it truly makes the rest of the week so much smoother at home.
Obviously some of the things I do throughout the day – like washing our bedding. I don’t like sit and stare at the washing machine waiting for it to be done, lol. I toss the bedding in the wash and carry on with my day and then switch it over to the dryer when it’s done.
Alright y’all – those are 3 routines that I really believe make life easier for just about anyone! I hope this episode was helpful for you and gave you some ideas for refreshing your routines so that they support the season you’re in. Remember not to overthink or overcomplicate routines – they are there to support you, not to make you more stressed.
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