What is your daily routine? Your morning routine? Do you have a routine? If you do, you know what a “servant” it can be. In a way similar to habits, a routine can work for you.
Routine is defined as “a sequence of actions regularly followed.” Routine’s synonyms are regimen, practice, and my personal favorite, groove.
For example, when we had two toddlers, our bedtime routine was to serve a cup of warm milk with story time about 30 minutes before bed. Once the stories were over, we tucked our toddlers in bed and enjoyed the rest of our evening.
Of course, once we started homeschooling our routine became much more complex with each individual following their own portion of the family routine.
If part of your routine includes planning healthy meals for your family and regular grocery shopping, chances are you are saving your family money and everyone is healthier than they might otherwise be.
If part of your routine includes regular laundry days, chances are you don’t run out of socks midweek. (My husband says the other option is to buy lots of socks!)
If your kids adhere to a regular school routine, you probably have more calm than chaos.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of having a routine!
After you do your regular morning grooming (which in and of itself is a routine), what comes next? If you don’t know, or if what comes next isn’t working, then now is the perfect time for you to create a fresh new routine.
- Ask yourself, What is most important? What should be done first? Second? Third?
- Is there something that needs to be done every Monday or Friday? If so, the routine on those days will look different from the other days.
- What should your older kids be doing while you’re teaching your youngest how to read? What should occupy the toddler while you’re preparing dinner?
If you create a routine on paper based on these things and tweak it over the course of a real week, your life could improve!
The routine that will serve you and your family best will be one that works for you. That’s the whole point of routine. When you find a good one, you have your groove, you have found that sweet spot where everyone is doing the next thing without having to think much about it.
There are so many benefits of routine that I don’t want you to miss out on. Consider the following areas and see if they are working well for you, or if now is the time to create or make adjustments to your routine.
- Wake up and bedtimes
- Meals and meal times
- Housekeeping and laundry days
- And of course, your school routine
If you feel like a slave to your routine, then it’s not working for you. You’re working for it. Stop!
Adjust and readjust until it’s working for you. You will need to readjust with each new baby, new school year, and so forth. Life is full of adjustments and adjustments to routine need to happen. Adjust until you hit that sweet spot where your routine is working for you and your family.
In addition:
Just like God created the seasons (a routine of sorts) and so we know what to expect next, it is a gift to our children to create a workable, balanced routine so that they too know what to expect. It has been my experience that children excel in a routine where what is expected of them is reasonable, unambiguous and consistent.
Patti is a certified coach. She works primarily with homeschool moms. Learn more about Patti.