Is your home a peaceful place? Or do you feel like you are living in a constant state of chaos and survival mode? Or maybe the mood of your home is somewhere in between? Today, I’m really excited to talk about routines. I believe they are the key to a more peaceful home. (Notice I said peaceful and not necessarily quiet? I have young kids after all!)
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When I graduated college, married 2 months later, and moved out on my own, I had no clue how to manage a home (or a very small apartment back then). I was forced to learn “on the job” and thankfully, the simple and quiet life that Kevin and I led provided me some time to start figuring it all out.
Fast forward 14 years, jobs at 3 different companies, 2 houses, 3 young kids and I feel much more confident as a home manager. I definitely do not feel like I have arrived, but I’ve learned a few things along the way. One of those things is the importance of routines.
Why routines?
I’m sure there are rockstar home managers who thrive on spontaneity and are very successful without routines. But, I would bet they are the exception rather than the norm.
There are numerous benefits to routines. First, they provide structure and stability to the home. There is great value in knowing your home (and life) has order and organization.
Routines also increase efficiency and productivity. Since routines are repeated over and over, they eventually become habit. These good habits allow you to complete tasks without giving them much thought. From a mental stamina standpoint, going on auto-pilot allows you to exert less mental energy. That’s always a good thing in my home – ha!
Finally, routines alleviate stress and allow for more relaxation time. Since the essential work is done in the home, more time can be spent on the things that bring you and your home the most joy!
What routines?
I have found that there are 5 must-have routines for a more peaceful home. I’m sure someone might argue there should be more or less, but I believe these are the most crucial.
1. Morning
I’ve talked about morning routines before, but I think it bears repeating that I love them! They are the best way to jump start your day and your productivity. A morning routine sets the tone for the day and helps you get things done from the start before your energy fades.
Think through the tasks that you want and need to perform each day along with the time you have in the mornings to complete them. Make those tasks your morning routine and your day will be off to a great start in no time!
Related: Establishing a Morning Routine, The Best Way to Reduce Overwhelm & Increase Productivity
Crystal Paine’s Make Over Your Mornings course* is a great resource if you need more in-depth encouragement.
2. Evening
An evening routine is almost important as a morning routine. I would argue that it’s much harder to start your day well if you aren’t ending it well. A good evening routine will allow you to prep for the next day so that you are ready for success in the morning.
Just like with a morning routine, your evening routine will be personal to you and your home. Determine what will help you end your day well and begin the next morning ready to tackle the day. Those tasks can be your evening routine and you will go to bed feeling ready to start another day well!
Related: Establishing an Evening Routine
Crystal Paine’s Make Over Your Evenings course* is her follow up to her successful mornings course. It’s another great one!
3. Meal Strategy
You need to eat, so having a meal strategy means you are prepared and ready for it! In my mind, a meal strategy consists of three main parts – meal planning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation.
Pick a day and time of the week when you will plan out your meals each week. Unless you love to experiment, keep your meals simple and aim to use frugal ingredients that you already have on hand.
Determine the day of the week that works best for you to grocery shop. Lastly, have a plan of attack regarding meal preparation. Thinking about dinner in the morning has been a huge help for me. Even if you don’t start prepping it until later, thinking about it early in the day will help. If you think you’d benefit from freezer cooking, you may consider making that part of your meal strategy too.
Related: The Lowdown on Menu Planning, 7 Tips for Getting Dinner on the Table, Freezer Cooking Basics
If meal planning is overwhelming and you have the funds available, you might consider a meal planning service such as $5 Meal Plan*. You can try it out risk free, so you can check it out before committing!
4. Cleaning
I wish that cleaning was one of those tasks that you would do once and it was done forever. Unfortunately, part of being alive is making messes! A clean and tidy home is a more peaceful home, so come up with a cleaning & laundry routine that is realistic.
Determine what cleaning tasks should be done, how often (daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.), and when. Your home will always need cleaning, but a cleaning routine will help you to stay on top of it!
Related: My Simple Laundry System
5. Budgeting
Sometimes we forget that budgeting and money are also part of managing a home. You can’t run your home without money and you can’t keep the utilities turned on unless all the bills are paid!
A budgeting routine is threefold – creating a budget, bill paying, and tracking your spending. Creating a budget ensures that you have enough money to operate your home. Decide when you will sit down and create your budget and pay your bills. This is personal, depending on when and how often you get paid.
Even after bills are paid, you must work the budget and keep track of spending. If one spouse primarily handles the grunt work, communicating should still be part of your budgeting routine. Make time to discuss and review your budget together as a couple.
Related: The Basics of Budgeting, Working Your Monthly Budget, Weekly Budget Check-In Meetings
Unfortunately, I think routines get a bad reputation unnecessarily. Routines should serve you, not the other way around. Rather than being stifling, they can actually result in freedom. Since how you choose to implement routines are personal to you and your situation, you can tweak and adjust until you find the right ones that meet everyone’s needs.
There will be days when you fail at execution or you throw your routines out the window. That’s perfectly okay. Your routines will always be there for you tomorrow!
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Do you like routines? Or rebel against them?
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I am a creature of habit and I thrive with routine! We have the same systems set up and it makes my life so much easier! This is a great post!
Me too! Even if I have an “off” day, I love going back to my routines the next morning! 🙂
This was great! I love how you consider your budgeting a routine as well. I’ve never thought of it that way, but it sure makes it more fun for me! 🙂 I definitely thrive when I stick to my routines so maybe looking at budgeting in the same fashion will make it less of a chore.
Thanks for sharing!
My husband chuckles every time our budget meeting reminder pops on the calendar! It’s been helpful for us to view budgeting as a routine – let me know if you try it and how it goes! 🙂
I love this post! Routines truly do bring a freedom. I’ve found with 3 small children that having a good routine for simple tasks like laundry, dishes, etc. has brought so much peace to our home. It is the one thing that helps me not feel so overwhelmed. Having a good evening routine is one I definitely need to work on though.
Admittedly, I struggle the most with sticking to my evening routine! By that time of the day, I’m ready to flop on the couch, but I’m working on it. Have a great day, Aimee! –Sarah 🙂